"It’s tiny, it’s shiny, it’s beautiful, it’s home, and it’s fragile."
An artistic interpretation of the TERRA-CENE - an exploration of space travel's impact on earth conservation and a shared human consciousness.
We are all astronauts on a delicate miracle hurtling through the void.
Inspired by the 'Overview Effect', the realization of Earth's utter fragility and destructibility at the moment of looking at it from the 'outside'. Inspired by the metaphysical web that unites the smallest fraction with the universal whole: everything is part of everything. By the idea of humanity uniting under one planetary collective.
Centered around the visual trope of the 'Match cut', immortalized by Stanley Kubrick's opening montage in '2001: A Space Oddyssey'. Re-interpreting the standardized trope in modern filmmaking: Weaving a multimedial thread through a multitude of correlations - graphical, contextual, directional, emotional.
Aimed at mimicking the 'overview epiphany' - the interconnectedness of all of terrestrian existence, uniting topics of planetary conservation - climate change, pollution, extinction events - with space exploration. From the micro- to the macroscopical: the formation of a single CO2 molecule to global mapping of weather patterns.
VISUAL CONCEPT
The match cut is our 'set piece' - it serves as the transition through topical or medial shifts. Which doesn't mean that EVERY cut has to be a match cut. In fact, it shouldn't, because that would force a relentless rhythm. Instead, we will often 'stay' within one theme or topic and therein employ classical cuts.
The match cuts themselves vary in their mechanism. Sometimes it is plainly graphical through composition, other times through concept, motion or colour. This provides a flexible degree of abstraction to avoid a certain dullness of effect. Ultimately, the match cut is not the star of the film, it is rather the conceptual vehicle. The star is our message and - logically - the connection between audio commentary and visual imagery. Thus, the priority is always on finding striking imagery that combines simbiotically with our audio narration, rather than gearing towards the 'best' match cut.
For example, when connecting individual human action with planetary consequences, we would cut through a variety of shots of human actions before arriving at the one shot that will graphically match with the next shot of a planetary consequence - whatever that may be. (Could be a shot of molten steel flowing in an industrial steel furnace matching with overlayed graphic animations of the globally flowing CO2 patterns. Or, a symmetrically center-composed shot of a packed avenue full of cars and highrises forming canyon walls on both sides, invertedly matching with a shot of one centered treetrunk, surrounded by eroded desert wasteland.)
.
Since the match cut is such a strong visual and conceptual connector, it creates room for a great variety of media to be connected by it. We will explore everything from classic live action video to 2D and 3D animations, minimal graphics, drawings, functional graphical data visualisation and still images. Considering our framework, this will be necessary, as most of the material will have to be sourced externally and then be manipulated and curated by us to form a coherent whole.
This may sound challenging, but actually, it is what makes this project so exciting to us. Initial research into available sources has yielded very encouraging results. The open source archives of space agencies like NASA, royalty free archives and databases will be combined with our own resources and our know-how in 2D and 3D animation that enables us to bring motionless imagery to life and recreate some material that we might not have access to.
NARRATIVE STRUCTURE
Visually, the film begins with a round trip through the scale of creation. We start at the human level, stepping back a little further with each shot, until we arrive at the planetary level, looking at Earth from space. This is put into context by an interview quote from one of our astronauts describing how, moving away from the planet, one actually comes closer to it than ever before. These interview quotes, ideally sourced from our interviews with Karman members but alternatively scripted and recorded, should feel like natural excerpts of authentic conversations. This counteracts the stylised nature of the visual plane and enhances it with a sense of authenticity and relatability.
From there we move further 'away', with our next quote commenting on an epiphany moment (the overview effect) another interviewee describes the sudden realization of the interconnectedness of all life, the disappeareance of what we consider to be boundaries - borders, ethnicities, beliefs - and a renewed holistic perspective on all of existence. The images explore our solar system, galaxies, the universe.
And here, at the moment of visually arriving at the metaphysicality of infinite space, the visuals seamlessly transcend into the subatomic and from there move further along into the molecular, the cellular, on into primitive life forms, amoeba, then insectoids, plants, and finally into mammals and from there we arrive back at the human scale. Towards the end of this 'round trip', our commentary shifts into a logical consequence of this renewed conscience: how utterly miraculous and fragile this system is, and how little we truly understand about its fundamental dynamics.
