All too often the films that make the biggest splashes are those that race from one showy kinetic scene to the next, barely allowing a pause for breath before the final credits roll. So every once in a while its refreshing to find a film that takes a gentle stroll as its tempo, as Frederic Kokott's short animation Mirage does as it portrays a city in picture and sound. Ease into it after the jump:
Despite what you may initially presume, Mirage was created without the use of any 3D based software, instead After Effects and Illustrator were combined over the course of a 10 week production process to craft and animate the abstract shapes in 2.5D space which form the neighboring city and natural landscapes. You can get a feel how they were used in this pair of making-of videos:
While the meticulous care that went into the visual aspects of the film is obvious, the project's genesis actually stemmed from Kokott's role as a musician as opposed to that of a filmmaker, with the visuals inspired by his 11 track album of the same name. Here he shares how he went about creating the beats:
And of course, what animation would be complete without a foley soundtrack made in part with a lampshade?
What do you think of Kokott's work? Was the languid style a nice change of pace or too slow to hold your attention?
Link: Frederic Kokott -- Vimeo
