Jutter blogisode one - Start of an adventure
We've got something that we are very excited about to share with you! This is a project that we have been working on for the past year: our very first short film! "Jutter" is a short science fiction film unlike any other...
In this blog series, we will take you behind the scenes and show you the process of this project that we're extremely passionate about. In this episode of the blog, we will give you a brief overview of the project. In upcoming episodes, we will go deeper into different subjects in the making of Jutter.
Concept art of jutters ship made by Merel van Ooijen based on a 3D model by Iskander Mos.
Every Wednesday for the past year we got together to work on the project, eat junk food, have discussions about the storyline and tackle all sorts of design challenges. Chasing a lifelong dream, we are making this film for everyone, who like us, misses original science fiction adventure movies.
Four friends are on a journey to bring this world to life. Camiel Coppens, Georgi Tsobkhia, Akis Karamanlis and Iskander Mos are the core team members working on this project with the help of interns Ertan Kirtosun, Merel van Ooijen, and Mo Lie, who have created some beautiful artwork.
Iskander Mos working on a reference sculpt of “Schroot”.
The Story
Jutter is a story about an obsessive cosmic space collector and his robotic dog companion. They journey to the edge of the galaxy on a hunt for a fabled treasure. However, the mysterious planet harbors many secrets… An ancient slumbering presence awaits those who cannot resist its calling. Suffering from compulsive hoarding, the collector will have to make a colossal sacrifice, in order to escape with all that is dear to him…
Georgi Tsobekhia working on the script.
Inspiration
We have always felt that there was a lack of Dutch science fiction films that take inspiration from the Dutch culture... This is one of the reasons why the concept of this film was inspired by the Dutch tradition of “strand jutters”. Similar to beachcombers, these so-called “jutters” look for curiosities buried in the sand and often have a shack where they display their collections.
Other inspirations for the film come from artists, films and games that have inspired us since childhood: such as Samorost, Oddworld and The Dark Crystal.
Koen Dekker and Mo Lie on our field trip to a Jutter Shack in Kijkduin, the Netherlands.
Art
Jutter’s distinct visual style comes from the rare combination of physical miniature environments and digitally superimposed animated characters. By combining the handcrafted look of stop motion with the smooth movement of digital character animation, we aim to create an immersive world and endearing characters.
We’ve coined the term “junkpunk” to describe the aesthetic of Jutter. The main character is somewhat of a DIY enthusiast… Mostly everything he builds is made out of scrap material, and is a safety hazard to himself and others. The world should feel as if everything has been lived in. Compared to “steampunk” the world does not take inspiration from the elegant victorian age but from 1950’s industrial design.
Because real life jutters mostly collect materials washed up by the sea, we wanted to make the “nautic” theme central to the visual style of the film. Spacetravel is in many ways similar to sea travel and many design elements used in his spaceship come from naval technology.
In the next blogisode we will go into the development of the “proof of concept” video. Thanks for reading!