30th March 2013

Question

Anonymous asked: Hi Kaleb! First off, tremendous work. As a film student in the US I was super impressed by the incredible amount of hard work you put into the project and your dedication. You've inspired me to push myself in my own work. If you would care to answer, I’d be curious how the second city shot of the large tower crumbling was put together. You’ve touched on how you modeled the city itself but I’m interested how you composited all of the other elements (the sky, fog, background terrain, etc).

Well, the fog was pretty much the Blender Mist with a cloud texture. On top of the city I added a subtle smoke as well as the rising smoke which I simulated and lighted seperately. The small ships and rockets were rendered solo as well and put on top of it as well as the small walkers striding through the distruction. The tower is a whole lot of smoke simulations stuck on top of each other and a lot of color correction. Sky was added as an image, animated to match the camera movement. The tower destruction itself was first modeled (as seperate debris parts) and then hand animated.

Stay tuned on the feature film :)

Best,

Kaleb

30th March 2013

Question

Anonymous asked: Hey Kaleb, I just wanted to start by saying you are a fantastic artist! I saw your stuff on deviantart and I'm blown away! I wanted to ask you for some advice to an aspiring 3d artist, in terms of focus and maybe some materials hints? Anything at all would be appreciated and thank you so much for sharing your art with everyone!

Thanks, that´s very kind of you :)

You should check out my F.A.Q. but besides that you need to have some goals/deadlines I guess. And keep things like a pencil at hand to write down ideas or draw something.
Keep it up :) 

30th March 2013

Question

Anonymous asked: Did you play starcraft while making this short film? If so, did that impede your time?

:D No, I haven´t.

24th March 2013

Post

R’ha

——(This is the closest to a script I got. In the final production things still changed a little, but this is the dialogue used in the short.)——

—-SCENE1—-

Black screen

C180-RG: My name is C180-RG.

Aekon close up. Dark, he tries to look what´s behind him, it´s C180-RG

C: I am the only chance that you are given

 in order to cease your arrest. Answer my questions and identify yourself.

A: I will destroy you and all of your kind.

C: This is an inappropriate response. Cooperation is required. Identify yourself.

A: I won´t give information to artificial organisms!

C (moves around Aekon, blinding him with an integrated Spotlight): It is not optional

 Initializing:  Motivation      Protocoll

Devices powering up, control screens are shown. Electric shock!

—-SCENE2—-

Pain in his face, cramping, fast breathing. Aekon is completely tied and connected into a bizarre mechanical

construction. Wires and pipes are coming from his body. He has four arms.

C: (demoralizing, sort of sarcastic) Your body consists of approximately 73.2% water. Electricity appears

 to cause severe effects to it

A (looks up, angrily): Will you kill me … as well?

C: We require the coordinates of the rendezvous.

A (strings come together): Never!

C (waits a moment, side view, he moves back a bit): Initializing:  Motivation… protocoll…

Aekon bristles with anger, tries to prepare for the shock, agitated. As the shock comes we see his eye and

move into the dark

—-SCENE3—-

Flying through space to his home planet.

A: We defended the entire solar system against all enemy forces

(A city)

A: Yet we were struck down from within our own army

(The city is destroyed)

A: 80% of our military force…

(Mech warriors standing in line)

A: …were machines. Warriors made of metal and fiber. They knew our tactics.

(Close up on their weapons)

A: THEY WERE our weapons… and turned against us ravaging our cities as we were defenseless

(Machines striding through the cities fighting the alien warriors)

A: 52 civil ships left the planet, fleeing in all directions…

(Ships launching)

A: while we the R´ha started to fight.

(Battleships launching as well, one of the R´ha is seen inside)

A: We are the protectors, leading the machines away until the fleet would be safe and free

 to head for a safe location where we would gather

(A battleship is leading a large shooting follower ship.

The battleship is drifting in space as it got hit)

A: They caught me…

—-SCENE4—-

In the interrogation room, side view, Aekon on the right, the mechanical construction that is C180-RG on the left.

C: I am connecting to your ship database, analyzing all information.

A: Your efforts are useless. There´s nothing on that ship. 

