Watch Lost Cargo and 'making of' online

Lost Cargo tells the story of intergalactic space trucker Eugene and his little robot HanD. While Eugene is busy with mail-ordering useless gadgets to support his lazy lifestyle, HanD has to cope with a nasty disease that affects the merchandise. Eugene simply buys a new high tech robot and considers the problem solved, but his laziness and blind faith in technology turn against him. Lost Cargo 'I have received a lot of reactions in recent weeks', says Pieter Van Houte, who took care of the visual effects and compositing for Lost Cargo. Since AWN put the film entirely online, Pieter presented a 'making of' page with an inside look on how he tackled some problems while working on Lost Cargo. A simple post on the CGTalk website generated massive response. 'I had this material lying around for quite some time, and it is fun to share it with people. The feedback you get is much more direct than it is at festivals for instance. You know, my job is the one you cannot see, the best effects are the invisible ones. Presenting this page online, I can make people realize how much work it takes to get it right.' Pieter is not at all concerned to give away the tricks of the trade, on the contrary: 'I am planning to do it more often, to put similar pages online once in a while. The more attention we receive, the better. It creates trust in what we are doing to be completely open about it. I have learnt most from people who had no secrets to hide on a technical level so I think it is nice to have the same attitude about it.'Pieter Van HouteCo-director Pieter Engels is also very pleased with the reactions through CGTalk. 'Lost Cargo has been selected for many festivals but it has not really gathered lots of awards. It has the disadvantage that it hasn't got a typical length, it is 15 minutes long. But the response we get through the internet is really great. After all, we are proud to get this stop motion movie done in this quality considering the budget which was quite tight. The only thing that I regret is that I did not use any music. At the end of the production, which took a year, I simply had no more energy left to take care of that. However, the sound engineering is superb. It is a pity that you have to watch the film in a well equipped cinema to enjoy the sound.' Pieter EngelsMeanwhile, both Pieter Engels and Pieter Van Houte are immersed in totally different projects. After finishing Lost Cargo, Pieter Engels started to work for W! Games in Amsterdam. 'I am working on the pre-production of a game: character design, concept drawing etcetera. It is what I like to do most, for me it is very rewarding to work out an idea, to tell a story and to try to visualize it. I like animating as well, but this is something else'. Pieter Van Houte, still working in Scotland, is preparing an animation master class with Richard Williams that will be presented at the Annecy Festival. Pieter Van Houte Making of- pagina