Cinesite partners with Roland Lane to create immersive short film FORSAKEN
Cinesite and Roland Lane have partnered on the short film FORSAKEN, supported by Greenpeace, Frameless, Outernet & Arts Council England. FORSAKEN highlights species extinction and debuted on giant immersive screens at Outernet, London, on January 11th.
Scientists have stated we are entering Earth’s 6th mass extinction event, with up to a million species at risk of being lost.
This work takes inspiration from the remarkable Immortal Jellyfish, which is able to regenerate and begin its life cycle over again, and uses it to celebrate the beauty found in the natural world. However, a sombre warning lies within, as the increasing destruction of life on our planet can not be ignored.
FORSAKEN celebrates the beauty of the natural world whilst also emphasising its fragility, delivering an important message: there is hope, not all is lost, life can recover….but we must act now. It premieres on the 11th January at Outernet London, Europe’s largest digital exhibition space, runs from 11th January at 11am, 6pm & 9pm and is completely free for the public to visit. Greenpeace ambassadors will be on site from 13-14th January and 6-7th February to inspire visitors to take action to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030 and to support a deep sea mining ban.
The short was conceived & directed by award-winning director Roland Lane, Produced by Frameless and animated by Cinesite. Under the direction of Roland, Andrew McNamara supervised the Cinesite crew with creative support from Head of Assets and Visual Development Madeleine Scott-Spencer. The team worked closely with Roland to develop the overall design and CG build of the different stages of the life-cycle of the immortal Jellyfish, crafting each stage of the narrative as well as blocking out general timings and movement to utilise the unique space effectively. The sequence was realised using Cinesite’s standard VFX and Animation workflow rendering up to 8k per wall and resolving back to a 360 degree video at 50 frame per second which was then remapped onto each LED video wall to give a full immersive experience.
The end result is an impactful film presented in 8k, on 360-degree floor-to-ceiling screens at Outernet London, set to a sound design by Gareth Fry & accompanied by motion graphics featuring official statistics from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services designed by Jonny Stopford relating to species extinction caused by Climate Change.
“It’s true, a picture says a thousand words,” said Cinesite London’s GM Joce Capper, “it’s great to see Cinesite’s recently established immersive division bringing FORSAKEN to life for Roland with the support of Greenpeace. We’re really proud of the message behind the animation and the quality of the visuals our artists have delivered for Outernet London. With the immersive entertainment industry growing rapidly Cinesite is expertly positioned to work with creative IP owners and brands to elevate the impact of their imagined worlds.”
Commenting on his experience working with Cinesite director Roland Lane said, “Working with Cinesite to bring this idea to life has been a collaboration, in the truest sense of the word, and being able to utilise the world-class talent, creativity and expertise they have within their team has been a professional highlight for myself. We worked closely together to apply the industry-leading CG and VFX capabilities they are renowned for to this most innovative of productions, crafting something ambitious for the immersive, one-of-a-kind Outernet venue, as we sought to combine visual art with pioneering tech. I’m delighted that we have been able to do the message behind the work justice, and use it to amplify the important work Greenpeace is doing in this area.”
Fiona Nicholls, Greenpeace UK interim head of oceans, adds: “The oceans support all life on Earth but less than 1% of the global oceans are properly protected. Destructive industries, like deep sea mining or industrial fishing, are jeopardising the future health of the oceans, which we all rely on. Art is a powerful and universal way to touch people. With FORSAKEN, we have a unique opportunity to reach a vast range of people to showcase the beauty of oceans and their fragility, and inspire people to work with us to protect the oceans before it’s too late and more species are lost forever.”
Alexandra Payne, Outernet Head of Creative said “We’re privileged at Outernet London to provide a platform to showcase works like FORSAKEN, so they may reach our audience of over 1.5 million visitors a month with such an important message. Outernet’s mission is to create experiences worth sharing across the spectrum of media and entertainment and thanks to our industry leading partners on this project Cinesite, Greenpeace and artist Roland Lane we’re confident of the impact this film will have in our space.”
Cinesite is in discussions with other creative IP owners and brands to elevate the impact of their imagined worlds. Projects will span virtual, physical and mixed realities, location-based entertainment and theme park rides and attractions.
For more news related to this topic:
Evening Standard
Immersive 360° film shows the astonishing life cycle of jellyfish across four-storey high screens
Syndicated on Yahoo news
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/immersive-360-film-shows-astonishing-165427179.html
UK Screen
Cinesite and Roland Lane partner on short film Forsaken
https://www.ukscreenalliance.co.uk/news/cinesite-and-roland-lane-partner-on-short-film-forsaken/
Animation Magazine
Cinesite Launches Immersive Division with New Short ‘Forsaken,’ Frameless Partnership
Animation UK
Cinesite and Roland Lane partner on short film Forsaken
https://www.animationuk.org/news/cinesite-and-roland-lane-partner-on-short-film-forsaken/
Ian Visits
https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/theres-a-giant-jellyfish-floating-around-the-outernet-69282/
London World
https://www.londonworld.com/whats-on/jellyfish-forsaken-now-building-butterfly-trail-4475152
https://www.tiktok.com/@londonworld_com/video/7323115040150768929
Getty
Greenpeace media gallery
https://media.greenpeace.org/collection/27MZIFJFPHL2W
Guardian
Photo of the Day Friday 12th Jan
Campaign Live
https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/cinesite-short-film-issues-warning-mass-extinction/1857322
Greenpeace press release
Outernet news
https://www.outernetglobal.com/news?page=5
Sydney Morning Herald
https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/world-of-photos-january-13-2024-20240112-p5ewws.html
Inavate (Africa)