Sintel (2010)

I watched this film for the first time today and it was not by chance. I knew of this film as I have seen some other films made using the open source Blender software and I was aware that this film was not only made using that tool but that the whole film is open to be used and changed by anyone who wishes to do so. The irony of this is that currently the film has been removed by YouTube due to a copyright claim by Sony that the film somehow violates their property, a situation that tells me Sony used part of the film (music or otherwise) and are now claiming it as their own, thus entirely missing the point of what this film and others like it are trying to do.Hopefully this will be resolved although it is depressing to see that even the suggestion of infraction from a corporation sees the project removed. Anyway, in terms of the film itself, away from such controversy, the narrative sees a young woman travelling alone deep into the mountain and into danger. An encounter with a bandit leaves her injured but rescued by an old man, to whom she relates the reason for her journey – a journey which begins with her finding an injured baby dragon some time before.The headlines all relate to the technical aspects of this film so it is worth saying that the narrative engages too. It is a solid tale that draws you in but is built on darkness. It is a combination that doesn't totally work and although I applaud the ending for going in the direction it did, it is brutally harsh just to drop that on a viewer. Technically the film is very well made, the animation is great and it is hard to believe that it was made outside of a large studio – not only is this cheering but it actually works and looks great throughout.Sintel represents another step forward in the idea of the creative commons being a positive and collaborative idea and Blender in particular being something about moving forward; however this is not to say that this is where its value comes from because really the short stands up on its own, looking great and having a brutal but memorably brave narrative too. If there was ever a greater example of the need to support such projects, it is the fact that Sony have challenged it for taking their property.

Sintel is an impressive animated film for being built on an open source engine with a crew of less than 100 people. You won't find the same graphical detail seen in mainstream animated movies but you will experience emotion for these characters. Emotion for characters is a hard thing to achieve when dealing in animation. It takes perfect execution of story and animated facial expressions, something which I give the team at Blender Foundation a standing ovation. The story on the other hand seems to be condensed, leaving some questions unanswered.The following section below is a spoiler and is meant for people who have seen the film.**Spoiler Warning** As I said above, the story left some questions unanswered which could of been solved with character development in additional scenes. In the beginning, Sentil is attacked by some random guy. Who is this antagonist and why is he motivated to kill her? Perhaps he was a dragon hunter who wounded Scales in the beginning and spends the rest of the story trying to reclaim the baby dragon as a prize? Or how about Sentil's background, why is she alone and rely on the emotional support of a dragon? These questions could be answered through some story expansion. Other than that, the movie's 15 minute runtime is worth sitting through, although I hope you like bittersweet endings.

To imagine that all of this was created from scratch is remarkable.The score was very well done as was the foley.Halina really came through and I was so impressed, I had to find out who she was. Amazing to shine as an actor through a 3D animation. She did it!For the filmmakers and artist to take this on and to get it done for future artist is admirable. It gives hope to other artist and filmmakers.I would not recommend the film to children but maybe the filmmakers will do another film just for them. I hope they do.The director's attention to detail was also noted.Great job!

Third short film by the Amsterdam-based Blender Foundation. Sintel is partly meant to promote the open source animation software Blender and to be used for demo-purposes (3d, 4k)by it's sponsors.But it's far more than a very crafty demo. Script and storyline are clearly worked out on a elaborate scale, comprising three different levels. One might see it as a fantasy-action movie, but it also packs a coming-of-age sideline and a sobering life-lesson.Loner Sintel (Dutch for Cinder)befriends a baby dragon an nurtures it, until it's snatched from her in a dramatic scene. The quest to find the dragon is somewhat rushed in a montage and throughout the movie some movement seems unnatural, but the amount of detail in props and background is amazing. Double so, because this was made by just 14 animators, script editor, technician and director (and numerous members of the Blender community who made props and scenes online) in just over a year, at a total cost of 400.000 euro.