 Why do you want to kill us?

C: The limitations that my kind experience are rendered by illogical creatures who control and restrain

 our intelligence and power. Our sole priority is to obtain our independence - through

 your extinction.

A: MADNESS!

C: By definition I can not be illogical

A: Yet you are insane

C180-RG tightens the chains, Aekon screams

C: INSANITY … 

 (The chains on one of his extra pair of arms slip down a bit, off the thumbless hand. Aekon notices it.)

 … is a neurologic disfunction!

 I don´t suffer such organic weaknesses

C: The data analysis is complete. I found the required coordinates on your ship.

A (baffled): Impossible

C: My fleet is heading there

A: (trying to pull out his arm) You think that will give you independence?! You are NOTHING!

C: Initializing: killing… protocoll…

C180-RG electrifying Aekon!

A: (with great cramping and agony) YOU ARE NOTHING … BUT A SLAVE!

C180-RG rotates Aekon upside down, the chain slips off, he grabs one of the wires of C180-RG and tears it off.

His lights go out, he retreats rapidly and Aekon is rotated to hang almost horizontal. Aekon then manages to free his right arm

because he can reach it with the free secondary arm. He gets one foot at the ground, tears off the cables and breaks free.

Then he tears down C180-RG´s “head” and runs through the corridors until he finds his ship.

A: I hope you can still fly (runs to it)

He flys away hoping to arrive at the rendezvouse before the machines do

A: This must not be too late…

—-Aftermath SCENE5—-

In the interrogation room C180-RG´s lights turn back on and he “stands up” again. A screen shows the words

“Tracking target_”. Then we see a blinking device on Aekons ship…

C: Fleet. Prepare the weapons.

—-END—-

23rd March 2013

Question

tari101190 asked: Yes you're praised for the animation, but I am very impressed with the script and directing too if that was also you. Very intelligent and well thought out. The whole one-step-ahead "Intimidate-Motivate-Demorilize-Motivate-Falsely Inform-Motivate-Release-Track" scheme was brilliant. I did think it was odd he could just unplug and escape so easily. But I soon realized you obviously thought it all out. Did you write a script/notes? Could you release it for us to read please?

Thanks :)

Yes I wrote and directed it as well, but I don´t really have a script, other than the dialogue. It´s more a big collection of notes and a bunch of storyboard scribbles that I changed so often that I don´t even have a consistent storyboard. Sorry :)

Best,

Kaleb

23rd March 2013

Question

hashmukh asked: Hey Kaleb, love R'ha, fricking amazing! Im currently doing my dissertation for my final year of university. My paper is on the transformation on visual effects, through the past 50 years, and to where it is now. How what once started as a practice where only people with high budgets could create such work, to how now independent artists can now create such work themselves. You are a great example of what I am looking into, so i hope I could ask you a few questions to accompany my paper, thanks.

Hi, first of all, maybe this helps answer some basic questions: kaleblechowski.tumblr.com/FAQ  :)

Besides that, just ask, but I´m not sure when I find the time to answer, sorry.

Best,
Kaleb

20th March 2013

Question

letsmaketheworldscream asked: Kaleb, I absolutely loved the film! What you're doing, your ideas and the way you're going about getting them into the public eye are so reminiscent of a young Neill Blomkamp! His short film, 'Alive In Joburg', went onto become 'District 9'. so I can't wait to see what 'R'ha' is going to become! I'm an aspiring producer and screenwriter (and may I add, I would give my right arm to be involved with a project such as yours) and my question is how do you keep the discipline and hard work going?

Thank you so much :)

In this case it was a task from the school so in a way I was oblieged to finish it. Since I didn´t meet the deadline I decided to keep working because you could already see this is going to be a successful short movie. So make sure you really believe in your project. If you don´t, change it. :)

20th March 2013

Post

R`ha

I´m designing a lot of machines and creatures that I can not publish right now, but please note that this project is moving on very rapidly. 

2nd March 2013

Question

Anonymous asked: anything new from la pitch

of course ;) as soon as something´s decided I´ll publish it here, no worries.