“Countdown” by Céline Desrumaux

Every so often I run across a piece of animation that’s truly special. “Countdown” by ​Céline Desrumaux is one such piece. The short, which took over two years to make, is quite simply a masterpiece of composition, cutting, color and design. Céline, whose work experience include Passion Pictures and Cartoon Network UK, uses the malleable nature of film to express her vision: the film is narrative and the ideas pictorial, yet many of the compositions and shots would appear to be completely abstract if not for their sequential context. In other words, it’s a graphic experience that takes advantage of the animation medium and could make sense only as a film.

Her stated influences for the film are Chris Ware, Hans Richter, Len Lye, Stanley Kubrick and Godfrey Reggio’s Qatsi trilogy. In the years to come, I’m sure a lot of people will be citing her own film Countdown as an influence.

CREDITS
Directing/design/animation/composting : Céline Desrumaux
Additional character animation : Florent Remize
Music : “Granulard bastard” from Apparat

(via Catsuka)