‘Undone’ Featurette: Go Behind The Scenes Of The Mind-Bending Rotoscope Animation Process
There’s a stigma among the general public that animation is meant for family friendly content. But animation isn’t a genre, it’s a medium, and it’s a tool that can be used to tell some very mature, probing, and powerful stories. Amazon will soon set out to prove that with their latest series.
Undoneis a psychological drama followingRosa Salazar(Alita: Battle Angel) as a young, depressed woman (Rosa SalazarofAlita: Battle Angel) whose life is irreversibly and wildly changed after a car accident gives her a newfound ability to shift through time. If that sounds trippy, just wait until you watch theUndonefeaturette that shows off the impressive rotoscope animation process that brings the show to life.
Undone Featurette
For those who don’t know, rotoscope animation is created by tracing and painting over live-action footage that was shot with a real camera. This method has been used with films likeA Scanner Darkly, but withUndone, it’s being used with a variety of other tools to create a visually stunning, mind-bending experience.
The unique look of the animation can be credited toHisko Hulsing(Montage of Heck) and Amsterdam-based animation studio Submarine. The rotoscope animation specifically is being handled by the same crew that madeA Scanner Darklyby way of the Austin-based Minnow Mountain and co-producerCraig Staggs.
TheUndonefeaturette shows how performances for the series are shot in a minimalist space without fully realized set. Instead, the sets are created as digital 3D paintings that are combined with footage of the actors. This allows for seamless and easy manipulation of the environments for some of the more surreal and otherworldly sequences that might otherwise cost significantly more to create if the movie was your average live-action project.
The more I see from this series, the more I feel compelled to watch it when the series debuts on Amazon next week. Our own Jacob Hall has been over the moon for this series since seeing some of it at San Diego Comic-Con this summer. you may read his full reaction to the seriesright here.
Undonealso starsBob Odenkirk, Angelique Cabral, Constance Marie, Siddarth DhananjayandDaveed DiggswithJohn Corbett, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Nicholas Gonzalez, Sheila VandandTyler Poseyappearing as guest stars.
