Exploring the early stages of the film: story development, characters, visual direction, layout, and the first steps that shape the project before production begins. https://www.trojan-unicorn.com/village/spaces/129-taos-movie/stories/s/813-pipeline Tue, 28 Jul 2026 14:55:22 +0100 Traditional filmmaking usually happens behind closed doors, but TAOS (The Alchemy of a Storm) is breaking the mold. As an open production, this community driven film invites 3D artists and animators worldwide to observe, learn, and actively participate in the visual effects pipeline. In this exclusive interview, Gabriel Soto sits down with Creative ProducerRebekah Hartwig(Make) and Lead Animator Christina Sidoti (Goodbye Kansas) to dive into the upcoming motion capture phase for TAOS. They discuss the unique challenges and rewards of building an open production, where transparency and global collaboration drive the creative process. What you will learn in this video: • The Open Production Model: How community collaboration is changing the secretive nature of traditional VFX and 3D animation projects. • Mastering Previs: A deep dive into previsualization, the crucial planning stage where the story and 3D environments are defined before motion capture begins. • Global VFX Collaboration: Strategies for navigating different time zones and managing a worldwide team of diverse digital artists. • Partnering with Goodbye Kansas: Bringing world class visual effects, cinematics, and mocap expertise to an independent film project. • Embracing Mistakes: Why taking creative risks and allowing for organic evolution is the best way to develop an animated story. About the Speakers: Christina Sidoti: Lead Animator at Goodbye Kansas Studios, with experience on major titles like Destiny 2, Control 2, and The Walking Dead. Rebekah Hartwig: Creative Producer for TAOS, based at Make in Minneapolis. Tue, 28 Jul 2026 14:55:22 +0100 https://www.trojan-unicorn.com/village/spaces/129-taos-movie/stories/s/813-pipeline/articles/2515-inside-taos-open-production-mocap-and-previs-with-goodbye-kansas https://www.trojan-unicorn.com/village/spaces/129-taos-movie/stories/s/813-pipeline/articles/2515-inside-taos-open-production-mocap-and-previs-with-goodbye-kansas "Power doesn’t always start with a fist. Sometimes it starts with a promise." Director Delcio Gomes introduces the complex antagonist of The Alchemy of a Storm: The Demon Pope. He is not a simple tyrant, but a visionary lost in his own masterpiece—a man who wears a mask because he can no longer bear to look at his own reflection. By gamifying reality and giving people the "software" to edit their own lives, he has made society grateful for the chains he created. To the Demon Pope, creativity is a threat to be flattened, and human struggle is merely a reality show for his own amusement. Tue, 28 Jul 2026 14:54:36 +0100 https://www.trojan-unicorn.com/village/spaces/129-taos-movie/stories/s/813-pipeline/articles/2510-the-false-god-designing-the-villain-of-alchemy-of-a-storm https://www.trojan-unicorn.com/village/spaces/129-taos-movie/stories/s/813-pipeline/articles/2510-the-false-god-designing-the-villain-of-alchemy-of-a-storm In a world where every creative thought is inhibited by an algorithm, she is a glitch." Director Delcio introduces Lavina, the resilient heart of Alchemy of a Storm. Named after the Bulgarian word for "avalanche," Lavina is a warning to the tech tyrants of her world. She is the last survivor of her clan and a hero defined not by perfection, but by her refusal to quit. Tue, 28 Jul 2026 14:53:57 +0100 https://www.trojan-unicorn.com/village/spaces/129-taos-movie/stories/s/813-pipeline/articles/2497-the-glitch-in-the-algorithm-meet-lavina https://www.trojan-unicorn.com/village/spaces/129-taos-movie/stories/s/813-pipeline/articles/2497-the-glitch-in-the-algorithm-meet-lavina In this world, being a criminal isn't a choice. It’s a glitch. Director Delcio Gomez breaks down the terrifyingly familiar cyberpunk landscape of 2026. This isn't a retro-neon dream; it is a world where corporations like Aura didn't take over with weapons, but with "likes" and "subscriptions". In the world of Alchemy of a Storm, reality has been gamified into a system called Glow, where inequality is measured by your visibility. If the algorithm ignores you, you are rendered as a blur, you cease to exist to society. Tue, 28 Jul 2026 14:53:19 +0100 https://www.trojan-unicorn.com/village/spaces/129-taos-movie/stories/s/813-pipeline/articles/2498-the-algorithm-is-watching-world-building-alchemy-of-a-storm https://www.trojan-unicorn.com/village/spaces/129-taos-movie/stories/s/813-pipeline/articles/2498-the-algorithm-is-watching-world-building-alchemy-of-a-storm "When you stop creating, the magic dies." Director Delcio Gomes introduces Uni, the literal soul of creativity in The Alchemy of a Storm. Once a massive force of nature that birthed the storm itself, Uni has been diminished by a world that traded its soul for the "Glow" algorithm. Now, to survive a reality that has no place for magic, Uni must exist inside a mechanical shell—a drone that serves as both his life support and his cage. Tue, 28 Jul 2026 14:49:53 +0100 https://www.trojan-unicorn.com/village/spaces/129-taos-movie/stories/s/813-pipeline/articles/2509-uni-the-drone-designing-magic-in-digital-world https://www.trojan-unicorn.com/village/spaces/129-taos-movie/stories/s/813-pipeline/articles/2509-uni-the-drone-designing-magic-in-digital-world "This isn't just a story about a hero and a villain. It’s a war of aesthetics." Director Delcio Gomez reveals the core visual engine of The Alchemy of a Storm: the collision between the sleek, minimalist perfection of the Aura Corporation and the greasy, rusted reality of Lavina’s world. The Aesthetic Divide: • Aura & The Demon Pope: A world built on "cold, perfect efficiencies." Think glass, chrome, and a trillion-dollar minimalist aesthetic where every "mess" has been scrubbed away to maintain total control. • Lavina’s World: A nightmare of "steel and rot" hidden in the shadows of corporate monoliths. This is a world held together by duct tape and spite, where technology is a "scarred industrial tool of survival" rather than a sleek gadget. Tue, 28 Jul 2026 14:49:26 +0100 https://www.trojan-unicorn.com/village/spaces/129-taos-movie/stories/s/813-pipeline/articles/2499-the-war-of-aesthetics-high-tech-vs-high-grit https://www.trojan-unicorn.com/village/spaces/129-taos-movie/stories/s/813-pipeline/articles/2499-the-war-of-aesthetics-high-tech-vs-high-grit