In the world of animation, creativity knows no bounds, and visionary artists like Leon Liang, the creator of "Solar Pulse" are pushing the boundaries of storytelling through the fusion of art and technology. This captivating sci-fi animation takes us on a journey to a future where energy is harnessed from space solar stations, offering a unique perspective on the evolving landscape of renewable energy solutions.
In this Q&A interview, an emerging director Leon shares insights into the concept, challenges, and collaborative experiences behind this ambitious project. Get ready to delve into a world where the sun powers the future, and meet Leon as an artist and passionate thinker.
A: The energy crisis has always been a dark cloud over technological development. In recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russo-Ukrainian war have made it increasingly prominent. There are many renewable energy solutions being discussed. I think the answer may be right in front of us. We live with the sun every day, and all energy on our planet comes from it.
The solar power station might be the craziest and most romantic concept I've ever seen (first proposed by the famous writer Isaac Asimov from the golden age of sci-fi). It looks like a big solar farm but directly operates as a satellite in low earth orbit, with no atmospheric obstruction and the ability to operate day and night. It hasn't been built yet, but during my research, I found out that China plans to launch a space solar station in 2050 (Japan and Europe also have their plans).
As the theme of this year's Pause original is "Beyond 2050," I based the story on this fact and exaggerated the background in a dramatic way. In the imagined year 2050, low-earth orbits will be dotted with hundreds of space solar stations generating gigawatts of clean electricity. The energy problem will no longer be a worry, and we can even use the excess power for having fun.
For example, a racing festival is held in low earth orbit, celebrating energy self-sufficiency with techno music, aerobatic stunts, and all that carnival stuff. I'd like the animation to take on the tone of the golden age of sci-fi, where looking up at the stars and being optimistic about technology is rare in our time. I hope to encourage people to be excited about the future again through this animation.
A: I am quite passionate about technology, the open-source culture, and modular design, and they have great influence on me. We can observe numerous projects (both software and hardware) benefiting from open source, such as the Linux operating system, the 3D software Blender, and the single-board microcontroller Arduino. These initiatives encourage open collaboration and allow for personal modifications. They foster a healthy and vibrant user community, not limited to professionals but also including artists and anyone with curiosity who can participate and create cool things.
This is a form of democratisation and an antidote to monopolies in the tech industry, which has gradually evolved into various emerging youth subcultures. If you pay attention, you will notice important elements in my film, such as the customised FPV drone, the solar car design with an open framework (which I will discuss later), and the instruments played by DJ - a synthesiser similar to Eurorack modules that I designed.
All of these elements originate from similar cultural circles, where enthusiasts share the same spirit that I truly admire. These may not be immediately noticeable, but together they form an aesthetic of functionalism.
A: I have always been a fan of sci-fi, growing up watching sci-fi movies and reading sci-fi novels. One memory that stands out is my first experience watching Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Despite the criticism it received, particularly for its visual effects, the pod racing scene left a lasting impression on me. The quality of the visual effects and the skilful editing created an unparalleled experience, even by today's standards. While this segment may not have had a strong narrative, it effectively showcased the protagonist's decisiveness, bravery, and adventurous spirit, as well as the sinister nature of the other competitors. These images have remained fondly etched in my memory. I have always wanted to learn from and incorporate the techniques used in this scene, which is why I chose racing as the theme for this story.
A: My favourite scene is the first super long continuous shot. It allowed me to experiment with a fisheye camera shot of a FPV drone, creating a unique camera movement and crazy lens distortion. This shot ultimately resulted in a refreshing and immersive experience in the medium of CG animation. Additionally, I incorporated a little character performance and storytelling into this shot. You can sense that the drone flyer is giddy to record the beginning of the vlog, but then realises that he needs to be first in line for the race to live streaming.
So, he takes a risky shortcut and goes straight from the maintenance lane to the race track. My goal was to find a small narrative point of view to unfold the story, transitioning from a personal vlog to a whole racing fest event. This shot serves as a story thread to help with the narrative and also sets the tone of the entire movie as tense and exciting. It showcases the character of the flyer, who faces adventures and new things with a positive attitude, which aligns with the main theme of the film. It's the most complicated shot I've ever made, but the result was very exciting for me!
My favourite scene is the first super long continuous shot. It allowed me to experiment with a fisheye camera shot of a FPV drone, creating a unique camera movement and crazy lens distortion.
