Hasta La Motion!

Let me introduce myself — I’m a student in the Cinema Production program at USC, and I need help. I understand the general rules of forum communities and how outsiders barging in for some quick cheap advice on absurd problems can be annoying. To the Mods and frequent users: if this post is in the wrong place, I apologize. However, I am in genuine need of help.

I’m currently exploring the feasibility of a short film concept that I hope to pursue as my senior project here at USC. The film would be short – 5 to 7 minutes – but would require extensive 3D character and effects animation mixed in with live action plates to work. As a student production, the budget will be relatively small; however, my producer and I are prepared to make targeted investments in CG effects to achieve our desired level of quality.

I’ve attached a rough, 1-page outline that hits the various beats in the film (the script is significantly better, but this gets the point across). The following is a link to a recently released short film that demonstrates the level of quality I’m hoping to achieve:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOZkL…eature=channel

The film is Carl Rinsch’s “The Gift”, produced by RSA for Phillips’ Parallel Lines promotion. I’m particularly interested in the high level of realism produced with the robot character models, as similar models and animations are critical to my film. My film would take place almost entirely in a forest and involve robotic creatures of various shapes and sizes. The screen time wouldn’t be as extensive as "The Gift", and there certainly wouldn’t be any shots without background plates, but the effects would be similarly complex.

In the various aspects of physical production I know how to cut corners and drastically reduce costs. The same goes for most of post-production. However, when it comes to the complex CG effects I’ll need for the film, I am lost.

We will hopefully have an effects budget of at least $10,000. Is this enough? Laughably too little? Are there ways to stretch this budget? Are there certain people, companies, strategies — anything, really — that can get a film of comparable visual quality to "The Gift" made with this budget? I have no limit of time, hard work, favors, trades, and other demeaning acts I can use towards this goal; but cash is hard to come by.

I would immensely appreciate any help this community could provide. Really.

Attached Files

"Grotto" treatment.doc (109.0 KB)