First look at indie cg film "Terra"

[xen_ninja]

USA TODAY is running an article about the upcoming Cgfilm "Terra".
The twist of this alien tale is that the Earthlings invade the planet of a peaceful alien race.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2007-06-20-terra-cover_N.htm
This may sound strange
But I find the concept of Humans being the "ruthless invader " a very plausible concept. Nonetheless, James Cameron's Avatar also deals with a similar plot.

[ultramedia]

To me, the premise of the film comes across as thinly veiled ideological anti war posturing. A common reply to concerns like this is "it's just a film, you're being too sensitive" (which I am guilty of on a semi regular basis admittedly). Maybe you're right. I mean, after all, what possible connection could a sci fi movie about some 'war on terra' have with real world events ;)

Here's an interesting exercise, check out this cartoon :
http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/2005_12.html#000724

Now ask yourself : Are you as comfortable with the insinuation in the cartoon above as you are with the insinuation in the film? If not, why? Be honest with yourself.

[ringzero]

Its amazing how quickly things look dated.

[JeroenDStout]

Now ask yourself : Are you as comfortable with the insinuation in the cartoon above as you are with the insinuation in the film? If not, why? Be honest with yourself.
Because one uses a religion as the basis of a gag and the other generalises the human race and reminds us that maybe we'll not end up as the guys being invaded.

And your post almost suggests that it's wrong to be anti-war. Being anti-war indeed is preposterous. If anything, we need more war. Tons of it. If we're lucky, tomorrow we're soaking our neighbours's blood off our walls.

[ultramedia]

@Jeroen:


I think I need to be a little clearer. To me, the premise of the film comes across as thinly veiled ideological anti america posturing/propoganda. Do you honestly see no similarities between the films storyline and the radical left wing hyperbole that wildly exaggerates america as the wicked evil baby eating imperialists and wildly white washes middle east countries as "peacful victims who must rise up against the monstors"?


To be more specific again, my concern is not that it criticizes a completely unjustifiable invasion perpertrated on a pure peaceful world by a wicked warring one for no better reason than selfish gain. My concern is that it seems to insinuate that this is what has happened in the real world with america and the middle east.


Did the nice peaceful pure salamanders fly spaceships into buildings on earth before the humans invaded? Do they stone fellow salamanders to death for swimming in a question mark shaped motion instead of a S-shaped motion? Is the salamander society ruled by fascist dictators who vigorously engage in genocide and ethnic cleansing? Did they gather in planet wide assemblies and chant "death to earth! death to earth!" before the invasion?


Sorry, the whole thing just smacks of deranged anti-west, anti-capatilist ideological rhetoric and propoganda...

[Howitzer]

Ultramedia:

All of humanity have the potential to be Conquistadors. Not just Americans. It's not unique to us. Not everything is about the United States.

I'm pretty sure this was not supposed to be political, and there is no way to know until you see it. Until then, please avoid political rambling. Continuing will doom this thread.

[francomanko]

I think people generally in this world need to relax a bit more about what things suggest or don't suggest. Its so easy to get bogged down by your personal feelings and fears and lose a sense of objectivity.

Saying that..will there be any flag or effergy burning in the film, I find its always a healthy way to release all that nasty negative energy... ;)

[ivanisavich]

@Jeroen:


I think I need to be a little clearer. To me, the premise of the film comes across as thinly veiled ideological anti america posturing/propoganda. Do you honestly see no similarities between the films storyline and the radical left wing hyperbole that wildly exaggerates america as the wicked evil baby eating imperialists and wildly white washes middle east countries as "peacful victims who must rise up against the monstors"?


To be more specific again, my concern is not that it criticizes a completely unjustifiable invasion perpertrated on a pure peaceful world by a wicked warring one for no better reason than selfish gain. My concern is that it seems to insinuate that this is what has happened in the real world with america and the middle east.


Did the nice peaceful pure salamanders fly spaceships into buildings on earth before the humans invaded? Do they stone fellow salamanders to death for swimming in a question mark shaped motion instead of a S-shaped motion? Is the salamander society ruled by fascist dictators who vigorously engage in genocide and ethnic cleansing? Did they gather in planet wide assemblies and chant "death to earth! death to earth!" before the invasion?


