Hasta La Motion!

http://grottofilm.wordpress.com/

Hello all,

My name is Jonathan Brebner and I’m currently a senior Cinema Production student at USC. I’d like to put the word out for the short sci-fi film Grotto. Grotto will act both as my thesis project and a collaborative work featuring the talent of creative contributors from around the world. The production will be jointly produced by students from USC and NYU, and will include work from professionals in Seattle, LA, New York, London, and more. The film is in need of modellers and generalists for both immediate work on a short shot involving spacecraft and, long-term, the film’s generally extensive CG requirements.

The project is currently in pre-production, and will be for the next year; filming will take place around Seattle, WA, in July 2011. This extended pre-production period will allow for both the development of the film’s complex CG assets, based on the fantastic artwork of the film’s concept artists, and the time necessary for the ambitious fundraising plans. Here’s a basic breakdown:

Story
2000 years ago, humanity left a toxic Earth in search of a new home among the stars, leaving behind an army of synthetic organisms to terraform and re-cultivate the planet as a failsafe. Now, a human military scout returns to a home he’s never known and comes face to face with a biosphere that has evolved and become very hostile to humans.

Budget: $30,000 approx.
Start date: July 2011
Location: Federal Way/Seattle, WA
Shooting Format: RED 4k
Final length: 8 minutes
Short Description: A science fiction short about humanity’s return to Earth, featuring heavy use of both practical and computer generated (CG) effects.

If you take a look at our projected budget breakdown on the website you’ll see that we will, in fact, have a decent CG budget. I fully understand that the complexity and time requirements of much of the effects — particularly the creature animation — will require a certain degree of payment. I’m aiming for nothing short of the quality exhibited by Carl Rinsch’s short “The Gift” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOZkLIwbRrw).

However, at this stage, I’m looking to bring on some volunteers to get modeling started. This film cannot be done without the help of talented, motivated volunteers willing to donate some of their time. These models will not only go towards the final product, but will help immensely with the film’s fundraising efforts. The initial models will be of the film’s featured spacecraft; the following is a concept piece detailing the direction the designs of the spacecraft are headed (the final designs will be finalized in the next two weeks).

Additionally, I’d also like to produce a short, completed shot showcasing the high level of CG quality the film aims for. The shot is the only fully-CG shot in the film and involves the spaceship models previously mentioned. If well-produced, this could be a fantastic promotional piece. When those components are complete, we’ll move on to the rest of Grotto‘s exciting effects.

If you’re interested in contributing to the film, please contact me at: brebner@usc.edu
I can provide you with a copy of the script and more detail on the production plan. Please provide links to samples of your work. The rest of the Grotto team and I would love to have you as part of the production.