Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Register Log in
  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Independent Science Fiction Feature Trailer: Nydenion

A

Axel Mertes

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 16, 2007
Messages
800
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Age
56
Website
www.magnamana.com
Hi All,

I would like to mention that the new trailer and the teaser for our sci-fi indie feature "NYDENION" are online:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QimQSY9lcIQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffuWc91FK2A

http://www.nydenion.com

attachment.php


With way over 1900 shots and way over 500 pure VFX shots this is a hefty and heavy Fusion pipeline job orgy. Simply every single shot went through Fusion and Generation. We still have some way to go, but we already see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Be informed:

This movie was started nearly 15 years ago as an indie film project. Jack Moik had the idea when he was working as model maker for some movies in the late 90's (real models) and thought of this movie to be made. Over years many were involved in model shop and live action shooting (most of the stuff about 10-5 years ago using a Sony VX9000 with interlaced letterboxed PAL, but the recent additional shots have been mostly shot on our RED ONE, so this is why we note the movie here in the forum).

As it turned out it won't be possible to do the required compositing post production and VFX "via Internet", where Jack tried to put together a team. As Jack joined us at Magna Mana he had the project with him and it was in more or less calm stage, frozen in some kind of inability to finish it as expected.

We encouraged each other to try to finish it, so the editing and shooting was mainly finished, additional digital sets and models were began etc. Lucky as we were we got some funding from "Hessen Invest Film" (somewhat less than 200,000 Euros), a local funding bank fond, where the jury members got so excited about that "long term indie production story" that we are now able to finish that indie sci-fi opera in roughly 6 months with local talents and our own staff. As it turned out a small, but very powerful, productive and dynamic team...

So please have these facts in mind when watching the trailer and don't just compare it to the last multi-million dollar features. Watch it and think of your own what you consider the value of this. And have a calm minute for those who had to roto hours of greenscreen DV footage... :) When you compare the DV keying vs. the recent RED ONE green screens - we wished we had been able to shoot everything with RED ONE, 10 years ago... that would have save us many man-months of work.

The trailer is in german, but you can have english subtitles on in youtube.

There is also an HD version online. We will have a native english version pretty soon.

Lonely Seal Releasing will be the world wide distributor of the movie.

Honestly we need every support for this soon-to-be-released feature.

So if you like it, please forward it to others and spread the word - this is the best help you can give to us. The more see it and like it, the better success the movie will have.

Please subscribe to our mailing list, or follow us on Twitter, Facebook etc.

Look at the website for some more details, and especially the funny behind the scenes diaries.

Any feedback is highly welcome :)

We think this is probably one of the cheapest and possibly at the same time most complex indie features ever made.

Best wishes,

Axel
 
Last edited:
The variations in quality are an unavoidable shame - but it looks like a very engaging and watchable film. Well done in persevering and getting it done! An amazing accomplishment! Congratulations.
 
Wow, I applaud you for sticking with this, it looks like a lot of work! Just a couple of comments: 1) The animation on the titles feels slow to me. 2) The clip of the side view of the fighters at :34 feels like I am looking at miniatures. It's the only clip that jumped out at me that way, not sure why. Other than that, it looks good to me.

Again, hats off to your accomplishment!
Phil
 
Looks excellent.
 
Phil Bates said:
Wow, I applaud you for sticking with this, it looks like a lot of work! Just a couple of comments: 1) The animation on the titles feels slow to me. 2) The clip of the side view of the fighters at :34 feels like I am looking at miniatures. It's the only clip that jumped out at me that way, not sure why. Other than that, it looks good to me.

Again, hats off to your accomplishment!
Phil
Click to expand...

Hi Phil,

are you referring to the teaser or trailer?
The teaser is rather "old" and does not reflect the current state of the production. The trailer is much more like how the film will be (but still finetuning happens about everywhere, in about every shot). We mention the teaser, because it gives a more emotional introduction into the story. We might well release more of this, as soon as we find time. Right now we just concentrate on finishing the movie... just few weeks to go.

We consider to get some more image out soon, so you get a little more idea of what is coming. There is so much more material.

Thanks,
Axel
 
Axel Mertes said:
Hi Phil,

are you referring to the teaser or trailer?
The teaser is rather "old" and does not reflect the current state of the production. The trailer is much more like how the film will be (but still finetuning happens about everywhere, in about every shot). We mention the teaser, because it gives a more emotional introduction into the story. We might well release more of this, as soon as we find time. Right now we just concentrate on finishing the movie... just few weeks to go.

We consider to get some more image out soon, so you get a little more idea of what is coming. There is so much more material.

Thanks,
Axel
Click to expand...

Axel, you're right, I was referring to the teaser, so I only saw half the story. The trailer is great!

Phil
 
Congratulations for finishing this!

You know, there were a LOT of movies started about 10 to 15 years ago just like yours with heavy greenscreen elements - many by filmmakers who had done a lot of movies already - and they all (but very few) ended up sitting on hard drives never to be seen again. I know about a lot of them because they were brought to me asking what I thought it would take to finish them.

But it's great to see that you guys didn't give up. The movie definitely has a personal touch to it and I sure would put it on my Netflix.
 
Axel Mertes said:
Here a matte painting from the movie...

Done by Jack Moik.

New_Anchorage_Matte_Painting_by_Jacklionheart.jpg
Click to expand...

Okay, this is ridiculously cool. Reminds me of LOTR (that's about the highest compliment I can think of).

Seriously, great job with stuff. Now that I'm trying to pull of high-quality sci-fi on a budget as well, I have immense respect for the kind of work you've done.
 
Wow, thanks guys!

We have so much more to share. We clearly don't want to show off all we have before the movie is finished, and right now all of the team fighting final deadlines. But there is a bright light at the horizon, and that means we will find time to sort out more material to share.

This is a hefty post production orgy and we did / do what we can within the limited budget. So compliments like these help a lot in terms of motivation.

After all, I think getting through is most an act of getting motivated and not give up.

More to follow...

Axel

PS: Do you like to see more of the mattes?
 
There is never too many Sci-Fi films. If there is plot and character development with a backdrop of entertaining battles both on the ground and in space things like matching footage may not matter to an audience - film buyers are a different kettle of fish but thats the nature of the beast. I'd happily watch it so very nice job. You should be proud of creating a Sci-Fi film independently. Not for the faint hearted. Looks like you had some talented people to work with.

Keep us posted as to its future. (no pun intended).
 
Tim,

you are welcome!

Thanks for the thumbs up. Yep, there is real bunch of very addicted and talented team around here, both regular staff and freelancers. We are really proud of them, that was a big journey and now, as its almost done, we begin to realize how much material they have produced.

Axel
 
Here is another frame grab from the movie, hope you like it...

Feedback welcome!

Cheers,
Axel


Nydenion Banner.jpg
 
Hi Mark,

we allways wait for great jobs to come to us. In the meantime we do bread-and-butter jobs to sustain life. Clearly not every project should be so low budget as this one was, but I think we can deliver quite some production value at fair price levels. And we are really film freaks...

Drop me a note if you have a good project. We are always open for international cooperations etc. and can serve many aspects of film making.

Axel
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top