![]() ![]() So the Sentries, for example, are quite sorry figures. “If you compare it to the Roman Empire, the Earth is like Caledonia – it’s the last place any of them want to be. “The Robot Empire is stretched across the galaxy,” explained Stay. Design concepts for the mechanical marauders developed naturally alongside the story. Key to the success of Robot Overlords was the convincing creation of the alien machines that have descended from outer space to occupy planet Earth. “Also that, if the unthinkable happened and we dropped the ball, there would be somewhere else to go to get the work done. “ Robot Overlords was a regular production with a bond company and other financiers, so it had to be seen not only that our bid was value for money, but also that our costs weren’t unrealistically low,” Eason pointed out. Nevertheless, they were still required to bid for the work. Nvizible’s association with Robot Overlords developed further when the company became a production partner on the project. So it was delightful to be invited to give that kind of feedback.” In fact, on many shows, to put forward story ideas would be viewed as a breach of etiquette. As a visual effects person, that’s not normally part of your remit. “But I also put some story ideas out to Jon and Mark. “I had some suggestions from my own visual effects point of view,” Eason remarked. Nvizible’s VFX breakdown for a key sequence in “Robot Overlords”Īs part of the Tiny Think Tank, Paddy Eason was able to offer a level of opinion and criticism not commonly afforded people in the visual effects profession. Our script accelerated in terms of quality much more quickly than it would have done had we been writing it in isolation.” The Tiny Think Tank is our low-budget UK version of that, and I think it’s one of the reasons Robot Overlords got made. ![]() They have their team of creatives – who are also shareholders – who come together and critique each other’s films. ![]() We come together, read a script completely cold, then have a round-table discussion. “There aren’t any producers or financiers involved – it’s purely creatives. “It’s a gang of writers, actors, directors, visual effects people,” Wright explained. The Tiny Think Tank is an initiative conceived by Wright as a means by which a group of filmmakers can gather together periodically, in order to review scripts in development. “The first thing I received was the treatment, and the next throw of the dice for me was getting invited to be part of a group that critiqued the script – Jon calls it the ‘Tiny Think Tank’.” “I knew Jon because we did the effects for his first two films – Tormented, and an Irish monster movie called Grabbers.” Eason commented. VFX supervisor Paddy Eason was also consulted at this early stage. The BFI put us under their wing, and before we knew it we had some development money.” “Our elevator pitch was, ‘It’s like The Goonies, but with robots blowing stuff up!’ We took Jon’s treatment to Piers Tempest – one of the producers from Jon’s previous film, Grabbers. “It came together very quickly, especially for a British film,” Stay continued. “But those films were always set in American suburbia – we wondered why nobody had ever set a film like that in the UK.” “Jon and I are both big fans of those 1980s Amblin movies like E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial and The Goonies,” said Stay. Watch a wide selection of Nvizible’s VFX shots in the official video for Robots Never Lie, written by Matt Zo for the Robot Overlords end creditsĪfter expanding the dream concept into a two-page treatment, Wright began developing a script with co-writer Mark Stay. The film’s complex tracking requirements were fulfilled by Peanut FX, with additional compositing support being provided by Boundary VFX, under the supervision of Nick Lambert. Who will prevail? Man or machine?ĭirected by Jon Wright, Robot Overlords features some 265 visual effects shots delivered by Soho-based Nvizible, supervised by the company’s founder and co-owner, Paddy Eason. Hot on their heels, however is their old teacher – now treacherous robot collaborator – Robin Smythe (Ben Kingsley) and his captive Kate (Gillian Anderson). Just by stepping outside, you risk being vaporised by a hulking Sentry, or picked off by a lethal Sniper.Īmid the ruins of civilisation, Sean Flynn (Callan McAuliffe) leads his group of young friends on a quest to join the resistance forces that are standing against the robot invaders. In the low-budget British sci-fi adventure, Robot Overlords, alien automatons rule the streets and ordinary citizens are locked under curfew in their homes. ![]()
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