A: As a sci-fi short film, everything had to appear more advanced than in reality. Therefore, nearly 90% of the assets in the film had to be made by myself. Only a few of them could be purchased as readymade models, such as the Canada 2 robotic arm on the ISS. This was extraordinarily difficult for a part-time solo filmmaker with limited time, energy, and budget. However, I also enjoyed the process. I liked conceptualising a whole world from scratch, as it gave me a great sense of satisfaction.
From an animation production perspective, the large scale of the scenes, the fast-paced movement of the shots, and the intricate details of the characters were time-consuming. I sought help from friends for the smoke effects and vehicle decal design, among other things. Additionally, the company I work for provided the render farm support in the end. A special thanks goes to SeenVision for their assistance. I would also like to thank Pause Original for providing ample time to make it all happen.
A: I used a playful and open collaboration approach when designing the solar car. I invited nine designer friends to join me as virtual sponsors in the world of this film. They were also listed in the end credits for their contributions in designing cars and decals for their own teams. To facilitate this collaboration, I wrote a race car design manual and sent it to them. The solar car's chassis was designed as an open-source framework, meaning that each car follows a unified framework standard but can be customised and modified within the maximum design size.
There were four pre-designed base types, and different designers were free to mix and match nose, tail, hubcaps, diffusers, and other kits to reflect their own personalities. This allowed for strategic thinking similar to real racing competitions and made the process more in-depth. I will reveal more details about the solar car's design in the behind-the-scenes. The advertising boards on the track were also a natural fit for these sponsors, as they helped me with graphic design work and resulted in a deeper and more interesting collaboration.
I also collaborated with many people in music production. The music in my film was a remix of a song generously provided by a musician named Everybody, whom I have worked with on other projects before. It was a whole new experience for me, and I faced challenges such as deciding whether to remix the song based on the film's image or create a new song. I also had to find a balance between my needs and giving space for musicians to showcase their talents. There is still a lot for me to learn from this experience.
A: Yes, I have tried Metahuman, a program that makes it very easy to create ultra-high-precision realistic character models. It also supports a facial capture process that allows the character to speak through a mobile app. Additionally, I have tried Ableton Live, a digital audio workstation software that has gained popularity in recent years for indie music production and live performances in club scenes. I love electro music and have used it before to explore musical soundscapes for small-scale art projects.
Although I don't know much about music theory, I use it like a kid playing with a toy, and it often brings me surprises. I have also used it to create a part of the remix for this film, with the help of remixers who laid out the basic structure and sections and assisted with volume equalisation at the end. This allowed me to add some personality in the middle without compromising the professionalism of the music.
A: Well, almost every shot of the film has taught me a lesson. Due to the complexity of the objects and scenes in my film, especially with the shots moving at high speed, it can easily become overwhelming. How do I maintain a film that is full of dense detail without overloading the viewer's eye? My solution is to use a limited colour palette. First, I desaturated all the colours except for orange in the scene. This way, only the light and shadow of the structures remain to maintain detail, while the orange acts as a visual guide that I can control the audience's focus with. Additionally, I saturated the colour of the solar cars, ensuring that they always stand out in any high-speed shot.
A: A sense of vicarious attachment to the story is crucial to me. For me, everything in motion, whether it's a living creature or a lifeless object, is a performance. Even the movement of the camera itself is a vital element of performance. Its movement may be imperceptible but is also significant, especially in CG animation production where camera animation is a more economical approach. As a visual storyteller, I value immersion. After setting the stage for the story, I usually have to design the viewer's perspective so that the audience can enter the story. I determine when to let the viewer play the role of the characters and experience the situations they are facing or their psychological activities.
I also decide when to let the viewer adopt a God's point of view and experience the bigger picture of where the story is headed. This decision-making process depends on how I tell the story, which translates into a technical approach involving camera placement and editing. Ultimately, all the camera performance designs aim to make the camera "not there" so that the audience can smoothly become immersed in the story. As I mentioned earlier, the first super long shot at the beginning of the film serves as an example of this.
A: Sound and FX are indispensable elements in my work. They are also integral to storytelling. Take FX, for example. The smoke FX at the end of the shot really enhances the celebratory vibe, as you can see! As I mentioned earlier, everything in motion is a performance. Additionally, sound and FX production is usually very expensive and challenging for a solo maker like myself. It is essential to consider the quality-price ratio for these elements. (Special thanks to JD and Simon for helping me with this aspect!)
A: During the lockdown, I experienced a demoralising time. However, it also prompted me to reflect on my past and consider my future path. As a child, my family lived next to a railway, and every night as I slept, I could hear the vibrations of the train tracks. Whenever I wait for a train, I find myself captivated by the connectedness of the poles and steel structures. My father worked in a large diesel engine manufacturing plant, and I pursued a degree in electronic communication technology in college. Consequently, my understanding of the world has always been rooted in technology.
