9 director Shane Acker is set to helm the animated undersea adventure Deep for Ireland’s Brown Bag Films. The film will be set in a post-apocalyptic Earth with Acker, Ireland’s Brown Bag Films, producer Gregory R. Little and author J. Barton Mitchell all on board as producers. According to Darragh O’Connell, co-founder of Brown Bag Films, Deep will be shot using “new technologies that result in high-quality production value at a fraction of the time and cost.”
Brown Bag Films reports these new technologies stem from their collaboration with video game developers Valve. “The tools enable flexible cinematography and editing, a simplified character animation process and economical lighting, sound and visual effects. Render time is cut to nearly nil, enabling rapid revisions to animation, which brings dramatic savings in time and money over traditional production,” according to the company’s press release.
“Since the success of 9, I’ve been approached with several science fiction-fantasy projects but so many lack substance beneath the slick special effects,” said Acker. “Deep offers real sci-fi credentials but the story is rooted in the complex motivations of the characters making tough choices between right and wrong. I’m excited to be part of a team that is redefining what storytelling in general, and animation in particular, can be.”
“The collaboration with Valve has been a wonderful experience for all of us,” said Little. “The opportunity to produce it in this groundbreaking way gives us great creative freedom and allows us to leverage new distribution channels and platforms.”
The Plot:
With the feel of an underwater Western, Deep is set in a not-too-distant future when what’s left of humanity has moved undersea to stay alive. The story revolves around the crew of the nuclear submarine Norwood as they race to uncover the secrets behind the Wayfarers, a mysterious splinter group with the potential to wipe out humanity altogether.
Source: Brown Bag Films
