Dallas, TX-based digital studio Reel FX director Barrett Lewis recently oversaw the creation of an intriguing promotional animated short for Bethesda Softworks upcoming sci-fi horror video game Prey. The History of TranStar depicts decades of orbital mystery by masquerading as a classified leak from the fictional TranStar companys archives. This archival footage-disguised marketing narrative describes a history full of counterfactuals, from the cold war-era discovery of the hostile alien lifeform Typhon, to the debut of refurbished, TranStar-owned space station Talos I. <\/p>\n
The discovery of a hostile lifeform during a manned Soviet mission begets a U.S.-Soviet collaboration gone-wrong. In this alternate history, President Kennedy survives to seize control of the space station, which is ultimately acquired by TranStar. The video ends with the implication of a transhuman future, where the game presumably begins. <\/p>\n
Lewis also composed original music for the short, combining his lifelong experience as a musician and his decades of animation expertise into a cohesive cinematic product: Having the opportunity to write the music for the piece afforded me a unique creative viewpoint, allowing me to let both the animation and music inform one another as the piece took form, he said. I was able to connect the dots in a way that an outside composer likely would not have had the chance to do, and it made it all the more fun! <\/p>\n
Lewis worked closely with digital agency AKQA to bring a retro, 2D-cartoon aesthetic to the piece that stylistically evolves as the piece progresses. The Reel FX team crafted the character design for the trailer, leveraging their in-house feature artists to deliver a defined motif. Lewis then carefully developed an arc that unfolds through color, camera, design and music changes, progressing from 50s Space Race-style, to the futuristic look of cosmic 2035. <\/p>\n
Reel FX develops and produces short form content and virtual reality experiences. Reel FXs first full-length animated feature, Free Birds, was released by Relativity Media in 2013 and grossed over $110 million worldwide. Reel FX VR has developed interactive experiences and 360 narrative content for organizations like 20th Century Fox, GMC, Acura, American Express, AT&T, Frito Lay, GE, Legendary Pictures, Lionsgate, Porsche, Samsung, Shinola and the U.S. Air Force. <\/p>\n
Developed by Arkane Studios, creators of the critically-acclaimed game Dishonored 2, the rated-M Prey launched worldwide for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC on May 5th. A free Prey demo is available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One that allows fans to board Talos I and play the opening hour of the game. <\/p>\n
Source: Reel FX <\/p>\n
Jennifer Wolfe is Director of News & Content at Animation World Network. <\/p>\n
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View post: Dallas, TX-based digital studio Reel FX director Barrett Lewis recently oversaw the creation of an intriguing promotional animated short for Bethesda Softworks upcoming sci-fi horror video game Prey. The History of TranStar depicts decades of orbital mystery by masquerading as a classified leak from the fictional TranStar companys archives. This archival footage-disguised marketing narrative describes a history full of counterfactuals, from the cold war-era discovery of the hostile alien lifeform Typhon, to the debut of refurbished, TranStar-owned space station Talos I Continue reading
\nReel FX Explores Alternate History in Animated Trailer for 'Prey' - Animation World Network (press release) (registration) (blog)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"