novelcrest Chapter 1: University Student Graduation Project? Ultraman Tiga?
Chapter 1: University Student Graduation Project? Ultraman Tiga?
[Brain storage area, gurgling and squeaking!]
[A real person writing the book!!! The author is alive!!!]
This book is relatively realistic and not too mindless; it follows the most enjoyable route within a reasonable framework.
However, everyone can rest assured about storing your items, goo goo goo!
Ultraman Tiga: Cha (I will protect everyone's light)
Blue Star, Xia Kingdom.
Bilibili, Film and Television Section.
As a film and television commentary UP host with three million followers, "Poison Tongue Lao Tang" is known for his sharp eye, foul mouth but soft heart.
At this moment, his live stream title displayed a striking line of text: "[Operation Minesweeper: Appreciating Recent Popular College Graduation Projects, Can This Year's Graduates Be Saved?]"
The live stream was quite popular, with tens of thousands of people watching online.
Old Tang took a sip of goji berry tea, pushed up his glasses, looked at the list of submissions on the screen, and swiped the mouse aimlessly.
"Brothers, to be honest, that movie 'The Pain of Youth' really gave me a stomachache. These days, college students are all about car accidents, abortions, or making a fuss over nothing. Can't we get something more realistic?"
The live chat was filled with laughter and jokes.
Hey Tang, click on that one! That cover looks weird!
[Yes, yes, it's in the bottom right corner. The cover is a red, blue, and silver... bodysuit pervert?]
[The title is so cringeworthy, "Ultraman Tiga"? What kind of name is that?]
Old Tang followed the direction indicated by the comments on the screen.
This is a very new account with the ID "Chasing the Light Studio" and 54 followers.
Video title: "[Tokusatsu/Sci-Fi] Ultraman Tiga Episode 1: The Successor of Light".
Tags: College student graduation project, original, science fiction, action.
"What? Special effects? What kind of category is that?"
Old Tang frowned slightly. "A newly coined term? Or a typo? An abbreviation for 'special effects photography'?"
With a mix of nonchalance and a desire to have some fun, Lao Tang clicked play.
"Alright, just based on this bizarre category and the cover featuring that salted egg-like Superman-like design, let's take a look at this warrior's 'graduation project'."
The screen went black, and then the video started.
There was no poorly made PPT opening as I had imagined, nor was there an awkward watermark like "Graduation Project of [University Name] [Year]".
A strange, oppressive sound effect was heard first, and then the scene immediately cut to the main topic.
Night fell over the Mongolian plains.
The ground began to shake violently, the camera trembling intensely, as if the cameraman were at the epicenter of an earthquake. Then, accompanied by a bloodcurdling roar, the ground split open, and a gigantic monster burst forth!
Then, a panel appeared.
Ancient monster: Golza!
"Holy crap?"
Old Tang, who was about to complain, froze, his mouth half-open.
This monster...
"This texture... guys, is this CG?"
Old Tang couldn't help but pause the video, then leaned closer to examine it. "Something's not right! The wrinkles in the skin, the texture of the dirt clinging to the body, and the weight... Have college students' graduation projects reached this level of modeling skill these days? How many hours of rendering must this have taken?"
The live chat exploded.
[These special effects are pretty impressive!]
Wait, this monster looks kind of real! Its eyes even move!
[Is this CG? It doesn't look like it, more like a model? But how can a model be this flexible?]
The video continues playing.
The plot moves very quickly, without any unnecessary dragging.
The Victory Team is on the move. The design of the TPC headquarters is full of near-future sci-fi. Although you can tell that some scenes are set up, the metallic texture and lighting make it look like a blockbuster movie.
Immediately afterwards, Melba awoke on Easter Island, and the two monsters set their sights on the pyramids.
As the Victory Team's fighter jets flew over towering mountains and finally spotted the enormous, golden pyramid beneath the clouds, a stirring and grand background music suddenly began to play.
Old Tang felt a chill run down his spine.
"This background music is amazing!"
He couldn't help but slap his thigh. "This grandeur, this epic scale, is this really a graduation project? This is more like a movie soundtrack!"
The plot unfolds rapidly. The protagonist, Daigo, enters the pyramid and sees the three enormous stone statues.
The upward-looking camera technique perfectly captures the sacredness and majesty of the giant.
However, destruction followed.
Golza and Melba have arrived.
The next five minutes were the most mind-blowing five minutes that Lao Tang had ever seen in his ten years in the industry.
The monster launched a laser bombardment.
Although the special effects look a bit rough, Golza's purple ultrasonic beams look somewhat cheap.
However, the sheer size of the monster's movements, along with the realistic physical feedback of flying debris and dust, left everyone dumbfounded.
Then, Golza stomped on and smashed a stone statue.
Click!
The stone statue collapsed, pieces fell to the ground, and dust filled the air.
"this……"
Old Tang swallowed hard, his voice a little hoarse. "This is definitely not pure CG! The physical collisions are too realistic! Did the director film it live? How big of a set did he build? Was it a miniature model? Impossible! Could a miniature model capture the sheer weight of a hundred-meter-tall object?"
