Tag Archives: GERTY

Digital Design Student Inspired by MOON & Gavin Rothery

Digital Design student Patrick Chamberland was so inspired by his love of MOON and the work of Concept Artist and VFX Supervisor Gavin Rothery, he produced this stunning work as part of his course work at Centre NAD in Montreal, Canada.

Gerty Final by Patrick Chamberland

As well as sharing GERTY with us, Patrick was also kind enough to let us know some details about his version of GERTY:

I am currently a student in 3D Animation and Digital Design at Centre NAD, in Montreal, Canada, with a concentration in videogames.

We had a project in which we had to create a model of an object that was futuristic in nature and we had the option of creating a new design or using an already existing one. Being a huge fan of Moon (which I consider to be one of my top 5 movies of all-time) and Gavin Rothery’s designs, it then dawned on me that this would be the perfect opportunity to create my favorite robot ever, GERTY!

I was very fortunate that Gavin’s site was a treasure trove of fantastic reference to try and achieve the closest possible accuracy to the movie version of GERTY.

The actual model was created using 3DS MAX and a few different softwares were used to create the model’s textures with the main one being Photoshop.

What I think is really exciting with this model is that the image of the final rendered version is from a software named Marmoset Toolbag which is a real-time renderer. What this means is that the look of GERTY in the image is how he would look in an actual game engine such as the Unreal Engine.

If time permits, I would love to also model the whole Serang base and place it in the game engine which would mean that I would be able to walk around the whole base in real-time!

I have attached a picture of the non-textured/wireframed version of the model as well as a pic of the final “in-game” version.

This was certainly my most fun project to date and that was because of the passion ignited inside of me by Duncan’s amazing work in creating the movie masterpiece, Moon.

And here is the non-textured / wireframe image Patrick mentioned above. Stunning work once again from someone inspired by MOON. Thanks, Patrick

Gerty Wire by Patrick Chamberland

Have a mooch around Patrick’s site for more goodies.

MOON Fan Fiction ‘Helping you is what I do’ by Wildgoosery Gets Duncan Jones Seal Of Approval

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As we were getting set for a live tweet of the British television premiere of MOON on BBC2 last sunday (30th December 2012 – highlights from Duncan & gang here) Duncan was pointed in the direction of something we’ve not come across previously, MOON Fan Fiction.

If you’re a regular visitor here, you will be well aware of the the high quality of fan contributions that we come across from time to time. We’ve had posters, music, a complete physical re-creations of GERTY and more, but nothing has quite reached the level of Wildgoosery’s fan fiction piece ‘Helping you is what I do‘ written to cover the events of MOON, from GERTY’s point of view.

I have to tell you, such is the level of authenticity, I was close to tears all over again. And it’s not just me that thinks Wildgoosery has done an incredible job, the ultimate seal of approval comes from the original creator of GERTY, Sam Bell, Lunar Industries and the whole MOON universe, Duncan Jones himself who commented on the piece:

To tune into the tone of Moon this well denotes a rare sensitivity & empathy. You’ve done an extraordinary job. It made my heart ache. Poor Sam. Poor Gerty. Poor Sam… And Sam… And Sam. Thank you so much for helping Moon to live on beyond our small film. I hope I can widen this universe for you in future films, if for no other reason but to see what you will do with it. A fan of your speculations, Duncan Jones. Writer/director Moon.

Which understandably prompted this reaction from Wildgoosery:

I’m just going to sit here for a while being utterly stunned!

Well, this is last thing I ever expected to find in the comments of my little story! I would be skeptical of its origins, except a poke through twitter reveals that you were pointed this direction yesterday!

I have no idea what to say, other than “Thank you!” Moon had a tremendous impact on me — I saw it twice in the theater, and have the DVD on hand for when I want my faith in modern science fiction filmmaking restored — and in writing this story, I came to even further appreciate the thought and care and craftsmanship that went into what you created. Hard SF movies are a rare thing these days, and quality ones are practically non-existent. After Moon and Source Code, I look forward to seeing what you do moving forward.

Please take a moment to pop over and read the full story, and to stand back an applaud a wonderful piece of writing

You can read more MOON fan fiction over on the same site.

GERTY’s Back!

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It was a sad Duncan Jones that tweeted out a request last night to see if anyone knew the whereabouts of Lunar Industries employee GERTY. The one and only GERTY was sold in a MOON props auction in November 2009. Seems Duncan is still missing him

If anyone knows where Gerty is… Let me know. We miss him.

So thank goodness Edward Hartely was on hand to let us know GERTY is still out there and still involved in the film industry!

… Haven’t you heard? he’s trying new things, he doesn’t want to be typecast in sci-fi anymore….

Watch MOON Now – FREE!

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Not sure what GERTY is smiling about…Oh! Yeah! You can watch Duncan Jones multiple award winning 2009 feature debut MOON now, for free*

Just clicky the piccy, or click here to enjoy one of the most critically acclaimed Sci-Fi films of this century

Streaming on Crackle has been tested US and UK so hopefully it’s all good wherever you are. And if that’s your first encounter with MOON, please don’t forget you can also pick it up on DVD & Blu-Ray with lots of additional content including Duncan Jones directorial debut ‘Whistle’ (2002), along with 2 commentary tracks and some great making of features as well. Enjoy!

