Netherlands Film Fund is a big sponsor, and indeed the money they provide has little to do with Blender development (except in that the Netherlands recognizes it as an opportunity to grow their animation industry). However the technical goals are generally picked before the script idea is chosen, ie ‘furry and funny’ was a plan and then BBB was picked to fill it. ‘Prove Blender in a game pipeline’ was chosen as a target and then Peach was decided as a way to fulfill that goal. ‘Adolescent adrenaline adventure with monsters, swords, and explosions’ and then Sintel was picked to fulfill that. ‘live action with blender for special effects’ is the next goal for Mango, and their isn’t a script idea yet afaik.
I only stumbled across Ms. Day & The Guild a month or so ago; she immediately earned my admiration as a strong indie comedienne and filmmaker. Go to r-e-s-p-e-c-t her reaction.
Some great reaction lines in that link, PhilBo, thanks for posting it!
It seems that over time Sintel is going to get more and more regcognition. The story is really good, though. I felt more from this movie than any other, that I can remember.
You could always build a sophisticated animatronic Dragon baby utilizing the latest in technology for the materials as well as the latest in miniaturization for the actuators and circuitry.
May have been possible but it would’ve been way over the Institute’s budget.
Here’s my try: take a bat and an iguana, give’em to a biologist out of some cheesy comic from the Fifties, pay well, and get back your Scales-like prototipe. Rotoscope him.
My first impressions of sintel weren’t that great, but having learned how to rotoscope a dragon I laughed so much that I actually came to my senses. Had a flashback to LOTR and remembered some of the animations of smeagel could have been better. I guess anticipation and expectation play they’re part in how a movie is perceived.
I knew you were going to say that. I am aware of your involvement. However my assesment is fairly accurate I am sure based on what is actually being done and what Ton has said in interviews. It may not be 100 percent correct. But close enough. I was only trying to point out that films are being made because people want to make them.
In fact, because I am not there and not being told certain things allows me to be more objective. People can say anything. But actions talk louder than words.
There is no way you are going to sell me - regardless of what is told you by anyone - that ED, BBB, and Sintel are not films make by people who are first passionate about filmmaking as the main driving force of other things they are doing.
It is far too difficult to make a movie. Much less a ground breaking film in certain areas, which each one of these films has been. That takes a heart-felt dedication to the art. That is not the kind of thing that people do when filmmaking is some kind of sub purpose to a larger picture such as developing software.
I am sorry to disagree but I have been involved in the arts my entire life. I have held a short film festival in Hollywood. I have seen the small percentage of real good films out of all the crap submitted. Most of my friends are in the arts in some form or another. Many of them involved in the movie business in one form or another. I am very aware of the hard work and dedication it actually takes to even get a film done much less a great one.
I would not go so far as calling my take on this “conjecture” perhaps simply extrapolation.
As to the fact that no features came out of BBB when offered, I am sure there is a good reason. And will bet it was nothing to do with Ton simply wanting to something else instead. It is extremely hard to get a feature off the ground. Ton him self said he hoped to perhaps do a feature in the future. That does not make sense. In fact, it is so hard to pull something off I would bank on the fact that either A) the investors pulled out or B) Ton backed off for creative or financial reasons, not because he was purely dedicated to other priorities. It just does not add up. Not given the quality of films he makes and the passion with which they are made.
Of course I don’t know, but as familiar as I am with the movie business and what he has said and done, I am comfortable with and educated guess.
AD-Edge: I guess with the right materials the puppy idea would work for studios with a smaller and/or tight budget, not everyone has the budget to hire ILM for effects or studios like Time Warner or Disney (the latter actually having advanced animatronic technology in theme parks)
But is anyone actually unhappy with the dragon animation? Really its one of the strongest parts of the animation in Sintel I believe. Either way I guess dragon animation is easier to pull off than human animation, because of course no ones seen a dragon, so we have nothing to compare it with, so when the dragon animation is thrown at us it seems to look right.