A swashbuckling tale, Valiant tells the story of three air pirates who embark on a dangerous mission after discovering a lost child princess who may hold the ticket to their freedom.
The film features studio-quality visual effects accomplished primarily through the use of miniatures, matte paintings, and practical pyrotechnics. The film was finished at 4K (UHD) resolution. The project has been covered by Cinefex and other leading trade periodicals for its intrepid work on a micro budget.
Robin Phillips, Writer-Director
Alex Maclean, Executive Producer
Shyam Sundar Sengupta, Producer
Scott Baba, Writer
Fon Davis, Miniature Effects Supervisor
and USC alumni Robin Phillips, lead actor
Gil Darnell, Navid Neghaban, Camden Toy, actors.
When OddBeast landed the opportunity to produce this year’s opening film for Half Rez, the Midwest’s largest celebration of design and motion graphics, the studio approached the challenge by embracing discomfort. The goal was to visually express the collective anxieties of creatives facing an uncertain future as emerging tools and technologies reshape their industries. OddBeast Executive Creative Director Kevin Gautraud took the lead on the project’s vision and 3D animation: “I chose to ground the short in responses particular to fears about making a living in today’s creative fields where the rate of change feels insane at times, overwhelming artists with existential questions. Sometimes, ‘I don’t know’ is the most truthful answer anyone can give,” he said. In creating the film, Gautraud tapped into his own response to such anxieties: a meditation on the vastness of time and our small moment in the light, ponderings that bring him perspective, calm and creative inspiration. Powerful visuals of barren yet eerily majestic landscapes take us back to Earth’s origins, giving way – in the film’s final seconds – to the explosion of life – our blip in the planet’s unfathomable journey. Add the ethereal sound design of Bent Stamnes, and the result is a sense of awe, as everyday problems suddenly seem smaller. “For this project in particular, I was inspired by Carl Sagan and his own personal philosophy. He was awestruck at the grandeur of nature, curious about the origin of life, and humble about the extent of human knowledge,” Gautraud explained. “It's about making people feel small, strange and somehow okay with that.” Gautraud used a range of tools to give his concept life, including... Read More