*When we say free, we mean please ensure you provide a DNA sample in the test tube that will be provided by Lunar Industries at the end of the film. Don’t worry, they won’t do anything dodgy with it, it’s just like a survey, kind of…

Fancy A Drink At The Lunar Industries Bar?

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Imagine Sam Bell working his taters off mining He-3 for Lunar Industries, coming towards the end of a three year contract on MOON base Sarang. Alone apart from the company of his robotic companion GERTY, unable to communicate directly with Earth and his young family, desperate to get home and be with the ones he loves. Sam is slowly losing his marbles without any other human company, so imagine if he found out after all this time that something like this had been going on, right under his nose!

A bar, a Lunar Industries Bar on the MOON!, with dancing girls and an obviously wealthy cliental. All of which is bad enough, for poor old Sam. But imagine if he also knew that GERTY knew, AND was busy in there serving drinks!

Well, none of this is true of course, the image above is a piece of concept art by artist Josh Kao that we came across recently after it was featured in Charlie Jane Anders feature over on io9 about Josh’s concept art, specifically his futuristic cityscapes.

Pop over to Josh’s blog to view more, prepare for a long stay though, there’s some incredibly good stuff over there. On the piece above, Josh says:

Bar design based on the movie “Moon”, my favorite film of 2009. That’s a gogo dancer, not a stripper….i swear. I needed to fill up some space…

Josh has even included this kind of plan view, just in case you fancy setting something up yourself

And if you want to see more, actual MOON concept art, pop over to MOON VFX Supervisor and Concept Artist Gavin Rothery’s site.

MOON: Did You Know GERTY Has A Sister?

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There is only one GERTY, Lunar Industries robotic companion to employee Sam Bell during his three year shift on Moon base Sarang in Duncan Jones’ 2009 debut MOON. But, could there be another?…

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Lunar Apple Industries – Siri V GERTY

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As soon as Apple introduced their latest voice recognition system Siri for iOS 5 yesterday, it drew immediate comparisons with the AI assistants present in Sci-Fi films.

HAL from Stanley Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey‘ was an obvious one, with some commenting that each request to the new iPhone 4S could be greeted with “I’m sorry Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

But by far the most popular request I noticed, was to get Kevin Spacey to voice Siri, reprising his role as GERTY from Duncan Jones’ MOON. What would it look like? What would he say? You don’t have to wait too long on the internet to find out, we just got this brilliant mock up from Twitter friend @morguendor

MOON: Steve Howarth’s Model Miniatures

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You will hopefully be well aware of MOON Concept Artist and VFX Supervisor Gavin Rothery‘s excellent ‘They Never Went To The Moon‘ site, full of wonderful behind the scenes tales on the making of MOON, and where Gavin has also very generously shared many concept and design drawings, mock ups, and animatics.

Gavin describes the model building process in detail, and the joy of working with an incredible team headed up by legendary model maker Bill Pearson, in fact you almost smell the workshop when reading this entry.

So how would you like a peep into the model building process itself? Well ok, pop your breathing masks on, as we head into the wonderful world of Steve Howarth at Fingertip Fabrications.

As well as a wealth of MOON model creation detail, including the birth of GERTY, and the creation of the MOON Rovers, you can also delve into the making of the Helium3 Harvesters, and Sarang Moon Base itself.

The site has a lot more to offer than MOON as well, so stop by and treat yourself to Steve’s work on Red Dwarf and the 2005 film adaptation of Douglas Adams ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy‘ along with many other examples of Steve’s Film & Television work.

There is absolutely tons of info on the site covering Steve’s career, it’s an absolute treat, so sit down and have a bloody good mooch through, enjoy!

MOON VFX Guru Gavin Rothery Reveals Duncan Jones Was A Badass Space Murderer

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If you’re not already a member of our Facebook page, or following us on Twitter, there is a good chance you have been missing out on some fantastic behind the scenes revelations on the making of MOON.

MOON Concept Artist & VFX Supervisor Gavin Rothery has started posting up some rather wonderful snippets about his experiences of making MOON, starting at the birth of GERTY, and continuing through, so far, to the revealing of Director Duncan Jones and Co-Producer Nicky Bentham as eventually unseen murdering space bastards.

We even find out that the MOON crew, were the crew of the Eliza rescue ship, as you can see below. There’s Gavin on the left as the captain, 1st Assistant Director Mick Ward in the middle and Director of Photography Gary Shaw on the right. I shan’t reveal anymore here…for now, head over to Gav’s site, and fill your boots

MOON: Eliza Crew Screen - By Gavin Rothery

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Tag Archives: GERTY

Digital Design Student Inspired by MOON & Gavin Rothery

MOON Fan Fiction ‘Helping you is what I do’ by Wildgoosery Gets Duncan Jones Seal Of Approval

GERTY’s Back!

Watch MOON Now – FREE!

*When we say free, we mean please ensure you provide a DNA sample in the test tube that will be provided by Lunar Industries at the end of the film. Don’t worry, they won’t do anything dodgy with it, it’s just like a survey, kind of…

Fancy A Drink At The Lunar Industries Bar?

MOON: Did You Know GERTY Has A Sister?

Lunar Apple Industries – Siri V GERTY

MOON: Steve Howarth’s Model Miniatures

MOON VFX Guru Gavin Rothery Reveals Duncan Jones Was A Badass Space Murderer