Sorry, the whole thing just smacks of deranged anti-west, anti-capatilist ideological rhetoric and propoganda...

To try and postulate that such a subtext must exist in the film is silly. In elementary school, I wrote a similar story (for homework) about a boy seeing "flying saucers" coming down to his window to abduct him. In the end of the story, it was revealed that the flying saucers were human spacecraft, and the boy was an alien. That was pre-Iraq war and also before I had learned anything about the characteristics of the United States Government. I just thought it was a cool idea, and perhaps these filmmakers thought so as well.

Take your ridiculous conspiracy theories elsewhere.

[switchblade327]

Personally, I'm excited by the idea of an indie CG flick that doesn't look low-rent. Hope to hear more soon.

To be more specific again, my concern is not that it criticizes a completely unjustifiable invasion perpertrated on a pure peaceful world by a wicked warring one for no better reason than selfish gain.

Anti-imperialism isn't an immoral message and it's certainly not inheritly anti-west or anti-American. We're not talking about the Palestinian Mickey Mouse ripoff preach death to Infidels here. It may make the US of today look bad but also the US of 200 years ago, most of Western Europe for the last 500 years, the Mongols before that, the Romans, etc. Anti-Imperialism commentary makes most historical societies that have ever had any power look bad. But isn't the actual act of subjecating people worse then commenting on the subjecation of people?

So what's wrong with an animated feature that focuses on a very real element of human history and dare I say, human nature? Just because it's not as feel-goody as learning the importance of friends and family *again?*

[ultramedia]

@howitzer&francomanko

Hmmm... the director himself said "It touches on a lot of current issues", but you are right, I haven't seen it, and I have definitely been wrong in the past about stuff like this...

@ivanisavich

a) you're story sounds cool, especially if you were only in elementary school when you wrote it
b) well I did ask if people honestly saw no similarities and it wasn't rhetorical, so, I'll put down as 1 vote for no similarities?
c) But really, a kids movie about "the war on terra" - that strikes you as pure coincidence?

@switchblade327

a) Yes, in my rush to possibly overvent I negelected to say I think the aliens look cool - very nice art for an indie movie...
b) Re anti-imperialism being a good message, yes, I definitely agree with you, thats what I meant to say with the bit you quoted me, but I might have tried to say it too cleverly and made it confusing... maybe a shorter version - my concern is not that it criticizes imperialism, but that it seems to insinuate that this is what the current conflict in the middle east is like... which I think would be a bit unfair...
c) two thumbs up for feel goody nudging over and making a bit of room for "hmmm... challenging, but thought provoking..."

[JeroenDStout]

I didn't see many links with the middle east from what I read - with America, perhaps, but I could draw the same connection with imperialistic England. Or Netherlands.

Besides, even if it is an anti-America film, what gives. I'd like to see films that go just over that edge, really. It didn't seem like a cheap parody. You're right about the situation not being a good metaphor concerning the middle east. But then again, 'the middle east', as a whole, did not fly into buildings.

[jAcK_sAmuRaI_jAcK]

Did the nice peaceful pure salamanders fly spaceships into buildings on earth before the humans invaded? ................
Sorry, the whole thing just smacks of deranged anti-west, anti-capatilist ideological rhetoric and propoganda...

I am always amazed when people think THAT is where it ALL started. Talk about blissfull ignorance and lack of intelligence to ask questions and lack of understanding of different point of views. Actually, I am sick of hearing about THAT now.

Back to the film, tried everywhere to get hold of a trailer. Any trailers or clips?

[Chemix]

I can see where Ultramedia is coming from, veiled insults at American foreign policy are common in media, mostly news media, but I don't think that this film is really about that issue.

