"This movie is about humans and where we are going. It’s about homo sapiens," stated Ishan Shukla at the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF).
"Schirkoa: In Lies We Trust" is an animated film that navigates the cyclical nature of human civilization——encompassing utopia, dystopia and a neutral point of view. Set in a world divided by extreme control and extreme freedom, Shukla’s narrative captures the essence of humanity's ongoing struggle.
"Without going full circle, it’s impossible to understand how human beings build and destroy civilizations", Shukla explained.
Unlike traditional animated films such as "Nimona", "Schirkoa" was brought to life using Unreal Engine, a decision that significantly shaped its production. Here’s a look at how it was done.
FROM CONCEPT TO SCREEN
The journey of "Schirkoa" began in 2011 with a graphic novel that the director never finished, as he soon asked himself: “Can I do an animated short film alone?”. Indeed, he could. The initial concept transformed then into a 13-minute short film, consisting of 31 sequences and 246 shots, crafted over four years. Initially, Shukla employed traditional animation tools, but the complexity of his idea proved daunting for a feature-length movie. This challenge led him to embrace Unreal Engine, very early on.
"Unreal Engine changed everything, providing live feedback and allowing adjustments on the spot", Shukla said and added: "being the lighter, cinematographer and director, the tool gave me a lot of liberty because I could change things until the very end”.
UNREAL ENGINE: A GAME CHANGER FOR ANIMATION MOVIES
For those unfamiliar with it, Unreal Engine is a 3D software tool primarily used for creating video games. Owing to its real-time rendering capabilities, it has also become a popular choice for filmmakers looking to craft their own animated films , including us, and for previs.
For Shukla, adopting Unreal Engine was transformative, enabling him to bring his vision to life. He started by constructing the huge cities of Schirkoa and Konthaqa. Drawing inspiration from major cities like New York, the director aimed for a universally appealing design, blending elements from diverse cultures to forge a city that resonated with viewers globally.
Because Unreal is a game engine, it meant that, after building his cities, Shukla could virtually explore and select precise locations for each scene. He then set dressed these areas, much like you would do with a real-life movie. The tool also allows the use of “multicam sessions”, enabling Shukla to actively manipulate camera angles and focals, while editting scenes in real-time.
"Unreal is a superb pre-production tool. It lets you make a rough cut of your film directly within it, so you can feel how the narrative flows and then polish it more as you go along", Shukla.
MOCAP AND CHARACTER DESIGN
Despite most characters in "Schirkoa" wearing paper bags on their heads, Shukla ensured they possessed distinct features, given that we could still see their eyes and lower jaws.
The voices were recorded (and filmed) first, which gave the mocap actors cues on how to perform. This extensive process, conducted over a period of 14 days in a French studio, encompassed not only the performance capture for the main characters but also for the myriad of "extras" populating the virtual world. To achieve this, Shukla presented the actors with a variety of scenarios which they acted out for extended durations—ranging from simple tasks like fetching the morning paper to engaging in a heated discussion in a bar. This meant he had hundreds of hours of mocap he could use and play with to populate his city.
To maintain realism, it was crucial to ensure real-world elements matched their virtual counterparts in Unreal Engine scenes. "You need to know the height of your table in the real world so that it corresponds with the one within the virtual environment”, Shukla explained. He also chose stunt performers and stage actors for their ability to deliver prolonged and dynamic performances, which proved invaluable in scenes like a bustling bar, where their unique actions brought every angle to life.
Finally, mocap data was cleaned up and enhanced by a team in India, ensuring the animations remained smooth and jitter-free.
CHALLENGES AND INNOVATIONS
Ishan Shukla's pioneering adoption of Unreal Engine necessitated the creation of a custom pipeline and cheat sheets, ensuring smooth transitions between different software applications. Moreover, given that the tool was fairly unknow at the time he was in post-production, Shukla had to take on multiple roles to complete it.
Looking to the future, Shukla acknowledges that the suitability of Unreal Engine will depend on the specific demands of each project. For "Schirkoa", with its extensive urban landscapes and many many characters, Unreal was a no-brainer. It enabled a degree of complexity and detail unachievable within the same budget and timeframe using traditional animation or live-action methods.
Ultimately, Shukla's experience proves that with creativity, (a lot of) patience and a willingness to embrace new tools, there are now numerous ways to produce an animated film. His journey serves as an invitation to filmmakers to experiment and combine different tools, crafting a unique pipeline that best serves their narrative. At least, for us, it was very inspiring.
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