A 3D journey into outer space

A still from ‘3D Space Safari’
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

At the special screening of the 3D movie 3D Space Safari , middle schoolers from SBOA School, Kochi, leap up as a meteorite ‘showers’ bright pieces on us and reach out to touch Chandrayaan 3 as it ‘flies’ overhead…there are several such occasions when the kids, unable to contain their excitement, jump out of their seats.

It is not just about the special effects, the film is informative and captivating even for someone with a passing interest in the planets, solar system and the Milky Way. Especially interesting is how the film gives perspective on how big a planet would appear from the earth if it were in place of the moon. 3D Space Safari is well-researched and slickly made.  

The man behind it is Kochi-based animator and VFX artist AK Saiber. It is the result of 10-odd years of teaching himself 3D technology, “Around 10 years back the resources for learning were not this easily accessible. I had to download PDFs of books from the Net. Even the hardware was not available. I rigged cameras and experimented with the technology before I figured out how to make a 3D film. I practised and ‘developed’ tech that would work for me. Since I was teaching myself it took this much time.” 

A scene from the film
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

He scripted and directed the movie after speaking to experts, reading and researching. “Astronomy is a constantly evolving subject. You need to keep track of it on a daily basis. Besides the numbers — distance, gravity, number of moons — have to be checked constantly. For instance, in May 2023 the number of moons of Saturn increased when astronomers found 62 new moons orbiting the planet taking the total to 146. Being factually incorrect when it comes to a subject like this will not do.”  

Saiber referred to the NASA website, National Geographic, and European Space Agency (ESA) for accurate up to date information. The narrative moves through the eyes of three children watching a movie about outer space, it takes the viewers and the actors on a journey of exploration of outer space, the Milky Way and everything in it.    

Right from the direction to stereography, visual effects, 3D compositing and colour grading, Saiber did it all. He did have help from his son, Emil, for the 3D visual effects. After working on it for one-and-a-half years, he screened the movie in a theatre to test and make corrections. Earlier he had made a short astronomy-based video with special effects. When he showed it to Joby George, who would go on to become the producer of this film, Joby suggested he make it in the 2D format. “I insisted it be made in the 3D format and that is how this project came to be.”      

AK Saiber
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The film was screened for the first time in January 2024 at the Global Science festival in Thiruvananthapuram. “The response was astounding, while the first show at Aries Plex theatre was 60 per cent full, but the subsequent shows were full. In fact, a couple of extra shows were added.”  3D Space Safari is being screened in movie halls in the city for school children.  

The genesis of 3D Space Safari lies in his interest in physics, an appetite for which was vetted when in high school he first came across Bhouthika Kouthukam, the Malayalam translation of Russian science writer Yakov Perelman’s Physics for Entertainment. He consumed the two volumes and suddenly everything he studied up until Class X made sense. 

Then in 1986, the year Hailey’s Comet passed by, as an 18 year old he chanced upon a ‘star map’ in a foreign publication, which he bought. He was a member of the Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP). “I was already curious about astronomy, when I laid hands on the star map it made me even more curious about space. I would lay down on the terrace of my house and look at the sky, trying to find the stars, planets and constellations.”  

Saiber has years of experience as an animator and VFX artist, started his career as animator working with Thiruvananthapuram-based Toonz Animation. Apart from these, he animated and directed Bobanum Moliyum, My Dear Bapuji (script and animation), the Konkani animated film Sree Venkateshayanam besides VFX for films such as Jawan of Vellimala and Gangster. He has also worked on animated content for kids.  

Although the movie has got positive feedback, distribution is a no go. “It is hard, as there is no star value and this film is information/knowledge-based,” Saiber says.