This film appears to be more about creating a parody of many sci-fi films where humanity was invaded, and further the contemplation of our own evil natures as a species. We in general, as a species, view our selves a higher life form, a more deserving life form, than those simpler than us, with some exceptions, but by majority humanity thinks this way. We have taken control of nature and unbalanced natural systems, because we think we have the right to, because we think we're smarter and better and our lives ammount to more, but the question is, is this really true? When you break human life down to it's basic elements, we're the same as any other animal, with more complex ways of doing the same things that animals do and more choices that we can make. Many often say, if animals were as intelligent as we are and we were as intelligent as they are, they'd do the same to us, but we don't know that, because they haven't been given that choice or ability to choose and we know of no species capable of that choice other than our own. This film presents us with that species, with that choice, and a species that has chosen the peaceful path rather than the one we have gone down.

[ColinCohen]

Here's the short film upon which this is based:

http://content.foxsearchlight.com/searchlab/node/602

[switchblade327]

Well, the short certainly strengthens Ultramedia's argument but so what? It's a legitimate commentary. Anti-American or no, it's not unfair for a film to suggest that some places might not be ecstatic about the arrival of foreign war machines on their domain as it's historically not worked out so well for most indigenous peoples. That commentary wouldn't have changed much without the actual presence of the flag.

[ultramedia]

@jack
I wouldn't say "that" was a starting point, I think of it more as a turning point

@chemix
That does indeed seem like a very plausible explanation for what a film like this might be trying to get us to think about. In fact, it could easily be entirely about that and have nothing to do with the middle eastern conflict at all... fascinating... thanks :)

[ultramedia]

Hmmm... it just keeps getting more and more interesting. (watch the short).

First up, I'd give it a very high mark for visual/aesthetic quality, maybe not quite as high for the animation. Having said that, it was a little dissapointing to see what is basically the death star turn up with a good old US of A flag slapped on the side. But, in all fairness, it did also insinuate that the alien society was not necessarily all warm fuzzies and cookies either (mini flying egg beater gestapo wannabes?).

See, for me, the annoying thing is not so much that the USA are portrayed as, well, basically darth vader and the death star (even though I still think thats silly), but more that it seemed the aliens were going to be portrayed as some sort of utopian happy clappy care bears. Which, now that I've seen the short, I know they're not - which for me makes the film slightly less unreasonable. It does seem to be shaping up to be a sort of tim burton version of "V for Vendetta" though.

Having said that, I've probably gone as far as I want to go with assuming stuff until I actually see the whole thing properly. One thing I will do with great enjoyment however is quote all of the people who mocked my moonbat detecting spidey sense =P

howitzer:
"Not everything is about the United States"
"I'm pretty sure this was not meant to be political"

jeroenStout :
"the other (the film) generalises the human race"
"It didn't seem like a cheap parody"

ivanisavich :
"To try and postulate that such a subtext must exist in the film is silly"
"Take your ridiculous conspiracy theories elsewhere."

Heh heh heh. (For the record, I also think a bunch of good points were made by everyone as well though).

Actually I think the real irony is that it ended up being a lot more like that cartoon I linked to in my first post than I thought it would...

[Howitzer]

That was disturbing.

[RobertoOrtiz]

Guys, lets keep the politics off the forum.

Thanks,
-R

[ivanisavich]

Having said that, I've probably gone as far as I want to go with assuming stuff until I actually see the whole thing properly. One thing I will do with great enjoyment however is quote all of the people who mocked my moonbat detecting spidey sense =P


Loooool dude. C'mon now, is Nasa not the world's most prominent space exploration research division? Does Nasa not exist within the borders of the US? All of Nasa's missions so far have brought the US flag with them. Not only that, but a common theme in pop culture is the idea that aliens will want to attack us when they come here....the film simply pulls an ironic twist placing us in the position of the aliens. Get over yourself.

As for the film itself, I thought it was neat that they put the whole thing online (I was expecting just a trailer). Overall...the animation was pretty stiff and those giant eyes bugged me a bit....but I did like the stylization of the city and I thought the cloud formations were especially cool. A neat little short....although since the whole plot is outlined here, as well as on that website...it kinda ruined the ending.

[digitaltoon]

A-Sometimes a cigar is....just a cigar
I think every movie and book can be looked at in multiple ways. Sometimes a person with a hyper-sensitivity toward a particular viewpoint of others sees things in a much more intense way then the artist intended.