In this world, the concept of "suit tokusatsu" is not well known.
As a product of the last century, not many ordinary people in this world have ever witnessed the presentation of this kind of work.
Nowadays, people are used to either real people awkwardly acting in front of a green screen, with cheap special effects added in post-production, or it's all CG production, which, although exquisite, always has a sense of superficiality.
But the scene before my eyes shattered my understanding.
The monsters are real, the buildings are real, and the destructive power of each punch has an unparalleled sense of realism!
The plot reached its climax.
Daigo, seeing the stone statue destroyed, roared and piloted his fighter jet toward the monster, only to be shot down.
At the critical moment, he transformed into a beam of light and merged into the last stone statue.
Shining brightly!
The giants have risen again!
When the red, blue, and silver giant crossed his arms in front of his forehead to block Golza's giant foot, and then suddenly stood up, towering on the earth.
The variation of the background music "Take Me Higher" instantly went off!
The screen was instantly filled with a barrage of comments, all in dense red text.
[Everyone stand up!!!]
[Holy crap! It moved! The statue moved!]
[This giant is so cool! Is this really Ultraman Tiga?!]
[It really is fifty meters tall! This upward-angle shot is so imposing!]
Old Tang had completely forgotten about commentary. He stared intently at the screen, watching the giant named "Tiga" assume his starting stance.
That wasn't a fight between stiff robots, nor was it a battle of gods floating in the sky.
It's wrestling! It's fighting!
The giant grabbed the monster's tail and threw it over his shoulder!
The earth trembled, and dust flew everywhere!
The monster fired an ultrasonic beam, and the giant rolled to the side to dodge it. The mountain behind him was instantly blasted to pieces, and the debris even flew in front of the camera!
"This is miniature photography... and it's the pinnacle of miniature photography!"
As a professional content creator, Lao Tang finally figured it out, but the shock in his eyes only deepened. "Using high-speed cameras to film the model collapsing, and then slowing it down to simulate the gravity of a huge object... This director is a genius! Hollywood phased out this technique decades ago because it's too difficult and expensive. Although green screen technology is convenient now, it really can't capture this kind of 'realistic feel'!"
"And..." Old Tang pointed to the creases in the giant's suit on the screen.
"I get it, I see now, there are people involved! It's a stunt performer wearing a specially made suit! But how did they do it? How did they make the movements so fluid, you can even see the muscle exertion?"
At the end of the video, Tiga switches forms.
The body turns red, power form activated!
A powerful punch sent Golza flying backward.
Turning purple again, it becomes an aerial form!
He kicked Melba down in mid-air!
Then a Lambert blast killed Melba.
Golza, on the other hand, dug his way out.
We can't beat them, we simply can't beat them...
Although the special effects lighting seemed a little "retro" to Lao Tang, it was perfectly complemented by the real explosions and fire.
That was probably the flash of real gunpowder, not a textured image.
That visual impact created a whole new world in the minds of audiences around the world.
The battle is over.
As the sun set, the giant looked back once more, then flew into the sky.
Daigo emerged from the ruins, holding the Spark Lens in his hand.
The screen fades to black, and the end credits song begins.
Old Tang leaned back in his chair, remaining silent for a long time. Only when the video stopped playing automatically and the replay button appeared did he finally let out a long sigh.
At this point, the comments section was no longer just "exploded," but had descended into a frenzied discussion.
I want to watch episode two! Now! Immediately! Right now!
[Was this really filmed by college students? How much did the props and set design team cost?]
[What's this filming technique called? Tokusatsu? It's so cool! The visceral feeling of every punch and kick is a million times better than those fantasy dramas with all that light pollution!]
Am I the only one who thinks Ultraman Tiga's final turn around was incredibly cool? That was divine power!
Old Tang composed himself, sat up straight, and faced the camera with an unprecedentedly serious expression.
"Guys, I take back what I said at the beginning. If this is just a graduation project, then all the other graduates in this year can just tear up their diplomas."
"I don't know who this 'Chasing Light Studio' is, nor do I know how these 'special effects' films are made. But I can tell you with certainty..."
Old Tang paused, then raised his voice an octave:
"We may be witnessing the birth of a new era. This sense of 'gigantic' created using miniature models and suit actors, this unique visual aesthetic, is a completely blank area in the film and television industry!"
"This isn't homework, this is a devastating blow! This is a resounding slap in the face to today's special effects blockbusters!"
"Rating? Full marks! It has to be full marks! Bump it up! Let more people see it!"
As Lao Tang spoke, he excitedly clicked on the description at the bottom of the video.
He was eager to know which genius director had come up with such a brilliant filming technique.
The description is very simple, consisting of only one line.
Title: Ultraman Tiga
Production Company: Light Chaser Studio
Screenwriter/Director/Editor: Gu Nan
Suit actor: ...
"Gu Nan..."
Old Tang stared at the unfamiliar name and muttered to himself.
"This Gu Nan... did he handle both the screenwriting and directing all by himself?"
Old Tang gasped. "So that giant rolling around in the mud and kicking around just now was actually an actor?"
"Gu Nan... Chasing Light Studio..."