While working in the CG animation industry, I often felt apprehensive due to my lack of formal art studies. As a result, I mainly focused on positions that emphasised technical skills. However, upon discovering electronic synthesiser music, I realised that the principles behind it aligned with my college studies, albeit from a musical perspective. This revelation inspired me that art is diverse and inclusive, and I too can create art. My art language, influenced by the industrial machinery I am familiar with, is rather unique. Thus, I have taken on the role of an independent artist outside of my job and have dedicated myself to refining and developing my own art language. My aim is to utilise intricate industrial forms to deconstruct contemporary social issues and explore common emotional dilemmas people face.
The most satisfying outcome of each project is that I have stuck to my style and added another great piece of work to my brand image, while also fulfilling the client's needs.
I draw inspiration from the intersection of technology and art. I gather ideas from various sources such as video games, films, techno music visuals, fashion shows that I adore, and related peripherals like magazines. The internet also serves as a valuable resource for me. In essence, I am constantly building my own library of materials based on my interests and shaping my art language.
It's important for me to work on big projects that are rewarding or with well-known brands that can enhance my reputation. However, as a freelancer or a studio, I understand the importance of having a unique personality to make an impression in the industry. Therefore, the most satisfying outcome of each project is that I have stuck to my style and added another great piece of work to my brand image, while also fulfilling the client's needs. If this continues, some clients will come to me for my style, and the creative expression and commercial value will be united, which I consider to be a great success.
One of the promotional clips I worked on with my good friend Kuang for a game festival during the epidemic is the best work I'm most proud of. It wasn't a regular commercialised project, and we had a lot of freedom to conceive an entire worldview and character's story from scratch, just like I did in Solar Pulse. Additionally, it's full of the game and movie elements we love, and the client requested a 10-second length, so we wanted to push the limits of what we could do with complex scenes and characters. This short film gave me the confidence to continue creating unique worlds and characters with animation, and it is the cornerstone for me to work on longer films and bring to life the worlds imagined in my head, which is the best thing about making animation films.
A: This work is one of the ones that inspired me to create CG shorts. Every time I learn about a remarkable historical building, it reminds me of this piece, and I find myself watching it again. The animation quality achieved by Alex Roman alone, 14 years ago, is truly amazing. Regardless of how much technology advances and aesthetics change, it remains a masterpiece with timeless beauty, just like those architectures.
A: Although this is a promotional film for a game, I believe it explores an innovative direction for future sci-fi aesthetics. For a long time, sci-fi visual styles were confined to conservative retro-futurism. However, the bold deconstruction of industrial styling and graphic design in this film has once again ignited excitement for sci-fi visuals.
A: This animation showcases an oscilloscope waveform directly from a piece of music. Behind this mesmerising animation, numerous formula calculations bring each shape to life. It's like visualising formulas in Excel to create animation, but with the added beauty of synchronised music. The harmonious unity of visuals and sound is truly exquisite. As a tech nerd, I consider this a form of "computer animation," don't you think?
Q: What do you think about generative AI? How do you think it will change your industry? Have you had any experience with it?
A: I believe generative AI is revolutionising the industry. In various movies and game projects, AI has been used in parts of the design process. Although it is still relatively basic in terms of animation, similar to the early days of computer animation in the 80s, it is showing great promise and evolving rapidly. However, its rapid development has also led to the depletion of training data available on the internet, causing crashes in its models and a decline in generation quality. Additionally, issues regarding data copyright and privacy have proven to be disadvantages. In the future, it might be necessary to address these concerns and advocate for sustainable development of internet data, data cleanliness, data security, and source data traceability. Therefore, I believe AI still has a long way to go before reaching maturity. The AI models I have tried quickly became boring, and I am concerned that AI's ability to quickly generate superficially flashy art might devalue true visual spectacle in the eyes of the public. This could potentially undermine the faith of hardworking artists who are dedicated to creating this type of art.
I envision a future that is pro-people, decentralised, and open to improvisation.
Q: What do you see in the future for the 3D and animation industry?
A: I envision a future that is pro-people, decentralised, and open to improvisation. Tools and technology will become more accessible and established, allowing individuals to express their emotions and ideas more directly without needing to have in-depth technical knowledge. This will undoubtedly inspire more people to participate in independent filmmaking, fostering exchange and growth, and resulting in a greater number of remarkable works. However, it is important to remain cautious about the flaws of technology and continue to focus on building upon strengths and minimising weaknesses. This mindset is crucial for independent filmmakers and will remain unchanged.
