Zone F8
A page dedicated to some of the cool behind the scenes content surrounding the animated short F8, which was created by Jason Wen.
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3D TURNTABLES AND LORE
Alien Hybrid
A mixture of human and alien DNA
The "Alien Hybrid" is the main intelligent lifeform of the F8 universe. In this universe, when the human race was near extinction, they sent out numerous unmanned spacecraft called "Arks" which carried both the culmination of all human knowledge and thousands (or maybe millions) of human DNA samples. Against all odds, one of these Arks was intercepted by an intelligent alien race. Over thousands of years, the aliens slowly managed to decode the information stored within the Ark, both digital and genetic. Millennia after this race had discovered the Ark, the information that it carried with it was now fully integrated into their society.
The result is a civilization with three classes based on Plato's Kallipolis: workers, soldiers and rulers. No matter which role one is placed into, they all maintain the same base form - the "Alien Hybrid" - a genetically engineered combination of human and alien DNA. They control whichever robotic body they are placed into, and these robotic bodies are different depending on the class they are assigned to at birth. But despite all this, their human DNA might rarely boil to the surface and cause the strange phenomenon of "longing for a face."
Newborn Carrier
Transporter of newborn Alien Hybrids
These are the tri-optical carrier units of newborn Alien Hybrids, and presumably also their caretakers. Though never explicity explained, their role in society can be assumed: autonomous constructs that are responsible for raising infantile Alien Hybrids and for transporting them to the Slot Machine once they have matured. The newborns are carried in a small glass vessel reminiscent of a test tube which can be seen nestled behind the face, just underneath where the neck connects to the head.
Blimp
Biotechnological freighter of Newborn Carriers
This airship is part machine and part biological tissue. Its bouyant balloon is made of living flesh embedded with various synthetic electronic implants. The purpose of the Blimp is to transport Newborn Carriers to the Slot Machines. The area were these Newborn Carriers are seated resembles the seating plan of a theater, curving upwards towards the back so that no matter where you sit, you have an unobstructed line of site towards whatever it is that you are looking at.
Slot Machine
Random chance game that determines one's role in life
Much like the slot machines that we are famliar with, this device operates on random chance. However, instead of inserting money for potential financial gain, a newborn Alien Hybrid is inserted by a Newborn Carrier in order to determine which societal caste they will be assigned to for the rest of their lives.
Observing the singular reel of this slot machine, which is the horizontal "belt" that encircles the device, we can see that eleven of the symbols are the "working class" designation, while only one, the symbol behind the magnifying lens at the front, is the "commando" designation. This means that newborn Alien Hybrids have an 11 out of 12 chance of becoming a laborer (92.31%), or a 1 in 12 chance of being consigned to military/security duty (7.69%). Whatever ruling class has orchestrated all of this has conveniently left out any opportunity for individuals to join their caste.
F8
Laborer in search of identity
F8 is the protagonist of the animation. He is a member of the working class - a class filled with individuals who have no identity, not even a face. Occasionally, an individual from this class will rebel by attempting to steal a face for themselves from the place known as the "Face Vault", a structure which stores countless human faces grown from the DNA samples which were stored in the Ark.
F8 is not the first to attempt to do this, nor is he the last. Though he was close to succeeding, he was stopped at the last second by the Commandos. In the final moments of the animation, we can see F8's true form - the Alien Hybrid which was piloting his humanoid mechanical "working class" body - being removed through a hole under the "face". Whatever happened to him after this point can only be speculated upon, but it is likely that he was either executed or imprisoned.
Commando
Armed enforcers
Commandos play the role of law enforcers and possibly military personnel in the world of F8. Whether they are standard security guards or some sort of SWAT team style task force isn't entirely clear, but the name "Commando" seems to imply that they are a type of elite unit.
These mechanical bodies are also piloted by the same species of Alien Hybrid as the ones in the working class, something we can see in the animation when F8 sets off an acoustic bomb. The vibrations from the sound cause the pilots to burst out of their Commando bodies.
Probebot
Mechanized first responder
The Probebot is an unmanned autonomous robot that is used to survey potentially dangerous locations before the Commandos move in. It uses its many lenses to capture photos and video footage.
In earlier versions of the animation, it was meant to play a more prominent role where it continuously stalked F8. There would have also been scenes that showed the Commandos remotely controlling it and watching its live video feed.
Police Transport
Airborne vessel used by Commandos
An aerial transport vehicle used by the Commandos - the fact that it is referred to as a "police transport" implies that the Commandos are more security/law enforcement than military. But, in the dystopian setting of F8, the difference between military and police is dubious.
Escape Ship
F8's getaway vehicle
This ship was piloted by a character who was working to help F8 escape with his new-found face. The character piloting it was another individual from the working class who had successfully managed to steal a face and escape with it.
It's possible that this other character is from some sort of hidden rebel organization that was communicating with F8 in order to organize his escape before the events of the animation.