It’s funny how you go looking for something and find something else accidentally. I started looking up District 9 and found that the director, Neill Blomkamp, had also made several short films. One of these films is called Yellow, although is also called Adicolor Yellow. It was made in 2004 as part of a viral marketing campaign for Adidas. Through the magic of Youtube, I was able to watch the four-minute film.
In the short film, we see an android being made. There’s a narrator explaining that five different androids were programmed, all using the same base code. Different things were added, like emotion and memory. One, identified by the color yellow, was given the ability to think and learn. It escaped from the location where it was created and lived among humans for 18 months. Eventually, a team catches up with Yellow and a firefight ensues. The final part of the narration suggests that maybe it’s no longer humanity’s game any more.
I can see where this would work as an advertisement. To me, it actually comes across more as a trailer for a film than a complete story. The only voice is that of the narrator. You get the basic idea of what‘s going on, but there’s no real connection to the characters. Yellow is seen as being emotionless and maybe a little distant. He doesn’t seem to interact with people at all, but we’re seeing `18 months condensed into four minutes.
It’s kind of hard to tell if Yellow is supposed to be a sympathetic character. The android survived for 18 months, but what went wrong other than the escape? The android isn’t depicted as hurting anyone. I was left wanting a little more. If this was actually a trailer for a feature-length film, I’d probably go and see it. It seems like there’s a good story in there.
I could see someone looking this up on their own if they’re a Blomkamp fan. I’m not sure that most people not familiar with his work would be interested in it. Even with most casual viewers, it might be hit and miss. If you do like his movies, you’ll want to see this one, too.
In the short film, we see an android being made. There’s a narrator explaining that five different androids were programmed, all using the same base code. Different things were added, like emotion and memory. One, identified by the color yellow, was given the ability to think and learn. It escaped from the location where it was created and lived among humans for 18 months. Eventually, a team catches up with Yellow and a firefight ensues. The final part of the narration suggests that maybe it’s no longer humanity’s game any more.
I can see where this would work as an advertisement. To me, it actually comes across more as a trailer for a film than a complete story. The only voice is that of the narrator. You get the basic idea of what‘s going on, but there’s no real connection to the characters. Yellow is seen as being emotionless and maybe a little distant. He doesn’t seem to interact with people at all, but we’re seeing `18 months condensed into four minutes.
It’s kind of hard to tell if Yellow is supposed to be a sympathetic character. The android survived for 18 months, but what went wrong other than the escape? The android isn’t depicted as hurting anyone. I was left wanting a little more. If this was actually a trailer for a feature-length film, I’d probably go and see it. It seems like there’s a good story in there.
I could see someone looking this up on their own if they’re a Blomkamp fan. I’m not sure that most people not familiar with his work would be interested in it. Even with most casual viewers, it might be hit and miss. If you do like his movies, you’ll want to see this one, too.
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