Not much has happened with the script, mostly a little dialogue-tweaking to express the story a little more strongly. I've needed to lock this down for a long time. I've gotten in contact with my strongest actress prospect, Maggie Lacey and I'm finally making some forward progress here again.
Christopher Shapes Up
I've started modeling Christopher, and I'm taking a very modularized approach using simple shapes. My hope is that this will help simplify my texturing later on. Texture projections will probably be the way to go for any logos or text that has to go onto the body.
I decided to actually model all the lens in the camera because I have an extreme close-up on the eye. It did not seem to add significantly to the render time in tests, even with full refractions and ray
I've also completed a render and composite proof of concept for the probe interior.
Non-Alternate Ending
Originally, I planned to transition from Jeanne's departing shot to the credit sequence by cross-fading from the egress hatch to the bottom of the rocket. I switched to a super wide shot of the earth from orbit because the whole launch sequence felt a lot 'faster' and more energetic than I wanted. The new ending sequence sets a much more somber mood to exit on.
However, after all the work I've already put in, I still want to use the footage in some way. The camera jiggle added way too much excitement though, so I'll cut that out.
Rocket Test
This was a test of the rocket launch sequence. The textures and lighting are looking pretty good though the final gather flickers noticeably. The background and fire need to be redone, and I still haven't added in clouds or ice/dust.
