Video Effects Vet Releases ‘Cyan Eyed,’ 3D Animated Steampunk Short

After seven years of development, Nezui Films has released Cyan Eyed, an eight-minute 3D animated steampunk adventure. The movie follows a sentient automaton named Grunt who boards a pirate airship in an attempt to rescue a girl with supernatural powers. But the robot must get past the pirate captain, Corliss “The Red Snake” Vail, who is known for her combat prowess.

The story is told entirely through visuals, music, and ambient sound, with no dialog. A synopsis on the film’s website provides the backstory, but you can easily follow the action with no background knowledge.

Cyan Eyed was written, produced, and directed by Ryan Grobins, a visual effects producer whose credits include The Hunger Games, Shadow and Bone, Game of Thrones, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and many other science fiction and fantasy projects. He’s currently based in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he oversees computer graphics for FuseFX, a visual effects studio.

Grobins enlisted a crew of more than 50 visual artists, plus sound designers from George Lucas’ Skywalker Sound and a 26-piece orchestra. All this can be seen in the production quality, which appears to be on par with Hollywood’s top animation studios.

Ultimately, he hopes to expand Cyan Eyed into a feature film of the same name. He also envisions an eight-episode limited series that tells the origin story of Corliss Vail, the airship pirate.

Cyan Eyed is Grobins’ third film, following Sneeze Me Away and The Rose of Turaida.

Learn more on the Cyan Eyed website and Nezui YouTube channel.