• Submitted by: manso
• Cinema
• 08 / 14 / 2010

---

Cuba makes its first 3D animation movie, Meñique, based in the story under the same name, adapted by the Cuban hero Jose Marti (1853 - 1895) for the magazine La Edad de Oro. The music for the movie was written by Silvio Rodríguez, announced the Juventud Rebelde newspaper.

Ernesto Padron, the producer of the movie, explained in an interview published this Sunday that the movie is in the stage of animate, texture, illuminate and create the special effects.

Padron explained that the free version of the store was conceived as a feature movie using classic techniques, but when they introduced the new character of the La polvera mágica (The magic powder) together with the cartoons made by several drawers for the stages of the movie, it was determined the use of 3D.

The quality of the work achieved with the funds available was incredible, as well as having the possibility of moving the camera through a virtual location. The work was very limited working only with two dimensions characters. Part of the magic of the own stages achieved as well as the dramatic contribution, was lost working only with two dimensions. We could achieve it with the new elements of lights and shadows, added.

He also highlighted that in that effort they also had the effort of the singer Silvio Rodriguez, who was in charge of the music of the movie.

Padrón recognized that the biggest challenge they faced was not to model the character of Meñique, the star of the movie, in 3D, but to build his bones system, something never before done in Cuba, through some devices that allow to action the movements of the body or the gestures of the face.

A team of managers, painters, programmers and artists have accompanied Padrón in the project, which, as he said, due to investment problems has two years delay regarding the initial plan, which considered its delivery for year 2011.

The filmmaker indicated that the purpose now is to finish entire sequences. Nowadays they have finished seven sequences, which is about 20 minutes from the 80 that last the movie.

Translation: Rodney Lopez (Cubarte)

Fuente: Cubadebate | 13 de Agosto 2010