Jordan Harris wrote:
For my sophomore literature class (I'm fifteen) I was to create a trailer for the book 1984. This is the first live-action I've ever done, so it was definitely a new thing for me. Although I use After Effects a bit, I used Blender and GIMP for most of the effects. The entire trailer was created in two weeks.
I have a LONG history with Blender - I wrote some of the earliest Blender tutorials, worked for Not a Number and helped run the crowdfunding campaign that open sourced Blender (the first one on the internet!). I founded BlenderNation in 2006 and have been editing it every single day since then ;-) I also run the Blender Artists forum and I'm Head of Community at Sketchfab.
38 Comments
My apologies for not posting this earlier - here's the BA thread:
http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?p=1477608#post1477608
~ J
I wish I was this good on my first live action project.
Love it!
That's pretty awesome, especially for 15! Good work man.
COOL! VERY well made! Have you a link to the book its self? Looks really cool.
Man, my literary life is divided into pre-1984 and post-1984. That's such a awesome book. Altough I think that the trailler doesn't captured the truly book essence, it's still very good. 'You do not exist' at the end was truly good.
Anyway, I wish I was this good too. :)
Great job! I agree with nicholas, but it's still very good.
great work, I love 1984 one of the most haunting books I have ever read
That's pret6y aw3some, especially fo4 15! Good work man.;
I would have liked to see a making of the video. It would be very interesting to learn some techniques you used to make the video.
What music did you use? Nice job! Keep at it!-YA
Very Sophisticated, The rockets plowing into the city, and the look on the diarists face, really stood out for me. I've never really vividly imagined oceania, the book when you get to it in high school, seems so black and white filmy I never imagined it in color... the more I learn about George Orwell, the more prophetic he seems to be.
I hope you catch some serious eyes with this.
Stunning. A 15-year-old did this with Blender!!!?! Double stunning. I mean this in the nicest way, but you must be attending some super-duper smart kid art & technical school. Did you do this *all* alone? No instructor assistance, etc? It's amazingly advanced and polished.
You've got a fantastic career ahead of you.
Pardon my everlasting ignorance:
What's 1984 about?
Sorry. Someone should shoot me for asking that.
Very nice trailer. Is there any way we can get a break down of some of the shots? What I am looking for is a visual effects break down. What each layer is and how it was altered to make it fit into the shot. I know this sounds like a lot, but this is a good thing to have on your reel anyway.
If you can do this, Thank You!
Thank you all for the comments, I really appreciate it.
@YoungApprentice - I use a track from Digitaljuice.com. It's not perfect, but I think it works pretty well.
@Gnaws - Actually, I'm homeschooled, and yes I did do this by myself. I've done a lot of stop-motion animation before, but this was my first live-action project.
@MTracer - 1984 is known as George Orwell's masterpiece. It depicts a future in which a totalitarian government controls all of North America.
@Digital FX Artist - maybe I could. I have some projects I need to wrap up, but it doesn't seem like it would be too hard to do.
~ J
1984?
Just turn on the TiVi or look outside.
Jordan,
Excellent. Amazing for a 15 year old.
I have been discussing home schooling for my soon-to-be-born son.
What are your views on this approach ?
Do you feel it has improved your school performance ?
Do you miss the social interaction with other kids ?
What sort of work are your parents involved in ?
Thank you for any input.
Well done.
Very good work.
I look forward to seeing more work form you in the future.
tonurs - could you send me your email address? That's probably better than using the BN comment thread. (jharris812[at]gmail[dot]com)
Thanks,
~ J
The visuals and color palette are excellent. There are just a few timing issues.
Missiles, explosions, and smoke don't move that fast at that distance, and the smoke should not fade away.
Sustain "You do not exist" for a few more seconds.
What was done in After Effects that cannot be done in Blender (besides camera tracking)???
Do Tell.
@Rafster - I think anything in AE can also be done using open-source software. =) I did do the camera tracking in AE, though. Other than that, I used AE for the titles and used the wiggle effect for the last shot. Oh, and a lens flare in another shot as well as the rain in three of the shots. (Although I should have made a particle system in Blender. It would have looked better)
I agree that "You do not exist" should stay a bit longer. Little things like that still bug me about all my projects. =)
~ J
Whoo-Hoo... go home schoolers (I am home schooled as well).
great vid :)
@tonurs - if you have any questions about home schooling feel free to e-mail me at [email protected] (i always enjoy talking to people about home schooling).
Actually, Jordan, I believe that you'll find that Oceania was Great Britain.
A point of evidence to that effect to consider. In the U.S.A., we haven't used ministries as governing agencies, whereas the British have used them for a long time. Also, the threat of rocket bombardment is more credible on the British Isles as the result of advances along the North Sea nations and Western Europe than they would be in the U.S., and at the time of the writing of 1984 (1948), vivid and relatively recent memory for the population of England.
From the Cliff Notes Website on 1984's setting...
The setting of 1984 is Oceania, a giant country comprised of the Americas; the Atlantic Islands, including the British Isles; Australia; and the southern portion of Africa. Oceania's mainland is called Air Strip One, formerly England. The story itself takes place in London in the year 1984, a terrifying place and time where the human spirit and freedom are all but crushed.
Read more: http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/1984-About-1984-The-Setting.id-90,pageNum-12.html#ixzz0SMlBYXMB
Oh great.... that was a pretty embarrassing typo to make. And I just did a big report on the book....
Thanks for the correction, Lictre.
~ J
Fantastic job, Jordan! Really great, great work. Hope you keep doing work like this, it's an incredible first live-action project!
Amazing job! Congratulations!
I usually think people around here overrate too much works made with Blender, but this time I feel compelled to prise the author of this trailer: great job, some X-files episodes came to my mind while watching it.
As for home schooling... yes, as the Pink Floyd say: "We don't need no education ...and no thought control" ;)
Very nice work but I think it should end with
2009
rather than 1984 8-)
++good clip Jordan Harris.
mistake Oceania for North America ++ungood
reread book !
It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. Winston
Smith, his chin nuzzled into his breast in an effort to escape the vile wind, slipped
quickly through the glass doors of Victory Mansions, though not quickly enough
to prevent a swirl of gritty dust from entering along with him.
http://www.ministryoflies.com/1984.pdf
superb..
only 15 years old and such a stunning animation.
[MTracer – 1984 is known as George Orwell's masterpiece. It depicts a future in which a totalitarian government controls all of North America.]
A future? ;-)
Vidrazor2,
Oceana is not set in the United States, but there's a reference to the US in the book. However, I understand how you got that impression, especially after I read the story again back in 2002.
MTracer,
When I read the story again in 2002, it was not the old paperback version that I had in the early-to-mid 1980's, but the free digital version that I found at a digital library when I Googled "1984, Goerge Orwell." Perhaps, you might give it a search and find that version, or get an actual copy of the novel. It's worth reading.
Vidrazor2:
1984 WAS the future back in 1948 when the book was written (switch the 4 and 8). You guys have to read this book, or listen to it in audio like I did. Many quotes in pop culture come from this story, like:
newspeak
war is peace
freedom is slavery
ignorance is strength
thought crime
thought police
big brother is watching
double think
Orwellian
Ministry of Truth
Room 101
Scares me just hearing the terms or phrases.
Great book, great story, great trailer.
It was my first profound piece of english literature and I really loved. The trailer somehow forces me the reread it, having read it 3 years ago.
It sent shivers down my back. I loved this trailer.
This is even better than the actual movie trailer!!
My pupils are going to be so excited about reading the book after seeing this!
Great job