B-And Sometimes it's more than a cigar
As an American I would say that the anti-American backlash has been earned with our government's policies. That being said if some artist expresses critcism of those policies is that not what America was founded on-that we are free to express multiple viewpoints and respect that others have that right as well?

[Flog]

It's not really a far fetched film. It's quite possible. I liked this work. I had a similiar story about a planet of bug like people. It had more to do with Indians being overtaken by Europeans but with funny creatures on another planet.

Nice animation and fun! I liked it.

[JeroenDStout]

jeroenStout :
"the other (the film) generalises the human race"
"It didn't seem like a cheap parody"
I don't know who JeroenStout is, but he sure sounds like a person who can make a distinction between generalisation for better impact and making a cheap parody.

[ndat]

Looks cool, the short had some pretty good designs in it and it was good as a short I just have touble seeing how they are going to expand it into a feature film.

Social commentary is a big part of fiction, but it's usually more metaphorical. In this it is very direct so I can see why people are caught off guard by it. However, they are speaking their mind in an intelligent way which is commendable wether you agree with the message or not.

[Howitzer]

I loved the warship design tbh. Few windows, cylindrical, and bristling with cannons. A perfect design for space warfare. I bet it has guided missiles too. Man, ships like that in an RTS would be awesome.

What disturbed me though was the number of stars on that flag. Though I'm pretty sure the creators are going to show the good and bad side of both factions. It's not going to be some one sided 'America sucks' thing. Note how controlling the Martian(?) society is. .. she is being chased down for doing something different. Also note in one of the screenshots, how she has her hand on the shoulder of a human while they look at something off the screen. I'm betting he's one of the good guys too.

This will be really fun, I look foward to watching the whole film someday.

[Rhs_CG]

It's nice to see some of Meni's work in the spotlight. Check out menithings.com (http://www.menithings.com) for more.

[ndat]

I loved the warship design tbh. Few windows, cylindrical, and bristling with cannons. A perfect design for space warfare. I bet it has guided missiles too. Man, ships like that in an RTS would be awesome.

I have to disagree, the first thing I thought when I saw it was that it was a giant space wang. I think they should choose something less phallic for the movie...

[ivanisavich]

It's nice to see some of Meni's work in the spotlight. Check out menithings.com (http://www.menithings.com) for more.

Oh no way! I totally remember that guy's other stuff....good on him for producing this one!

Oh and also....apparantly it is a feature film and that was just a trailer (or at least a sneak peak to the intro)...my bad :)

[ultramedia]

Quoting from a mania.com interview at www.terra-movie.com (http://www.terra-movie.com) :



"...I found that a lot of the aliens in these other films exhibit behavior which humans exhibit in history, particularly humanity’s tendency to dominate and occupy. In light of recent events too and tendencies in several First World nations, not just the United States, it feels as though we are the ones who are following the patterns of the ‘invading aliens.’ ..."



(underlining emphasis mine)



"...The film is really about choices, about options. Characters on both sides feel like their backs are against the wall and think that their only choice is war. Several scenes in the film echo the idea that there are options to war, it’s not just kill or be killed. And the film does culminate in a war between the humans and the aliens, but it also posits that the war could have been avoided if there would have been some communication and a compromise made where both races could get what they want..."


(underlining emphasis mine again)



Ok, while I still think the premise of the film is a bit jaded, it's definitely starting to sound more like a social commentary on humanity and war as a whole rather than just a bunch of cheap shots at america. Which is fine with me.

[EvilGnome]

I just see it as a flipped version of the standard alien invasion tale.

Jumping in with a political interpretation before even seeing the film seems a bit premature.

[MasterZap]

To try and postulate that such a subtext must exist in the film is silly. In elementary school, I wrote a similar story (for homework) about a boy seeing "flying saucers" coming down to his window to abduct him. In the end of the story, it was revealed that the flying saucers were human spacecraft, and the boy was an alien.

