Science fiction film

C 299,792 km/s: Derek Van Gorder’s Short Sci Fi Film

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C 299,792 km/s is the story of Lieutenant Commander Malleck, and her radical act of mutiny aboard the KESTROS IV. With the help of her co-conspirators, she attempts to harness this weapon of mass destruction for a grand new purpose. But when a contingent of ground crew led by Second Lieutenant Kai threatens her master plan, Malleck must use the ship against them in order to succeed.

I have to say that I haven’t seen another sci fi short that pays as much visual, musical and ideological homage to Carl Sagan‘s seminal series Cosmos as C does.

C_sci_fi_short

From the film-makers: To build the future, we looked to the past. No CGI or greenscreen was used in the making of the film; all our sets and props were built by hand and filmed in-camera. Combining new advances in digital camera technology with traditional special effects, we sought to create a unique, timeless look through lighting design, camera tricks, miniature photography, split-screen, and stop-animation. We believe that this approach allowed us greater creative possibilities on a low-budget science-fiction film.

 

Other cool science fiction films

Legacy, Ark and the 3rd Letter: The Dark, Post-Apocalyptic Sci Fi Films of Grzegorz Jonkajtys

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Last night I randomly discovered the amazing short sci fi films of Grzegorz Jonkajtys.

The three movies, that Grzegorz has posted on Vimeo in full, vary in length, style and execution. What is common is that all are situated in a post-apocalyptic setting and, in my opinion, all are strangely mesmerizing with their own unique dark beauty.

Legacy is the shortest of the 3 films. At 2 minutes and 24 seconds it manages to pack not only some cool special effects but also a powerful warning message.

 

Ark is another post-apocalyptic animated film. The plot is set up against the background of a global virus outbreak which has forced the remaining survivors to build huge Ark ships and escape to the seas in search of uninhabited land.

At 7 min long the movie packs a moving musical score as well as some Tim Burton style of dark anime. 

The 3rd Letter is Grzegorz’s newest film. At 15 minutes long it is also the only non-animated one.

Perhaps the most disturbing of all three movies, it is set up in a dystopian future where humans can survive their toxic environment only with the help of bio-mechanical pacemakers.

 

Who is Grzegorz Jonkajtys?

Grzegorz Jonkajtys was born in Warsaw, Poland, in 1972. He graduated from Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw in 1995 and has been working for advertisement, animation and feature film industry for over 12 years.

While working in Poland and USA Grzegorz has contributed as vfx artist and animation lead for such films as Sin City, Hellboy, Blade III, Pan’s Labyrinth, Mist and Terminator Salvation.

He is best known for writing and directing his second film ARK for which he has been nominated for Golden Palm at Cannes film festival in 2007, and won Siggraph Electronic Theater “Best of Show” award the same year.

Grzegorz lives and works in San Francisco.