Wege zur Qualität, a 70 mm ride film for Volkswagen's upcoming theme park "Autostadt", departs from the usual themes found in the genre with its non-narrative approach. Instead of the typical "thrilling chase/ escape"theme, the client wanted an exploratory, experimental journey.
The "Quality Department" at Volkswagen views the search for quality as a never-ending, ever-improving spiral. One never reaches an ultimate point in the search for quality, and creative energies propel the journey. Our ride reflects this philosophy. It plunges the audience into chaotic disorientations from which emerge passages of order and harmony. Our pathway of innovative improvement is driven by oppositional energies. Within this conceptual context, we explore various interpretations of a spiraling journey in a fun ride through a variety of computer-generated environments.The initial environment is the most rational of the spaces, set in a somewhat recognizable warehouse space. From here we enter the first of three refrains.The refrains reveal infinite worlds of geometric perfection, and we return to see several variations of it.
The infinite arrays of cubes, hexagons and spheres provide a soothing counterpoint to the overwhelming complexity of the following scenes. The first of these is a mechanical "forest." Here we experience a repetition of form and movement in a cacophony of motion, texture and sounds—an obstacle course of various seemingly familiar but strange objects. The simulator platform weaves, banks and dives along with our camera, giving viewers a visceral understanding of this chaotic environment. In the sky/water environment the simulator experience is integral to conveying the turbulence of the scene. A fantastical creature/mechanism greets us in this churning, elemental environment, processing the energy of its environment into a digitized world of swirling data. Wind currents ripple through strips of "high tech" fabric and we experience the chaotic nature of this energy intimately. XAOS' custom cloth simulation software use physically-based forces and surface tensions to recreate the inherent order and beauty found in chaotic turbulence.The turbulence increases as we are dropped into the swells of an ocean and plunge through a collapsingtunnel of water into the calm of the refrain once more.
The final environment is the one furthest from any known reality.The internal workings and external curvilinear surfaces of a newVW Beetle provided the raw material for this colorful "roller coaster".The ride on the simulator platform has become more controlled, as if we have mastered the motion of our vehicle. The end of the ride contrives to give the impression that there is even more to the ride beyond the portion we have just witnessed/experienced as there is no real "end" to this journey. The journey is the destination

Lisa Slates (US) joined Xaos, Inc. as an animator in 1995 and began her current role as co-creative director in 1998. Lisa was also an animation assistant for James Duesing on his "Law of Averages", shown at the Sundance Film Festival. She received an Emmy for her contribution to MSNBC's 1996 ID campaign.

Chitra Shriram (IN) trained and worked as a traditional animation filmmaker in India. In the United States she received a Masters degree from The Ohio State University, specializing in computer graphics and animation. She joined Xaos in 1993. Worked on the Emmy awarded MSNBC ID campaign, Sci-Fi Channel, Pagemaster, Jonny Quest, Island of the Sharks and Dolphins.