STARNO provided high-end Matte Painting and world-building services for the visually stunning Canadian sci-fi film The Tinwife, directed by Travis Neufeld. This project required a unique aesthetic blend, merging 1940s Art Deco elegance with a gritty, retro-futuristic "Dieselpunk" atmosphere.
The centerpiece of our contribution was the creation of a sprawling, multi-layered Retro-futuristic New York City skyline. In a pivotal sequence, a woman is seen from behind, looking through a window at a breathtaking urban vista. This environment was meticulously designed with iconic Art Deco architectural influences, featuring soaring skyscrapers, intricate digital textures, and a sky filled with flying vintage-style vehicles.
Our team focused on the lighting and atmospheric depth of this digital city to ensure a seamless blend between the live-action interior and the fantastical exterior world. Every building and flying craft was crafted to reinforce the film's distinct alternate-reality timeline. This intricate environment work was executed by Frédéric St-Arnaud specifically for the production of The Tinwife.
Set in an alternate 1940s future, The Tinwife tells the story of an android housewife who struggles to understand her place in a world that views her as nothing more than a domestic appliance. When her "husband" decides to upgrade to a newer model, she is forced to confront the reality of her existence and the boundaries of human emotion.
The film is a masterclass in stylized world-building, utilizing a rich visual palette to explore themes of identity, obsolescence, and the definition of the soul. Through its stunning cinematography and detailed environments, it creates a hauntingly beautiful vision of a future that never was.
STARNO TEAM:Frédéric St-Arnaud, Joseph Charette
Tinwife Productions
Sci-Fi Feature Film – 2017