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| The Works | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Lance Williams |
| Written by | Lance Williams |
| Produced by | Dr. Alexander Schure |
| Cinematography | Dick Lundin |
| Edited by | Ed Catmull, Jim & Christine St. Lawrence |
| Music by | Christie Barton |
| Production company | Computer Graphics Lab |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Works is a shelved animated feature film, partially produced from 1979 to 1986. If it had been finished, it would have been the first film that was entirely 3D computer-animated. It included contributions from individuals who would go on to work at digital animation pioneers Pixar and DreamWorks Animation.
The film was developed by the staff of the Computer Graphics Lab in association with the New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury, New York. The name was inspired by the original meaning of the word "robot", derived from "robota" ("work"), a word found in many Slavic languages. It was originally intended to be approximately 90 minutes long although less than 10 minutes are known to have been produced. A trailer for the film was screened at SIGGRAPH in 1982. The project also resulted in other early computer animations such as 3DV, Sunstone, Inside a Quark and segments of the short film The Magic Egg from 1984.
Plot
The story, written by Lance Williams, was never finalized. It would have centered around "Ipso Facto", an elliptical robot, and a young female pilot nicknamed "T-Square". The story would have been set some time in the distant future after a malfunctioning computer, "The Works", triggered a devastating last World War but then, realizing what it had done, set out to repopulate the planet entirely with robots. T-Square, who works and lives in a nearby asteroid belt, vows to journey to Earth and fight to make it safe to return to for her fellow space-faring humans.
Pre-production
The founder of NYIT, entrepreneur and academic Dr. Alexander Schure, had a long and ardent interest in animation. He was a great admirer of Walt Disney and was reported to have dreamed of making animated features. He had already created a traditional animation facility at NYIT. After visiting the University of Utah and seeing the potential of computer technology in the form of the drawing program Sketchpad created by Ivan Sutherland, he told his people to pore over the Utah research center and "get him one of everything they had". He then established the NYIT Computer Graphics Lab, buying state-of-the-art equipment and hiring major researchers from throughout the computer graphics field.
At first, one of CGL's main goals was to use computers to produce 2D animation and invent tools to assist traditional animators in their work. Schure reasoned that it should be possible to develop technology that would make the animation process cheaper and faster. An early version of the CAPS system later used by Disney animators was among the tools created.
Upon recognizing its potential, the Lab's focus shifted to 3D computer graphics, and when Lance Williams presented his story, "The Works", the idea was to attempt to make it as a 3D computer-animated feature. This project became the center of attention at NYIT CGL.
Aside from personal and professional motivation, the practical reason behind the project was to continue to develop patentable tools while demonstrating what computer animation could accomplish for the entertainment industry. The arrival of "The Works" would have been the beginning of a new animation genre. Interested representatives from movie studios and television networks regularly toured the lab as did musicians Laurie Anderson and Peter Gabriel, puppeteer Jim Henson and animation legends Chuck Jones and Shamus Culhane.
Many staff members contributed designs and modeled characters and sets under the coordination of art director Bil Maher who created blueprint-style designs for T-Square and many of the 25 robots called for by the script. Dick Lundin, known for exhaustive and elaborate creations, designed and animated a mining ship and the gigantic robot "Ant".
Going into the project Schure had been aware of the challenges and potential for success and consistently provided extensive resources to aid the research and development of the necessary technologies. He believed his staff would work best if they were constantly being supplied with the latest computer hardware. However, this meant that his staff would regularly have to upgrade their systems, convert existing programs, and rework familiar tools for use on new machines, delaying production significantly.
Production difficulties
While progress on The Works did manage to significantly advance the field of computer animation, the film itself was in development hell for nearly a decade and eventually abandoned for several reasons. The staff was composed almost entirely of technical experts, such as engineers and programmers, with directors and editors considered unnecessary. When NYIT, with Schure as a director, produced a 2D feature known as Tubby the Tuba, the film did poorly and lessened their confidence in their ability to produce a film that would succeed critically or financially. The lukewarm reception of Disney's Tron, which used computer graphics heavily, added to the group's doubts.
By the time The Works was in production, the field of computer graphics had become competitive. George Lucas also recognized the potential of computer animation, and in 1979, created a new department of Lucasfilm which had the same goals as CGL, but ensured that movie industry professionals had a hand in the production. As Lucasfilm began headhunting for the best talent in the industry, many individuals struggling on The Works felt that Lucasfilm was a company more likely to succeed and abandoned NYIT. Cornell University was another competitor, and NYIT lost some of its staff to the institution.
The computer systems themselves also became a major problem. While the most powerful hardware at the time, they were too slow and underpowered to generate the number of images required for a theatrical film. Attempting to pick up the pace, the NYIT Computer Graphics Lab kept hiring, having more than 60 employees at its peak. As a way to generate funds, a portion of the team did work-for-hire for advertisers. This, however, meant having to balance production on a feature film, the tools needed and client work. Researcher Ned Greene analyzed all the elements needed to finish the film with devastating results: with the technology available, it would take seven years to output the rendered frames needed.
Once it had been shown that the film could not be realized on available hardware, The Works was officially abandoned. A less ambitious project, 3DV, was attempted. In a bid to circumvent the filmmaking bottleneck, 3DV was intended to be a TV special with a script that would include footage originally intended for The Works repurposed as programming for an imaginary all-computer generated cable TV service. 3DV incorporated some of its own innovations like 3D lip-synching and compositing a CG character into a live-action scene but, other than a promotional edit which was shown at SIGGRAPH, this too was abandoned.
Legacy
While never finished or released, a significant number of people involved went on to become pioneers in the field of computer graphics. Not only are some techniques developed as part of The Works' production now in common use in 3D modeling and animation programs and in editors like After Effects, Photoshop, and Flash, but staff also moved to other studios and continued their work there. For instance, Edwin Catmull and other CGL team members were hired by Pixar and helped create Toy Story, the first computer-animated feature film, released in 1995.
References
- Out of this World Archived September 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
