VFX-inspired series ‘Blackstone’ pays tribute to Manna

Blackbox Studio premiered the trailer for their exclusive YouTube series, "Blackstone" (Episode 1) on Facebook yesterday (March 22). This VFX-driven series pays homage to Dhallywood's beloved actor, Manna, in its first episode. Directed by Shariar Gaalib and produced by Rabiul Karim, the series seamlessly blends physical filming with intricate VFX elements.

As of this report, the trailer has accumulated 334 shares on Facebook, with many praising the VFX as comparable to international standards.

"The concept for this initial episode of Black Stone was inspired by the desire to create something akin to the works of renowned directors like James Cameron and Denis Villeneuve while infusing it with a narrative that resonates with our own country," shared Shariar.

Discussing the film's production timeline, the director revealed that it took about 1.5 years to complete the project.

"It's not solely a VFX film; we also had to coordinate shooting with actors across various locations. Weather conditions were a factor, with us waiting for the perfect 'golden hour' to capture scenes for added cinematic appeal. I'm immensely pleased with the dedication shown by our actors Rafi and Badhon throughout this endeavour," added the director. 

Photo: Courtesy

While talking about his inspiration for featuring Manna on-screen, the director revealed he was being inspired by Hollywood's utilisation of technology to resurrect actors.

"I drew inspiration from Hollywood's use of VFX to revive Manna in our narrative. Updating the technology took time due to budget and resource constraints, but the episode is all set for release on YouTube early next month. The trailer's positive reception has been encouraging, and we're hopeful that audiences will love it," Galib elaborated.

While discussing budget challenges, Shariar disclosed the primary hurdle he faces in VFX projects is the lack of sponsors due to the absence of well-known actors in his short films.

"I'm immensely grateful to Rabiul Karim, our senior and co-founder of Blackbox Studio, for financing our work within his means. Despite our efforts, securing sponsors from big companies has been difficult as we don't have popular artistes in our projects," the director explained.

When questioned about why he isn't selling his projects to popular OTT channels, the director responded, "These projects are our creations, and we aim to retain ownership within our channel, fostering its growth into a platform where audiences can enjoy our films free of charge."

While the trailer has been well-received overall, some individuals raised concerns about the English dubbing. In response, the director clarified, "The series is primarily in Bangla, but English background speech was used for the trailer. This decision was made to ensure accessibility, and thus viewers wouldn't face difficulty connecting with the series."

The two-part series will be available for streaming on YouTube next month with the premiere of the first episode scheduled for April 1.

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Blackbox Studio has also created projects including the sci-fi short film "The Village '' amongst others.