Paths of Hate is a short film filled with spectacular and attractive-looking air-to-air combat scenes. In both its structure and its innovative 3D graphics-based image stylizations, the short resembles a comic book come to life.
The movie received multiple awards, including the prize for Best Animated Film and a Special Jury Award at the comic industry’s biggest event – Comic-Con.
“Paths of Hate” is set in a highly-stylized artistic convention. A trailer for the movie, which also served as a technology test, was released in 2006. The comic-book stylization turned out to be a perfect match. The illustration-like lines were an amazing fit for the surrealist dogfighting scenes and gave the movie a particular crispness, distinguishing it from the dozens of photorealistic 3D animations.
Two models of fighter planes and two pilot characters were created for the purposes of the short. The movie also required the construction of an environment filled with clouds and square kilometers of 3D mountain ranges. A large number of shots from inside the cockpit necessitated the creation and development of a wide range of details, such as screw threads and the springs in mechanical triggers.
