KINGDOM CGI Trailer
Matthias Arcan writes:
Here is a recently teaser trailer I created with blender for a short film I’m currently working on called KINGDOM.
“In a not-too-distant future natural resources have significantly decreased to near infinitesimal amounts. What little natural resources is left is divided between the largest economies of the world.With little to no petroleum and coal and with steep inclination in British population, there is no sustainable method to supply electricity to consumers who demand enormous amounts to power their homes, gadgets, cars etc. Nuclear fission plants have been prohibited by the Government due to the rising acts of terrorism. A mysterious corporation, devises technological methods to harness electricity from Humans that uses electrical signals sent from the brain to muscles as well as using nano-technology to generate electricity from blood pressure. Soon after the new technology is implemented, chaos soon ensues in the Human Plantations.”
All elements in this teaser were created using Blender and Cycles render engine. Everything is actual 3D, there aren’t any 2d style cheats (except for the sky). Each sequence took about three weeks to render at 1920×1080.
The optical elements (dirt and flares) were shot in a darkroom with CINEMA 58 lenses that we build at Motion Six.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Nj_0qeHKBY
Incredible ♥
The racial slur is so offensive it negates the rest of the effort. Too bad.
Thanks for all the input! Really appreciate it,
To people complaining about the racial slurs: They are definitely part of the back story. The trailer is designed to paint a very hostile picture of the “KINGDOM”, which judging from this comment section I think its done its job pretty well.
Without giving too much away, the film deals with an outbreak of a virus (no zombies) that’s gets out of control. I would imagine that in a realistic situation, certain individuals would be looking at certain minorities of people to blame (i.e.. swine flu). Furthermore, with individuals such as Donald Trump (who’s now going to be president) calling all Mexicans “Rapists” and all Muslims “Terrorists,” does it really seem so far fetched?
I get that it’s probably part of the wider context but you could have not used a racial slur – even if you had just written ‘Chinese brought it here’, that wouldn’t have been anywhere near as polarising as what you’ve used as the poster frame.
I’m with Wayne; even if it were justified in context, the fact that it’s the poster frame and the banner image on this page makes it unavoidable, and really leaves a sour taste. Even if it’s an artistic statement, it’s a failed statement if it just stops people viewing your art in the first place.
I’m with Wayne and Matt.
Quite sour taste indeed.
Matthias, you only get one first impression, and I personally didn’t get past the crass racial slur in the poster frame.
I suspect that banner has something to do with the backstory; you are brave! I would have saved that for in the film where the context would explain it away. Other than that, nice work.
Interesting. So if I’m reading the story elements in that one scene correctly, those hung skeletons are Chinese – and executed because they’re Chinese? As a terror message to other Asians? And judging by the size, from left to right, a man, woman, and child? Hah! BlenderNation just got dark!
I don’t know if I can buy the idea that people could produce a surplus of energy compared to other alternatives, it’s The Matrix all over again. I imagine if you’re siphoning electrical signals, those people would be mentally retarded (in the most literal sense of the phrase) and pseudo-paralyzed?
People are touchy today.
Working with the particles – is terrible. Plants grow in all directions – very messy (I’m not talking about surfaces). But the most awkward – skeletons on hinges: obviously the same as that in a place like this hanging from gallows had a broken neck, and then he could hang on a loop until until the flesh was on the skeleton.
sorry for the bad translation.
Regarding racism – The video depicts one sad historical fact, and that is that in any crisis, people search for the source of the evil in minorities. Jews were often blamed of plagues , or of the poverty in after first WW Germany.
But yes, it shouldn’t be the thumbnail of the video.
One thing worries me more on blendernation, and that is how often we see art behind the border of paedophilia, and NOBODY cares. Seeing child-like chareacters, half naked, in sexy poses, and people still comenting on the technical aspects of the work, that’s a problem.
Yes, clearly the racial slur is more important on a 3d site than the fact the grass is growing out of solid concrete and on metal parts and that the blur looks like complete ass.
There has been a lot of work put into this and the author is aiming well with this piece. Hard to comment on massive hysteria about the racial slur – it seems the pendulum of political correctness swung so high these days that it is hard to create anything without being accused of some form of “-ism”. Just to recall the dramatic frenzy from the community about F-word in Cosmos Laundromat to make a point.
Technical comments:
– grass is not convincing – it should not grow on the Trabi or the truck like that, you should use some climbing foliage, like ivy or moss for these surfaces. Same thing for the trees on buildings – trees need to be rooted to sustain their own weight.
– Holes in buildings are too clean, also that building leaning over another one would crumble, doesn’t look realistic
– Cranes look like newly pained, unaffected by time
– Yeah, there’s something wrong with the depth of field – at times all looks like a toyland – the scale is confusing, maybe atmospheric haze would help that
Great potential here and again, a lot of work done on this.
Let me be the first to say I enjoy it for what it is. I figured the grass growing on cars and such was a playful stylistic treatment, didn’t mind the racial slur (understanding it was part of a darker story), and was impressed by the overall quality.
I don’t think it looks 100% realistic, but I felt like the artist is probably going for something stylized and I appreciate the look they have achieved.
Well done. I look forward to seeing the finished project.
Try boids for the bird flocks at the end, they are flying way too much in formation ;)
Have the text at the end stay a bit longer, while dark background.
Looks nice, though you need to do a lot of work on the vegetation. All looks a bit the same, there is not variation and seems like there only 2 species of green used. The foliage which sticks out and from the buildings looks way to big. Also check the growth direction on some surface they tend to grow on all the normals. Where i believe plants grow to the light and mostly upwards
the DOF used is done in post and in the shot with the large buildings at the back there is very sharp edge on the bridge this should be blurred as well.
Most have been quite some work, great job already
ps also try to use more chamfered and beveled edges, everything looks very sharp and makes it a bit unrealistic
PS whats cinema 85?