Check this OUT. Holy moly, this is amazing.
This is a short film which my old Pixar colleague/roommate/absolute freakin' genius friend Nathan Matsuda directed while at Northwestern University. Yes... this is a STUDENT FILM. The production quality is so far beyond anything you could ever imagine - it is INCREDIBLY hard to believe that this short was not made by industry professionals with decades of experience. :) Well, you better believe it! Nathan and his filmmaking crew put this unbelievable short together, Nathan directed and wrote the story, as well as leading the 3D work as the Visual Effects supervisor and animator/modeler/compositor... man! Nathan is a man of incredible talent, his work on Pixar's Wall-E is visibile in a huge amount of shots. His technical and 3D art skills are not only world-class, but his passion and clear talent for Directing is something that I surely hope come across the desk of Michael Bay one day.
In terms of the work itself, the "reveal" of the monster is great. I love the character design, and the spider-like shape is nice and creepy. The metal texturing is just perfect, and the smooth and seamless blending of the 3D animated character into the scene attest to the clear fact that Nathan's computer graphics and 3D art skills are actually THAT GOOD. :) The smoke, and explosions alternating (possibly?!) between practical effects and 3D are also so well integrated that it's pretty darn impossible to tell what is real and what was added in post. The monster kicking the oil drum into the door is probably one of my favourite parts. The monster falling onto the floor shows some great character animation skills, and I love the falling/kneeling/collapsing motion that it goes through.
The 3D isn't the only thing to watch, though. The storyline has some excellent suspense and action (which Nathan is especially good at - if you've seen his "zombie short" called Dead Silence, you'll know what I mean). The lighting and music are really well-chosen, and the shot layouts are just totally solid too. There is so much clear planning and execution here that totally comes through in the quality of the final product. Be sure to check out the "Making of" movies on Vimeo as well.
Keep your eye on Nathan's work... Hangar No. 5 is an amazing feat, and it is truly amazing how insanely professional this work is. :)
See the video here, or click on the embedded video below. http://www.vimeo.com/1118299
Hangar No. 5 from Nathan Matsuda on Vimeo.
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