Visually, this part of the film is focused on a coherent succession of scale, creating a kind of seamless transition through boundaries of human cognition.
.
The second half of our film is centred around the message of conservation. It explores how space can reshape our perspective and inform or assist the efforts of planetary conservation. To offer new insights on and encourage exits from our wasteful and unreflected use of Earth's resources.
Commentary here ranges FROM concrete examples of existent or planned space enterprises centred around conservation (OCO-3, GPS-based tracking of endangered species, global heat maps, early disaster detection, etc.) TO the vast potentials that await beyond current restrictions of national conflicts and economic shortsightedness.
In this half, the visual is free to jump through the ranges of scales, adjusting to the specific content of the audio commentary. A specific comment on carbon could prompt a visual connection of molecular carbon formation TO global carbon patterns mapped by OCO-3 TO carbon emitting structures like factories, meat farming, etc. TO the consequences on terrestrial life such as droughts, heat waves, etc.
This part, rather than the first part which is focused on a coherent succession of scale, is focused on direct connections across vast differences of scale and concept, creating the kind of perspective shift and overview capability that is enabled by spaceflight and modern science.
THE ARTIST
Simon Reichel is part of the A Common Future collective, founded by himself and London-based director of photography Tom Elliott. Working in a wide range of modern culture, sports, music, fashion, they have collaborated with clients and talent such as Reebok and NFL football icon JJ Watt, Google, Audemars Piguet, ASICS, german rap sensation RIN and created their own documentarian projects such as the winter sports documentary 'Contraddiction' that has toured cinemas internationally and was awarded 'Best of the Month' on Vimeo.
Simon has edited most of ACF's work and was awarded the Gold Medal award for Editing at Ciclope festival for the musical documentary 'Band of Five' for Converse. He has experimented widely with media and integrated video effects, expanding his knowledge into After Effects and 3D editing platform Cinema 4D, equipping perfectly for the crossmedial task at hand.
His experimental and artistic work has been exhibited at the GRAF.ZYX's Tank.203 gallery in Vienna (work: Porc de la Discoteque, see below) and Munich based 'First Page' gallery.
THANK YOU!
Thanks for your time! For any questions please don't hesitate to get in touch
"It’s tiny, it’s shiny, it’s beautiful, it’s home, and it’s fragile."
An artistic interpretation of the TERRA-CENE - an exploration of space travel's impact on earth conservation and a shared human consciousness.
We are all astronauts on a delicate miracle hurtling through the void.
Inspired by the 'Overview Effect', the realization of Earth's utter fragility and destructibility at the moment of looking at it from the 'outside'. Inspired by the metaphysical web that unites the smallest fraction with the universal whole: everything is part of everything. By the idea of humanity uniting under one planetary collective.
Centered around the visual trope of the 'Match cut', immortalized by Stanley Kubrick's opening montage in '2001: A Space Oddyssey'. Re-interpreting the standardized trope in modern filmmaking: Weaving a multimedial thread through a multitude of correlations - graphical, contextual, directional, emotional.
Aimed at mimicking the 'overview epiphany' - the interconnectedness of all of terrestrian existence, uniting topics of planetary conservation - climate change, pollution, extinction events - with space exploration. From the micro- to the macroscopical: the formation of a single CO2 molecule to global mapping of weather patterns.
VISUAL CONCEPT
The match cut is our 'set piece' - it serves as the transition through topical or medial shifts. Which doesn't mean that EVERY cut has to be a match cut. In fact, it shouldn't, because that would force a relentless rhythm. Instead, we will often 'stay' within one theme or topic and therein employ classical cuts.
The match cuts themselves vary in their mechanism. Sometimes it is plainly graphical through composition, other times through concept, motion or colour. This provides a flexible degree of abstraction to avoid a certain dullness of effect. Ultimately, the match cut is not the star of the film, it is rather the conceptual vehicle. The star is our message and - logically - the connection between audio commentary and visual imagery. Thus, the priority is always on finding striking imagery that combines simbiotically with our audio narration, rather than gearing towards the 'best' match cut.
For example, when connecting individual human action with planetary consequences, we would cut through a variety of shots of human actions before arriving at the one shot that will graphically match with the next shot of a planetary consequence - whatever that may be. (Could be a shot of molten steel flowing in an industrial steel furnace matching with overlayed graphic animations of the globally flowing CO2 patterns. Or, a symmetrically center-composed shot of a packed avenue full of cars and highrises forming canyon walls on both sides, invertedly matching with a shot of one centered treetrunk, surrounded by eroded desert wasteland.)
