Aperture: A Triumph of Science
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| Aperture: A Triumph of Science | |
|---|---|
| Director |
Nick Celentano |
| Producer |
Nick Celentano |
| Story / Screenplay |
Nick Celentano |
| Based on | |
| Music |
Aperture Science Psychoacoustic Laboratories |
| Cinematography |
Ryan Anthony Martin |
| Editing |
Nick Celentano |
| Studio |
Synthetic PictureHaus |
| Released |
September 29, 2011 |
| Runtime |
00:21:46 |
| Country |
USA |
| Language |
English |
| Budget |
$600 (USD) |
Aperture: A Triumph of Science is a short, independent fan film inspired by the characters and storyline of Portal and Portal 2, produced by Synthetic PictureHaus, who also produced Aperture: Lab Ratt and the 3-episode Aperture: Science Time It was released on September 29, 2011.
It is shot in a documentary style, featuring interviews, pre-recorded messages from Cave Johnson, an original Personality Core, and a vintage television commercial of Aperture Science's Repulsion Gel. Though the year the documentary takes place in is uncertain, the events discussed reveal that they are being interviewed just weeks before GLaDOS was activated for the last time by Aperture employees.[1]
Overview[edit]
A promotional and informative documentation of the inner workings of innovative science company Aperture Science, Aperture: A Triumph of Science sums up the basics of Aperture's lengthy history through interviews and video examples. Aperture employees Susan Tiemann (Robotics Division), Gramb Oley (Projects Supervisor), Georgia Brown (Public Relations), MARV (Personality Construct), and Peter Brundle (Test Research and Development) are interviewed and give their personal opinions and information on Aperture and their jobs therein. Narrated by GLaDOS, Aperture's history is also laid out in a series of clips of CEO and founder of Aperture, Cave Johnson.
Having been filmed and prepped for release just prior to the final activation of GLaDOS, A Triumph of Science ends with a positive outlook for the company's future, which is ironically played as a form of entertainment for GLaDOS, as she taunts the viewer that the film will never be seen, as they will have undoubtedly perished in a series of tests GLaDOS has waiting.
Production[edit]
Pre-production began in May 2011. Leading up to the release of the film, the crew released eleven short promotional videos [2] featuring Cave Johnson in his office with either original dialogue or references to the Portal ARG.
The entire project was shot on a Canon Rebel EOS T3i with an 18-35mm lens over the course of several days. Most scientist interviews were done on their own day at various locations on the campus of the University of Colorado at Boulder.
The small crew and limited budget kept them from featuring scenes with more visual effects. Andreas Barry was contracted to create a few lines for MARV.
The film enjoyed a physical screening at the CU campus on September 28, 2011, preceded by a live performance with local musician Danielle Ate the Sandwich (Danielle Anderson, who plays Susan Tiemann in the film). The film was released on YouTube by the next morning.[3][4]
Valve's Involvement[edit]
The crew contacted opera singer and voice actress Ellen McLain early on. She wished to help, but legal complications restricted her from offering her talent as the voice of GLaDOS. They then contacted Valve's Bill Van Buren who accepted recorded lines (by Norma Celentano) and processed them to sound more like the original GLaDOS.
Trivia[edit]
- In the television ad for the Repulsion Gel, a calendar is seen on the wall with the date Friday, August 13 showing. This is actually an insert from the album Some Cocktail Suggestions by Steel Pole Bath Tub, of which Portal 2 soundtrack composer Mike Morasky was a member.
- Hunter Wahl (portraying scientist Gramb Oley) used a 3D printer (and various other equipment) to create the portal gun and Weighted Companion Cube props.
- Hoopie, the metal hoop, makes several cameos throughout the film as a nod to the game's developers expecting it to become a meme.
- Danielle Anderson (portraying scientist Susan Tiemann), is a folk singer-songwriter in the greater Denver, CO area under the moniker Danielle Ate the Sandwich. She sang the jingle that is heard at the end of the Repulsion Gel advertisement. She also hosted the 3-episode Aperture: Science Time, also produced by Synthetic PictureHaus.
References[edit]
External links[edit]
- Official website
- Official Facebook page
Synthetic PictureHaus official YouTube channel
Aperture: A Triumph of Science on IMDb
