Among the many wonders of director Kerry Conran’s debut feature movie, “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow,” none is more remarkable than how he tried to make it — on a single desktop computer, in 1994, before desktop computers were ready to fully cooperate. Conran used a Mac IIsi and later a Mac Quadra 840AV which was point he realized that he needed hardware and special software to help him realize the dream, as the available resources back then were less than satisfiable.
“Sky Captain” Flies to Big Screen – With the Help of Macs
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Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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…I heard this, it brought a tear to my eye. My first computer was a IIsi.
It’s too bad it took so long, not only to make the movie, but so long for Apple to talk about it! I’d have thought they’d have been pumping this all weekend.
…before desktop computers were ready to fully cooperate.
Nah. Amigas of the time were creating movies and TV shows (e.g. Babylon 5 – you should know that, Eugenia :-)).
but I would hope that a G5 would do better 🙂
There was also this story today about Macs used to restore the Star Wars trilogy:
http://www.starwars.com/episode-iv/feature/20040916/index.html
satisfiable
satisfactory
Ironically the graphics suck! Not because of Apple (well I hope not) but because of their cheap blue screen techniques and over pastel filtering to cover up that oh so “computer generated” feel.
It’s a lossing battle when you try to bolster a product by show casing it in a semi-popular example.
I think that is the point of the film, it is supposed to look like a cheezy 1960s buck rogers adventure TV novel.
Suspension of disbelief…
If the story is good, if the acting is good, if the visuals fit APPROPRIATELY… (Dali’s painting don’t fit too much in reality but the though and execution did)
IMHO
The Macs enabled him to realize a vision, although limiting at the time he still managed to tell the story and not have to hire linux or windows tweakers to maintain his system (although I’m sure a couople of mac geeks were around)
http://www.suntimes.com/output/ebert1/wkp-news-captain17f.html
Too bad I can’t afford one…so sad
>> Ironically the graphics suck! Not because of Apple (well
>> I hope not) but because of their cheap blue screen
>> techniques and over pastel filtering to cover up that
>> oh so “computer generated” feel.
It’s called style.
But then again, people like you can’t appreciate it when people try something new.
You can probably do better without any experience in graphics (and I’m not talking about your average photoshopped wallpaper with at least 10 lensflares on it).
And I can’t afford a quad proc Tezro.
Life sucks, don’t it?
>The Macs enabled him to realize a vision, although limiting
>at the time he still managed to tell the story and not have
>to hire linux or windows tweakers to maintain his system
>(although I’m sure a couople of mac geeks were around)
What??
This movie cost 70bn.
And had 200 technicians operating the machines.
http://www.startribune.com/stories/1553/4970643.html
And macs were mostly for 2d department.
Holy CR4P.
I think you mean 70 Million, not bn (billion) as that would make the 16 mill it pulled in this weekend quite a travesty.
And, if it was 70 billion, we need to pay actors less.
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This movie cost 70bn.
And had 200 technicians operating the machines.
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“Costs as high as 70bn, being the most expensive movie ever made, Sky Captain has financially devastated every involved party. It’s creators claim that ridiculously high hardware costs associated with Apple Mac platform was key reason for such a sad ending of a happy tale.”
>I think you mean 70 Million, not bn (billion)
Oh yes, I do
>Oh yes, I do
It was 70 million (not billion). Nobody would spend 70 billion on a movie.
Anyway, I must be completely missing it, but what exactly did he make the movie on? Was it on his Mac IIsi/Quadra or did he use g4/g5’s? I read the article on apples site a while ago, but didn’t see mention of what he used for the final product.
My understanding is, he made about six minutes of it over a period of five years on his home Macs (IIsi/Quadra/Whatever), then, realizing he was getting nowhere fast and with his great idea and this six minutes to demonstrate, managed to get money to hire top actors and hundreds of people and do the rest of it on top notch equipment.
It’s called style.
But then again, people like you can’t appreciate it when people try something new.
You can probably do better without any experience in graphics (and I’m not talking about your average photoshopped wallpaper with at least 10 lensflares on it).
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What style? People were doing this kind of stuff and doing it better back in the late 80’s/early 90’s on Atari ST and Amiga home computers.
And don’t forget Star Wars back in 1976/77 really started the whole trend.
For something that’s *REALLY* impressive that’s created by a single person look for Makoto Shinkai’s “Voices of a Distant Star” released by ADV Films.
It’s a Japanese Anime title.
And the top knotch equipment was mainly Macs.
I liked it, from start to finish. It was a bit like opening an old Sci-Fi comic book from the 30’s or 40’s. I thought that the plot moved well enough, the actors related to each other like the old B/W flicks of that era, and the visuals were great.
Giant robots, flying planes, beautiful women…it doesn’t get much better than that 🙂
liked it, from start to finish. It was a bit like opening an old Sci-Fi comic book from the 30’s or 40’s. I thought that the plot moved well enough, the actors related to each other like the old B/W flicks of that era, and the visuals were great.
Giant robots, flying planes, beautiful women…it doesn’t get much better than that 🙂
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Haven’t seen much Anime have you?
Series like Gunbuster, Macross and others show just how lacking this thing is.
>Haven’t seen much Anime have you?
Get some perspective, pup. TV shows like Buck Rogers and movies like Destination: Moon have been doing this far longer than your little cartoon subculture. This movie is a tribute to classic science fiction films in the thirties and forties — way before anime even existed.