The Martian - "Our Greatest Adventure"

the martian mars Space sci-fi vfx Ridley Scott neil degrasse tyson

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Our third prologue short film for Ridley Scott's The Martian was produced as a mini-episode of StarTalk from the year 2035, hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson from the same year. The video gives viewers a complete overview of how an Ares mission works, with a focus on the danger and bravery of the astronauts who undertake the mission. The Nerdist calls the video "one of the best, most creative, and frankly most awesome promos for a movie ever."

When we started production on the concept, we wanted to capture the spirit and familiarity of a Cosmos production, but give everything a distinct stylization of its own. The introductory sequence features a beautiful aerial shot of Mars as we've never seen it before. We don't know where we are yet but we know it's somewhere special. From there, we introduce Tyson as he reminds viewers of humanity's longstanding fascination with Mars and offers a step-by-step breakdown of how an ARES mission works. Tyson himself was cast as a character in the world: aged slightly and played with more gravitas than usual. The “holo-room” set was a creative choice that allowed us to go on a journey with Neil that would keep the focus on the Hermes and its voyage, bringing the cosmos directly to our host in a futuristic 360° mixed reality setting.

To bring this to life, I worked with Ash Thorp, Michael Rigley, Polish company Juice.

BEAUTY SELECTS

VISUAL DEVELOPMENT

Created by Ash Thorp, Michael Rigley, and Juice

PRAISE

"One of the best, most creative, and frankly most awesome promos for a movie ever."
—The Nerdist

"One of the cooler cross-promotional moves in recent history."
—A.V. Club

"Might be described as the most realistic three-minute glimpse into the future, ever...All future makers of movies about the future, take note."
—Mashable

"Excuse me for a second. I’m wiping a tear from one of my eyes."
—The Mary Sue

CREDITS

Directed by: Chris Eyerman & Ash Thorp
Produced by: 3AM & RSA Films
Written by: Will Melton and Chris Eyerman
Editor, WildCard: Joe Bellino
Producer, RSA Films: Josh Porter
Producer, ALT Creative: Ash Thorp
Producer, ALT Creative: Monica Thorp
DP: Tony Wolberg
Post Producer, 3AM: Mike Goble
MP, 3AM: Alison Temple, Jules Daly
Assistant Editor: Steven Sinardi
Social Strategy, 3AM: David Sarkissian
Lead Designer/Animator: Michael Rigley
Storyboard Artist: Jason Badower

For full credits list please see video on Vimeo