OG's BLOG

As the main characters race to the center of Michael Sormann’s Theme Planet, I have to wonder what’s just around the next bend. Watching this film develop is great entertainment.

Sormann is also quite prolific. Details and gobs of geometry just seem to fall out of his fingers onto the computer screen. He updates his Theme Planet website frequently and always has something interesting to show.

Once the lead artist at Rockstar Vienna (a computer game company), he is now freelancing to support himself as necessary, and dedicating the rest of his time to finishing his film. Still no estimate of a finish date, but the fact that he’s moved his film project from a part-time concern to something more approaching full time can only be a good sign for the film.

IN THE DIRECTOR’S WORDS:

Theme Planet is a giant theme park floating through Space, consisting of strange, huge attractions. There is no surface, just gigantic structures like rollercoasters and other attractions.

From the heights of these structures down to the very heart of the planet, in the mysterious planet’s core lies the hidden lair of the “Mad Constructor”. This bizarre madman tinkers in his secret laboratory headquarters deep within the planet’s depths alongside his humble assistant “Igor”.

In the upper regions of the planet, thousands of creatures busy themselves, working on the maintenance and organisation of the whole structure. And this is where we find our two heroes, Pig and Elephant: they work as technicans on the forever-crumbling rollercoasters.

As for me, I’ve been working for several years now in the Computer game industry. Until recently I was Head of the Art Department of Rockstar Vienna. I have always dreamed about creating a feature film and I hope that my short film project “Theme Planet” is a step in this direction.

I like movies a lot and it would be great to buy myself some popcorn in the lobby of a cinema featuring “Theme Planet” one day.

–Michael Sormann