.
Since the match cut is such a strong visual and conceptual connector, it creates room for a great variety of media to be connected by it. We will explore everything from classic live action video to 2D and 3D animations, minimal graphics, drawings, functional graphical data visualisation and still images. Considering our framework, this will be necessary, as most of the material will have to be sourced externally and then be manipulated and curated by us to form a coherent whole.
This may sound challenging, but actually, it is what makes this project so exciting to us. Initial research into available sources has yielded very encouraging results. The open source archives of space agencies like NASA, royalty free archives and databases will be combined with our own resources and our know-how in 2D and 3D animation that enables us to bring motionless imagery to life and recreate some material that we might not have access to.
NARRATIVE STRUCTURE
Visually, the film begins with a round trip through the scale of creation. We start at the human level, stepping back a little further with each shot, until we arrive at the planetary level, looking at Earth from space. This is put into context by an interview quote from one of our astronauts describing how, moving away from the planet, one actually comes closer to it than ever before. These interview quotes, ideally sourced from our interviews with Karman members but alternatively scripted and recorded, should feel like natural excerpts of authentic conversations. This counteracts the stylised nature of the visual plane and enhances it with a sense of authenticity and relatability.
From there we move further 'away', with our next quote commenting on an epiphany moment (the overview effect) another interviewee describes the sudden realization of the interconnectedness of all life, the disappeareance of what we consider to be boundaries - borders, ethnicities, beliefs - and a renewed holistic perspective on all of existence. The images explore our solar system, galaxies, the universe.
And here, at the moment of visually arriving at the metaphysicality of infinite space, the visuals seamlessly transcend into the subatomic and from there move further along into the molecular, the cellular, on into primitive life forms, amoeba, then insectoids, plants, and finally into mammals and from there we arrive back at the human scale. Towards the end of this 'round trip', our commentary shifts into a logical consequence of this renewed conscience: how utterly miraculous and fragile this system is, and how little we truly understand about its fundamental dynamics.
Visually, this part of the film is focused on a coherent succession of scale, creating a kind of seamless transition through boundaries of human cognition.
.
The second half of our film is centred around the message of conservation. It explores how space can reshape our perspective and inform or assist the efforts of planetary conservation. To offer new insights on and encourage exits from our wasteful and unreflected use of Earth's resources.
Commentary here ranges FROM concrete examples of existent or planned space enterprises centred around conservation (OCO-3, GPS-based tracking of endangered species, global heat maps, early disaster detection, etc.) TO the vast potentials that await beyond current restrictions of national conflicts and economic shortsightedness.
In this half, the visual is free to jump through the ranges of scales, adjusting to the specific content of the audio commentary. A specific comment on carbon could prompt a visual connection of molecular carbon formation TO global carbon patterns mapped by OCO-3 TO carbon emitting structures like factories, meat farming, etc. TO the consequences on terrestrial life such as droughts, heat waves, etc.
This part, rather than the first part which is focused on a coherent succession of scale, is focused on direct connections across vast differences of scale and concept, creating the kind of perspective shift and overview capability that is enabled by spaceflight and modern science.
THE ARTIST
Simon Reichel is part of the A Common Future collective, founded by himself and London-based director of photography Tom Elliott. Working in a wide range of modern culture, sports, music, fashion, they have collaborated with clients and talent such as Reebok and NFL football icon JJ Watt, Google, Audemars Piguet, ASICS, german rap sensation RIN and created their own documentarian projects such as the winter sports documentary 'Contraddiction' that has toured cinemas internationally and was awarded 'Best of the Month' on Vimeo.
Simon has edited most of ACF's work and was awarded the Gold Medal award for Editing at Ciclope festival for the musical documentary 'Band of Five' for Converse. He has experimented widely with media and integrated video effects, expanding his knowledge into After Effects and 3D editing platform Cinema 4D, equipping perfectly for the crossmedial task at hand.
His experimental and artistic work has been exhibited at the GRAF.ZYX's Tank.203 gallery in Vienna (work: Porc de la Discoteque, see below) and Munich based 'First Page' gallery.
THANK YOU!
Thanks for your time! For any questions please don't hesitate to get in touch