Highlighting species extinction, the short film is supported by Greenpeace, Outernet and Arts Council England and is set to debut on the giant immersive screens at Outernet London on 11 January.
Directed by Roland Lane, produced by Cinesite and supported by Greenpeace and Arts Council England, FORSAKEN is set to play on Outernet London’s immense floor to ceiling wrap around screens to highlight the mass extinction of life on earth.
Scientists have stated we are entering Earth’s 6th mass extinction event, with up to a million species at risk of being lost. This work takes inspiration from the remarkable Immortal Jellyfish, which is able to regenerate and begin its life cycle over again, and uses it to celebrate the beauty found in the natural world. However, a sombre warning lies within, as the increasing destruction of life on our planet can not be ignored.
FORSAKEN celebrates the beauty of the natural world whilst also emphasising its fragility, delivering an important message: there is hope, not all is lost, life can recover…but we must act now. It premieres on the 11 January at Outernet London, Europe’s largest digital exhibition space, runs from 11 January at 11am, 6pm and 9pm and will be completely free for the public to visit. Greenpeace ambassadors will be on site from 13-14 January and 6-7 February to inspire visitors to take action to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030 and to support a deep sea mining ban.
The short was conceived and directed by award-winning director Roland Lane and animated by Cinesite. Under the direction of Roland, Andrew McNamara supervised the Cinesite crew with creative support from Head of Assets and Visual Development Madeleine Scott-Spencer. The team worked closely with Roland to develop the overall design and CG build of the different stages of the life-cycle of the immortal Jellyfish, crafting each stage of the narrative as well as blocking out general timings and movement to utilise the unique space effectively. The sequence was realised using Cinesite’s standard VFX and Animation workflow, rendering up to 8k per wall and resolving back to a 360 degree video at 50 frame per second which was then remapped onto each LED video wall to give a full immersive experience.
The end result is an impactful film presented in 8k, on 360-degree floor-to-ceiling screens at Outernet London, set to a sound design by Gareth Fry and accompanied by motion graphics featuring official statistics from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services designed by Jonny Stopford relating to species extinction caused by Climate Change.
It’s true, a picture says a thousand words. It’s great to see Cinesite’s recently established immersive division bringing FORSAKEN to life for Roland with the support of Greenpeace. We’re really proud of the message behind the animation and the quality of the visuals our artists have delivered for Outernet London. With the immersive entertainment industry growing rapidly Cinesite is expertly positioned to work with creative IP owners and brands to elevate the impact of their imagined worlds.
Joce Capper, General Manager at Cinesite London
Working with Cinesite to bring this idea to life has been a collaboration, in the truest sense of the word, and being able to utilise the world-class talent, creativity and expertise they have within their team has been a professional highlight for myself. We worked closely together to apply the industry-leading CG and VFX capabilities they are renowned for to this most innovative of productions, crafting something ambitious for the immersive, one-of-a-kind Outernet venue, as we sought to combine visual art with pioneering tech. I’m delighted that we have been able to do the message behind the work justice, and use it to amplify the important work Greenpeace is doing in this area.
Roland Lane, Director of FORSAKEN
The oceans support all life on Earth but less than 1% of the global oceans are properly protected. Destructive industries, like deep sea mining or industrial fishing, are jeopardising the future health of the oceans, which we all rely on. Art is a powerful and universal way to touch people. With FORSAKEN, we have a unique opportunity to reach a vast range of people to showcase the beauty of oceans and their fragility, and inspire people to work with us to protect the oceans before it’s too late and more species are lost forever.
Fiona Nicholls, Interim Head of Oceans at Greenpeace UK
We’re privileged at Outernet London to provide a platform to showcase works like FORSAKEN, so they may reach our audience of over 1.5 million visitors a month with such an important message. Outernet’s mission is to create experiences worth sharing across the spectrum of media and entertainment and thanks to our industry leading partners on this project Cinesite, Greenpeace and artist Roland Lane we’re confident of the impact this film will have in our space.
Alexandra Payne, Head of Creative at Outernet
Cinesite is in discussions with other creative IP owners and brands to elevate the impact of their imagined worlds. Projects will span virtual, physical and mixed realities, location-based entertainment and theme park rides and attractions.
