Making Of
MUAY TERRA
Synopsis
Three years after the first mission to the Moon, Michael Collins proposes a more permanent return to the gray surface. Between 1972 and 2021, Michael Collins inhabited the Moon, alone, reporting his experiments, and his human condition. Collins built several structures from his experiments with lunar matter. As of 2021, they no longer receive reports from Collins. Without concrete reports, this is an idea of what could have been the dismantling of the structures left by Collins. (this is just a made up story, as far as we know…)
Three years after the first mission to the Moon, Michael Collins proposes a more permanent return to the gray surface. Between 1972 and 2021, Michael Collins inhabited the Moon, alone, reporting his experiments, and his human condition. Collins built several structures from his experiments with lunar matter. As of 2021, they no longer receive reports from Collins. Without concrete reports, this is an idea of what could have been the dismantling of the structures left by Collins. (this is just a made up story, as far as we know…)
What is Terra?
“Terra” is a short animation film, based on a “what if” kind of story, where, Dust, Gravity, and Man made Ruins are the protagonists.
Terra was written for the music “E(2)” of the band MUAY - a music written initially for the live Soundtrack for the movie "Earth" (Terra), of Aleksandr Dovzhenko.
Terra attempts to be an honest homage to architecture, technology, sci-fi movies, and music.
"Terra" is also Okdraw’s first short film. It was written, directed, and produced entirely in-house as a passion project.
“Terra” is a short animation film, based on a “what if” kind of story, where, Dust, Gravity, and Man made Ruins are the protagonists.
Terra was written for the music “E(2)” of the band MUAY - a music written initially for the live Soundtrack for the movie "Earth" (Terra), of Aleksandr Dovzhenko.
Terra attempts to be an honest homage to architecture, technology, sci-fi movies, and music.
"Terra" is also Okdraw’s first short film. It was written, directed, and produced entirely in-house as a passion project.
Storytelling and Set up
To set at least some boundaries, we early on established the importance of coherent (visual) storytelling. For example, since our character had been living on the moon for such a long time, he would probably build and modify his base by using materials available to him. This idea is reflected in the design by the inclusion of natural resources such as moon dust and rocks, and parts of his space shuttle, culminating in a structure that is both primitive yet high-tech.
We also wanted to tie the film to its historical setting, so a closer look at the assets reveals a mix of real and fictions memorabilia, like the NASA archive, movies, and even photos of Abbey Road Studios.
To set at least some boundaries, we early on established the importance of coherent (visual) storytelling. For example, since our character had been living on the moon for such a long time, he would probably build and modify his base by using materials available to him. This idea is reflected in the design by the inclusion of natural resources such as moon dust and rocks, and parts of his space shuttle, culminating in a structure that is both primitive yet high-tech.
We also wanted to tie the film to its historical setting, so a closer look at the assets reveals a mix of real and fictions memorabilia, like the NASA archive, movies, and even photos of Abbey Road Studios.
Animation and Simulation
We used 3ds Max with Corona Renderer, and Adobe After Effects and Premiere for editing and color correction.
Our approach was straightforward, with us solving problems as we encountered them and embracing limitations as part of the creative process. We were more concerned with the results than with realistic physics – if it looked good, me would move on. All the animation, camera work, and lighting were done by hand. The only exceptions were the rock collisions, explosions, and cracks, for which we used the Phoenix FD plugin and TyFlow to simulate various effects.
We used 3ds Max with Corona Renderer, and Adobe After Effects and Premiere for editing and color correction.
Our approach was straightforward, with us solving problems as we encountered them and embracing limitations as part of the creative process. We were more concerned with the results than with realistic physics – if it looked good, me would move on. All the animation, camera work, and lighting were done by hand. The only exceptions were the rock collisions, explosions, and cracks, for which we used the Phoenix FD plugin and TyFlow to simulate various effects.
Cinematography
We studied cinematography to better understand lens, color, and how these aesthetic decisions influence the narrative and storytelling. Shooting in black-and-white was an artistic homage to the 70s, but it also allowed us to work within our limitations on our very first animation. As we were not used to work with this aesthetic, we submerged ourselves in movies like 'The Tragedy of Macbeth', 'Lighthouse', and 'Sin City'. We also consulted the photography of Saul Leiter and Sebasião Salgado.
We studied cinematography to better understand lens, color, and how these aesthetic decisions influence the narrative and storytelling. Shooting in black-and-white was an artistic homage to the 70s, but it also allowed us to work within our limitations on our very first animation. As we were not used to work with this aesthetic, we submerged ourselves in movies like 'The Tragedy of Macbeth', 'Lighthouse', and 'Sin City'. We also consulted the photography of Saul Leiter and Sebasião Salgado.
Premiere
The film premiered at the 'InBetweeness' archviz festival in Portugal in February 2023. We had already been invited to attend, so we thought it would be a great opportunity to publicly present our project to the archviz community.
The film premiered at the 'InBetweeness' archviz festival in Portugal in February 2023. We had already been invited to attend, so we thought it would be a great opportunity to publicly present our project to the archviz community.
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Muito f*da! Não conhecia este estudio Portoguês, mas já fiquei fã! Bom trabalho, irei acompanhar!