Animated Sci-fi/ Fantasy short - The Yamata

placematt

Jedi Council Member
FOTCM Member
Hi everyone, I have been working for some years on a project that I have finally finished the first episode on. Wanted to share it on the forum for feedback and to hear what people think.

poster1.jpg

The Yamata - Chapter 1 Old Beginnings

I have been making movies since I was thirteen. Really connect with the creative process and I love the imaginal realm. So hoping some people get a bit of enjoyment out of it. Big thanks to @987baz for the hardwork in scoring and voice over for one of the main characters.

Thanks everyone.
 
I might be biased but I think it's great mate, really enjoyed the process and trying something different with the VO stuff, and getting back into scoring was a lot of fun too!! Great start to the series, nice world building and I am really into sci-fi, so what's not to love!
 
Cool placematt! Good world building, it evokes the sense of a wider world very nicely. I really like the vibe of Australian sci-fi, what little I've ever seen or read of it (did you ever watch the show Farscape? Also there some great short stories collected into several books, the Rynosseros series by Terry Dowling, very Australian sci-fi from the 1980s, well worth tracking down!)

With The Yamata, just wondering, do you have the whole thing planned out/written in advance? Or are you creating each part as you get up to it? It's super ambitious. Do you want criticism? If so, here's my thought: (not important though, you're not missing anything if you don't read it)

So far, it seems like the story you're telling is a huge epic. Which is cool. But it necessarily makes each short part feel like a summary told afterwards, rather than like we are experiencing the events of the story as they happen. Maybe that's your intention, nothing wrong with that.. But what I personally would love to see, maybe some time in the future - I don't mean you should change your whole project or anything ! - are smaller-scale but more detailed stories taking place within this setting. That'd be cool :) Though probably also a million times more work to write/animate/etc hehe... EDIT: ahh, just went back and watched part 1 again, I had forgotten that right at the start the guy does say he's telling us what happened 40 years ago...

Anyway, awesome work! It's incredibly cool to see such a thing. Looking forward to seeing where the story goes!
 
It was alright, but the better ones in this genre, IMO, are those that at least allude to previous 'creator gods' etc.... the golden age etc. Even in live action like 'Contact' this principle applies. It could be that it makes more sense once some hyperdimensional understanding is known. Cycles of destruction are implied and seem more real to us here and now, otherwise, it's just more fantasy with little to no need of reality. It's just an expansion of our current paradigm expanded out to the galaxy like "Legends of the Galactic Heroes". An example of the previous 'golden age', peoples etc, like in Contact would be "Crest/Banner of the Stars" in anime. Even Star Trek had examples of this, especially in the original series. I can't think of that anime series that had the 4 types of entities at different levels... gold, silver, man, etc... which isn't much different from the Ring series.

Maybe they'll insert this into a latter episode, as I only saw this one you posted. Did they mention anything on the worldbuild in the first episode? The outlines have to be mentioned at a minimum to give context, otherwise, it's just our own expanded out, such as the Star Wars series... no allusions to anything beyond the current norm, just better tech and expanded empires. Battlestar Galatica had this, with some Lost type twist, but no real hyperdimensionality, no 'higher beings' as overlords, etc. Once you get a taste of 'more', you want 'more' , it's only natural, no?

All of these are contained within the current paradigm essentially unless that 'outside' reference is added, which changes everything, such as in 'Contact', inferring a 'whole new world' out there, and that reaching is rather normal, like a baby whatever breaking out of its shell.
 
Cool placematt! Good world building, it evokes the sense of a wider world very nicely. I really like the vibe of Australian sci-fi, what little I've ever seen or read of it (did you ever watch the show Farscape? Also there some great short stories collected into several books, the Rynosseros series by Terry Dowling, very Australian sci-fi from the 1980s, well worth tracking down!)

With The Yamata, just wondering, do you have the whole thing planned out/written in advance? Or are you creating each part as you get up to it? It's super ambitious. Do you want criticism? If so, here's my thought: (not important though, you're not missing anything if you don't read it)

So far, it seems like the story you're telling is a huge epic. Which is cool. But it necessarily makes each short part feel like a summary told afterwards, rather than like we are experiencing the events of the story as they happen. Maybe that's your intention, nothing wrong with that.. But what I personally would love to see, maybe some time in the future - I don't mean you should change your whole project or anything ! - are smaller-scale but more detailed stories taking place within this setting. That'd be cool :) Though probably also a million times more work to write/animate/etc hehe... EDIT: ahh, just went back and watched part 1 again, I had forgotten that right at the start the guy does say he's telling us what happened 40 years ago...

Anyway, awesome work! It's incredibly cool to see such a thing. Looking forward to seeing where the story goes!

Hi mate,
thanks so much for the feedback. It is always super welcome. I have the entirety of the saga mapped out forsure. The technique of telling it as story was just a cinematic technique i chose because i didnt have the resources to create the entire story in animation but wanted to express a feeling of the world. So im moving onto writing the novel so that an audience can really move into the details and experience the story as a personal journey with the main characters. Kinda like how mcgilchrist speaks on right hemisphere to left then back to right. So the first chapter was the over arching struggle or general big picture, then chapter two we move into one of the main characters personal journey. So big picture, then moving into following the characters personal story.

I unfortunatly dont have the resources to continue this as an animation but im also really excited about unleashing my creativity in a written format to really work in my narrative layers early on and cultivating a real subtle message throughtout. So super excited to share it when its finished.

It was alright, but the better ones in this genre, IMO, are those that at least allude to previous 'creator gods' etc.... the golden age etc. Even in live action like 'Contact' this principle applies. It could be that it makes more sense once some hyperdimensional understanding is known. Cycles of destruction are implied and seem more real to us here and now, otherwise, it's just more fantasy with little to no need of reality. It's just an expansion of our current paradigm expanded out to the galaxy like "Legends of the Galactic Heroes". An example of the previous 'golden age', peoples etc, like in Contact would be "Crest/Banner of the Stars" in anime. Even Star Trek had examples of this, especially in the original series. I can't think of that anime series that had the 4 types of entities at different levels... gold, silver, man, etc... which isn't much different from the Ring series.

Maybe they'll insert this into a latter episode, as I only saw this one you posted. Did they mention anything on the worldbuild in the first episode? The outlines have to be mentioned at a minimum to give context, otherwise, it's just our own expanded out, such as the Star Wars series... no allusions to anything beyond the current norm, just better tech and expanded empires. Battlestar Galatica had this, with some Lost type twist, but no real hyperdimensionality, no 'higher beings' as overlords, etc. Once you get a taste of 'more', you want 'more' , it's only natural, no?

All of these are contained within the current paradigm essentially unless that 'outside' reference is added, which changes everything, such as in 'Contact', inferring a 'whole new world' out there, and that reaching is rather normal, like a baby whatever breaking out of its shell.

Hi mate, thanks for watching my film. In terms of a creation mythos that permeates and explains the origins of the laws, gods etc this is all going to be in the story. Its just not overt until a point within the narrative that the main character learns and is a turn for his character and the greater world buidling. Subtle hints permeate from the beginning i.e the flower of creation as their diety but its a progression. Its a really important moment for one of the main characters when the truth of the mythos is revealed to him. Its also integral to the main antagonists motivation and cunning that it is hidden. Its a big part of the story that unfolds as one of the main characters moves through his journey of faith and seeking answers. just not at the start. Thanks for your feedback mate, its always appreciated.
 
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