Reminds me of a story I wrote:

Some ppl. see some strange crafts of technology completely impossible for them to understand coming from depths way past the guys most far flung colines. The invaders look strange, talk impossible language, but they have a captive with them, that is the same as our heroes, who can translate.

The invaders want some substance found under their capital, and ask our guys to please move their capital city so they can dig for the substance.

Hell ensues, war/fighting, and our guys work diligently in their labs, and dig out their most advanced experimental technology, which is a form of remote pain infliction apparatus, which is based on a DNA sample from the an alien (in this case, a lock of hair), and after obtaining this, they can remote-torture the alien, and get them to leave their land in peace. The aliens basically flee.

The prolog is the log book entry of the "Aliens". Turns out the story is set in the early 1900's, the "Aliens" are enligshmen coming to a group of islands searching for some mineral, wanting the natives to move some huts so they can dig for it, trying to buy the huts with cheap pearls etc.... Our "guys" are just the natives (I took great care in choosing words when writing to lull you into the idea this was about space, when it was really about sea-faring).

The advanced "remote torture technology" was of course a ... Voodoo doll.

/Z

[Breinmeester]

Ok, while I still think the premise of the film is a bit jaded, it's definitely starting to sound more like a social commentary on humanity and war as a whole rather than just a bunch of cheap shots at america. Which is fine with me.

Don't you feel the least bit stupid or at least embarresed?? How come American patriots are always so easily offended? How come they always think things are either black or white? Have they never learned to view things from a different perspective? I guess a one way mind is a necessaty for being patriotic...

Well, let's keep this thread on topic from now on. You've done enough damage already...


Spanish Animation Studio Ilion has been working on a feature with a similair plot line for quite some time now:

http://www.ilion.com/?p=sneakpeek

I prefer this project, 'Planet One', over what I've seen from 'Terra'. I think the character designs of 'Terra' are rather ugly and the plot a lot more dramatised. The 'other way around invasion' idea is nothing new. It's what you do with it that counts. For now, my preference is with Ilion.

[ivanisavich]

For now, my preference is with Ilion.

Amen! I've got a friend who's going to be working for them.....I'm totally jealous since that film looks amazing!

[ultramedia]

Don't you feel the least bit stupid or at least embarresed??
Hmmm, not really - sorry if thats not what you were hoping for... If it makes you feel better though, I'm happy to admit that its looking like I did over react - it happens, you let everyone know you may have got it wrong then you move on and try and be a bit more careful next time...

p.s. I'm an aussie

[metamesh]

Amen! I've got a friend who's going to be working for them.....I'm totally jealous since that film looks amazing!

Hey Ivanisavich! really? do you know in what department he is gonna be working ?

thanks man

Alex

[Breinmeester]

p.s. I'm an aussie
Hahaha!! Nice and subtle. Thanks for the laugh!


On topic: 'Planet One' has had a similaìr feel to its design as 'Monsters Inc.' for me since the first time Ì saw images of it. I have been looking for possibilities of doing an internship there, but when CartoonSaloon called I favoured 'Brendan'. Pixar animator Carlos Baena has tipped off Ilion as a studio where they do intersting projects and good animation. However their last news entry on their site is from February 2006 and it's about the screenplay. I would really like to know how this project is coming along.

Amen! I've got a friend who's going to be working for them.....
Maybe he can tell us more...?

[ultramedia]

well yes, my wife has informed me that sublety is not one of my mutant super powers... (just call me sprague)

[metamesh]

Hahaha!! Nice and subtle. Thanks for the laugh!


On topic: 'Planet One' has had a similaìr feel to its design as 'Monsters Inc.' for me since the first time Ì saw images of it. I have been looking for possibilities of doing an internship there, but when CartoonSaloon called I favoured 'Brendan'. Pixar animator Carlos Baena has tipped off Ilion as a studio where they do intersting projects and good animation. However their last news entry on their site is from February 2006 and it's about the screenplay. I would really like to know how this project is coming along.


Maybe he can tell us more...?


Hey man, The project is going fine, normally the movie is gonna be begining in 2009 and everything goes on schedule as far as i know...hope that helps!

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