Cloud Catchers!

Lucas Martell is an indie filmmaker and like, the MacGyver of CG. Where others literally spend Millions on CG animated productions, he's the guy that get's that same quality of animation done within a minute fraction of those interstellar big budgets. You might have seen his animated short 'Pigeon Impossible' around the block, as it was a hit on the internet. Now, with Michael Cawood (director of the award winning independent short 'Devils, Angels & Dating' ) and their team of stealthy CG ninja's, they're back at it with another CG short that will definitely make a huge impact soon: 'Cloud Catchers'!

Above: Lucas Martell and a shot from 'Pigeon Impossible'. There's not much so see yet of 'Cloud Catchers', but I hear they've been working really hard at it so far. As with 'P.I.', Lucas has already put two podcasts up on Youtube to share his bewildering approach on tackling the creative jungle, while Cawood just recently updated his demo reel showcasing some early clips of their new short. You should definately check out if you want to catch an early glimpse.

Above: work in progress. A few early animated shots of 'Cloud Catchers'. About the project, Lucas says 'The story takes place in a time when all of the Earth' s oceans have dried up. and it's about one courageous pilot fighting against vicious sky pirates for control of the last remaining source of water, the clouds'. In the mean time, a kickstarter project was set up to collect some much needed funding for the project. So if you feel like pitching in on this little gem and you want to make a donation, make sure to contact Lucas.

Beside Cawood and Martell, the creative team on 'Cloud Cathers' also includes Tad Catalano, Tray Duncan ('I am Legend' and 'Zathura'), animator Henning Koczy and modeler Ryan Saper among others.

'Pigeon Impossible' 

Martell's previous short 'Pigeon Impossible' has been shown at over 250 festivals in 43 countries, and won more than 20 awards including 'Best Short' at the Oscar-qualifying Montreal World Film Festival, and 'Best in Show' at ArtFutura in Spain. If you haven't seen it yet, you should definitely check it out below. 'Cause there's some pretty awesome stuff on the net, and then there's the really amazing stuff, the little gems that make the world shine brighter. This one sits atop of that!