Lost In Space

Differences may separate us but common ground can be found just a bench away.

#animation #space #perspectives

Lost In Space is one of the two Originals under “The Bench” series. Envisioned and executed by our Lead Animator, Najeeb, this film is a light-hearted take on how ignorance can only get you so far, especially when what divides us is a difference in perspectives.

Produced by

LastBench

Directed by

Najeeb Thottungal

Art and Animation

Najeeb Thottungal

Music and Sound

Niranjan Kotukkal

How it began:

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Najeeb had just wrapped up RNP’s “Build Together”; an intense project that took months to finish. He had another project lined up next - but before jumping into that, he knew he needed a change of pace. Noticing this, Sriram, our Founder, suggested he could perhaps try a hand at an Original.

The treatment:

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At that point in time, we kept our Originals related to LastBench, so Najeeb wondered what could follow the theme. After brainstorming ideas, he decided upon an alien-chasing sequence that ends up at the bench. As for the treatment style, he wanted to emphasise visual humour, using exaggerated gestures and fun expressions, with no dialogues or VO.

He also mixed in frame-by-frame animation style, where you draw out each frame of movement individually with After Effects for maximum effect. Take the sequence where he dives into a tunnel for example, here he animated the camera panning using frame-by-frame animation as AE cannot change the angle of the animation or rotate an object. He then exported it into After Effects and added the motion blur to the background - which would’ve been near impossible to achieve by hand.

How it began:

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The treatment:

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How it began:

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The treatment:

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How it began:

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The treatment:

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How it began:

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The treatment:

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A steep learning curve

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Until this project, Najeeb had only worked on the frame-by-frame animation style. Figuring out AE’s workflow was an uphill task that needed him to learn from tutorials and experiments.

An Original was the perfect opportunity to do this, giving him the freedom to figure out what works and what doesn’t at his own pace.

He also worked on the sounds and SFX for the film - which was also completely new to him. As the creator, he knew exactly the type of music he wanted for each sequence - going from an exploratory vibe in the beginning to a dramatic upbeat tune and ending mellow as they sit together. He also wanted sound effects to make the world more immersive - from the sounds of the rocket launch and the door coming down to the wind, the alien, and the running. There was also the choice of which sounds to keep - especially when using a split screen that has multiple sources of sound.

A steep learning curve

‍

Until this project, Najeeb had only worked on the frame-by-frame animation style. Figuring out AE’s workflow was an uphill task that needed him to learn from tutorials and experiments.

An Original was the perfect opportunity to do this, giving him the freedom to figure out what works and what doesn’t at his own pace.

A steep learning curve

‍

Until this project, Najeeb had only worked on the frame-by-frame animation style. Figuring out AE’s workflow was an uphill task that needed him to learn from tutorials and experiments.

An Original was the perfect opportunity to do this, giving him the freedom to figure out what works and what doesn’t at his own pace.

A steep learning curve

‍

Until this project, Najeeb had only worked on the frame-by-frame animation style. Figuring out AE’s workflow was an uphill task that needed him to learn from tutorials and experiments.

An Original was the perfect opportunity to do this, giving him the freedom to figure out what works and what doesn’t at his own pace.

A steep learning curve

‍

Until this project, Najeeb had only worked on the frame-by-frame animation style. Figuring out AE’s workflow was an uphill task that needed him to learn from tutorials and experiments.