Monster of Nix When artist Rosto A.D. stages his visions he requires a myriad of flexible tools. Cinema 4D is his tool of choice for computer graphics.

The story is supposed to be a fairytale and takes place in the village of Nix, which is threatened by a monster but nobody knows what he looks like. This is how its creator Rosto A.D. describes the project, which has its roots in Rosto's fantasies and in his web project, Mind my Gap. In fact, many characters from Mind my Gap also appear in Monster of Nix, albeit as secondary characters.

This story is about the village of Nix, which is located in the middle of a large forest and is populated by bizarre, whimsical and scary creatures. And the forest itself is also full of mysterious things and creatures. The film's story revolves around young Willy who has to set out on a dangerous expedition all alone. After Nix is destroyed by a gruesome monstrosity, Willy is the only one who embarks on a search for the culprit and begins an odyssey that is a feast for the eyes - and ears. Monster of Nix is a musical that triumphs with a fantastic soundtrack in addition to its visual splendor.

Rosto A.D. is first and foremost an artist, which is evident in the creatures he creates. He has a vision of how something should look and visualizes this without compromise. In an interview, he described the motivation for this: "At some point, most film makers decide which technique they will use: Animation, real-world, stop-motion, etc. I thought to myself, 'Why should I decide on a single technique?' I use what I need!"

Rosto's films are an amalgimation of various techniques. They contain puppetry like in the Muppet Show, real-world footage, miniatures and of course CGI. Rosto blends all of these elements until he achieves the desired effect. Equally diverse was the team involved and the story behind the realization of the project itself. The inspiration came from Rosto's son, knew the forest spirits from Mind the Gap and wanted to know more about them. So Rosto thought up a story and began working on the project's financing - a process that took several years to complete. About four years later the actual production could begin and the next major problem presented itself right away: His team members were spread out over several countries. But with the same virtuosity he uses to create the project, Rosto managed to assemble the various parts of the production puzzle and the pieces all fell into place. This also entailed processing the different files from the various artists so they could be worked on in-house in Cinema 4D.

Some of the characters were CGI creations, others were partially animated in Cinema 4D. The actor for Willy had to carry a costume head on his shoulders that weighed several kilos onto which the face that had been animated in Cinema 4D was then projected. Other characters such as Virgil the scary swallow were created entirely in Cinema 4D.

As a crowning feature, Rosto A.D. was able to land famous personalities such as Tom Waits and Terry Gilliam, who worked enthusiastically on the project, to do the voice-overs. Tom Waits lent his unmistakable voice to the character of Virgil, giving the story and its charm a special character.

As bizarre and strange as the film is at first glance, as excellent is its craftsmanship and professional production. This is surely one of the strangest musicals to be created in the past few years that is also such a feast for the eye, thanks in large part to the impressive CGI effects. The only sad part is that Monster of Nix will only be shown at festivals. However, the trailer serves as quite an appetizer that leaves you wanting for more and wanting to find out where Monster of Nix will be showing next!

Monster of Nix website:
www.monsterofnix.com

Teaser 1:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8CRud5D2EE&feature=relmfu

Teaser 2:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDCO3__ayh4&feature=relmfu

Mind my Gap website:
www.rostoad.com