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U – Utopia

U_UTOPIA

3840x2160 / 25 fps / Prores 422HQ

U – Utopia

A journey through an imaginary Mausoleum in Chandigarh, Le Corbusier’s modernist city in Northern India. Utopia is a short film using a cross section view. This perspective is used exclusively as we follow the characters enigmatic journey as they navigate the complex concrete structure looking for the tomb at its core. As they navigate the structure we see and hear glimpses of the changing environment as the building reveals itself.

U_UTOPIA_Start_Detail

1080x1350px / 25 fps / Prores 422HQ

U_UTOPIA_Title

1900x530px / 25 fps / Prores 422HQ

U_UTOPIA_Diver

620x1222px / 25 fps / Prores 422HQ

U_UTOPIA_Concert_Detail

1080x1350px / 25 fps / Prores 422HQ

Inspired by architectural perspective illustrations first developed in the renaissance period and still used in the present day. The film adds the dimension time being compressed as we travel through the scene. The building was designed in collaboration with an architect to create a functional structure and incorporating the letter form of the ‘U’ in the final frame.

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U_UTOPIA_FRAME_NO-0609

frame_901511

U_UTOPIA_FRAME_NO-1511

frame_901763

U_UTOPIA_FRAME_NO-1763

frame_902095

U_UTOPIA_FRAME_NO-2095

U_UTOPIA_Ending

1466x2184px / 25 fps / Prores 422HQ

Research and Development

The building had to be designed precisely in the context of the film’s narrative as the layout and structure defined when each element, room and character appears and disappears. Due to the large amount of detail, several iterations were necessary to find the right balance between complexity and readability. Throughout the project various style frames were developed to explore the different materials for the building.

The project was created in Houdini using a procedural approach to be able to globally control the timing, animation and lighting. This approach saved time as the geometry of the building kept changing regularly through the project.

The look of the project was achieved by combining several passes in compositing to create the illustration aesthetic.

U
LetterU_renders_oh_08
f
LetterU_renders_oh_010
OA_BTS_LetterU_018_1386x924
OA_BTS_LetterU_004_4500x2700
OA_BTS_LetterU_038_1620x1080
OA_BTS_LetterU_020_1404x936

Credits

Creative Direction & Production: Optical Arts

Art Direction & Design: Fabrice Le Nezet

Architect: Gabriel Beard at Waugh Thistleton Architects

Audio: Sonjay Prabhakar

3D Team: Valentine Arles, Luke Howell, Ollie Harris

Animation: Pascale Bories

Style Frames: Liam Waters