Superman Awakens
February 20, 2023 7:28 AM Subscribe
"Superman Awakens is a passion-made CGI cinematic, inspired by Kingdom Come Superman and the work of the legendary Alex Ross." Available on YouTube and Vimeo, made by Floating House. (via CBR)
"In no way associated with DC", "made out of love for the character", yeah.
This looks really good, get yourself a download of this quick if you want to keep it.
posted by mhoye at 9:09 AM on February 20, 2023
This looks really good, get yourself a download of this quick if you want to keep it.
posted by mhoye at 9:09 AM on February 20, 2023
Grant Morrison summed up the myth of Superman pretty well. "Doomed planet. Desperate scientists. Last hope. Kindly couple." You can tell a lot of tales that way. Weirdly a version of Jonathan Kent who is a complete ass messes that formula up, a lot.
This video is pretty good. The voice-over is an interesting choice. I think it is supposed to be the tragedy changing him, but it just sounds a little too much like a Batman take for me to be completely happy.
posted by Ignorantsavage at 9:16 AM on February 20, 2023 [10 favorites]
This video is pretty good. The voice-over is an interesting choice. I think it is supposed to be the tragedy changing him, but it just sounds a little too much like a Batman take for me to be completely happy.
posted by Ignorantsavage at 9:16 AM on February 20, 2023 [10 favorites]
Very well done! Sticks with the grimdark DC vibe. I couldn't help thinking though, once I saw the grey around Superman's temples, that I was watching a Superbowl commercial that ended with:
AARP: Life Begins at 50
posted by gwint at 9:18 AM on February 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
AARP: Life Begins at 50
posted by gwint at 9:18 AM on February 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
Made in Unreal Engine. Damn, what a game changer for small productions.
posted by jklaiho at 9:42 AM on February 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by jklaiho at 9:42 AM on February 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
made out of love for the character
There's been a lot of different characters named "Superman," different stories with that title.
This is well made, and it's marvelous what one person can do with Unreal, but it's not the Superman that I love.
posted by straight at 11:08 AM on February 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
There's been a lot of different characters named "Superman," different stories with that title.
This is well made, and it's marvelous what one person can do with Unreal, but it's not the Superman that I love.
posted by straight at 11:08 AM on February 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
Doomed planet. Desperate scientists. Last hope. Kindly couple.
Thanks so much for this - next time I need to tell somebody to fuck off, I'm definitely using "kindly couple".
posted by flabdablet at 11:20 AM on February 20, 2023 [9 favorites]
Thanks so much for this - next time I need to tell somebody to fuck off, I'm definitely using "kindly couple".
posted by flabdablet at 11:20 AM on February 20, 2023 [9 favorites]
UE5 is amazing, it looks better than a lot of movie CGI... and the whole thing probably rendered on a gaming PC in minutes or hours, not days or weeks.
posted by ThisIsAThrowaway at 11:55 AM on February 20, 2023
posted by ThisIsAThrowaway at 11:55 AM on February 20, 2023
Still, casting Morrissey in it was a bold choice.
posted by pipeski at 12:06 PM on February 20, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by pipeski at 12:06 PM on February 20, 2023 [6 favorites]
I would fight crime tonight
But I haven't got a stitch to wear
posted by flabdablet at 12:20 PM on February 20, 2023 [9 favorites]
But I haven't got a stitch to wear
posted by flabdablet at 12:20 PM on February 20, 2023 [9 favorites]
They're referencing a very specific conception of Superman by an artist known for an iconoclastic take on the look. Famous, but not mainstream.
Definitely not the 1970s Jim Aparo Superman.
posted by bonehead at 12:25 PM on February 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
Definitely not the 1970s Jim Aparo Superman.
posted by bonehead at 12:25 PM on February 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
Made in Unreal Engine. Damn, what a game changer for small productions.
Here's another Unreal Engine short called The Voice in the Hollow. It has a late 60s film look that (edit- ok, on a fresh viewing, it's pretty heavy handed) doesn’t come across as a canned filter. I think a lot of the animation is mocap.
posted by brachiopod at 12:25 PM on February 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
Here's another Unreal Engine short called The Voice in the Hollow. It has a late 60s film look that (edit- ok, on a fresh viewing, it's pretty heavy handed) doesn’t come across as a canned filter. I think a lot of the animation is mocap.
posted by brachiopod at 12:25 PM on February 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
I was just musing today about chatgpt etc. and I wondered how long it would be before I can just tell my glow slab I want to see a movie about a plot with a ship, aliens, and redemption in late middle age written by screen writer X directed by director Y and with actors a,b,c,d+h etc. some living some dead and have the result in seconds or just rendered in real time.
posted by Pembquist at 3:37 PM on February 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Pembquist at 3:37 PM on February 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
This sort of feels less “inspired by the work of Alex Ross” than “composed of the work of Alex Ross”? (Who is not credited in the piece itself, unless I missed it.) Raises some interesting questions about authorship and ownership...
posted by staggernation at 4:55 PM on February 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by staggernation at 4:55 PM on February 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
I wondered how long it would be before I can just tell my glow slab I want to see a movie about a plot with a ship, aliens, and redemption in late middle age written by screen writer X directed by director Y and with actors a,b,c,d+h etc. some living some dead and have the result in seconds or just rendered in real time.
In the Nineties they called this the Sloot Digital Coding System.
posted by flabdablet at 8:09 PM on February 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
In the Nineties they called this the Sloot Digital Coding System.
posted by flabdablet at 8:09 PM on February 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
Made in Unreal Engine. Damn, what a game changer for small productions.
And not so small ones too. It's been in production use for years now. The Mandalorian made use of entire walls of LCDs using visuals driven by the Unreal engine.
posted by los pantalones del muerte at 5:16 AM on February 21, 2023
And not so small ones too. It's been in production use for years now. The Mandalorian made use of entire walls of LCDs using visuals driven by the Unreal engine.
posted by los pantalones del muerte at 5:16 AM on February 21, 2023
>UE5 is amazing, it looks better than a lot of movie CGI... and the whole thing probably rendered on a gaming PC in minutes or hours, not days or weeks.
It's my understanding this would all be real-time, not rendered in advance. At least, I've messed with UE5 and didn't see any way to pre-render stuff since the whole point was being real-time engine with all the tricks and whistles to make things look realistically while staying performant.
posted by GoblinHoney at 8:27 AM on February 21, 2023
It's my understanding this would all be real-time, not rendered in advance. At least, I've messed with UE5 and didn't see any way to pre-render stuff since the whole point was being real-time engine with all the tricks and whistles to make things look realistically while staying performant.
posted by GoblinHoney at 8:27 AM on February 21, 2023
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