Decktechs is the senior project of visual effects student Stephen Withers. Using greenscreen and digital sets, the short film is a lighthearted commentary on the dangers of technology.
PREMISE:
Decktechs, the ‘series’, will follow the lives of a small group of deck technicians running the landing strip on a remote shipping station out in space. Set in a universe in which humans have been recklessly hasty to adopt technology, the series explores the effects and moral issues surrounding the adoption of technology and the human lifestyle.
The ‘trailer’ explores this issue in a much smaller capacity. After being told bathroom trips will cost one credit due to budget cutbacks, Don, a regular joe technician, is forced by the company-wide immersion program to pilot one of the freighters into the dock. Supervising him is Albert, a geek infatuated with new gadgets. New upgrades to the freighter malfunction, causing Don to lose control and crash the ship, fighting smoke, sparks, debris and comical error messages. The crash has the happy benefit of forcing the deck chief to rehire all of the laid-off employees to help clean up the mess.
PLAN:
I will use both Studio courses to complete the trailer, which will comprise of about 100 shots. Fall quarter will focus on production (shooting greenscreen lighting tests, actors and elements, constructing digital sets, etc). Winter quarter will focus on compositing, editing and sound. There is also a strong possibility a miniature builder I connected with while spending time in L.A. will build an eight-foot miniature of the freighter to use in some shots, which is certainly exciting.
This timeline is ambitious considering the amount of maya assets that need to be built, not to mention the live action shooting and compositing. However, I am well underway on the project and have years of experience in vfx short films under my belt. In the distant future, I may use the miniseries as a thesis project for an MFA in either film or visual effects.