‘The Eclipse’ Short Film Is A Magical Directorial Debut For Gabriel Schemoul

French animator and children’s book illustrator Gabriel Schemoul has released today his first solo-produced short, a beautifully-rendered, five-minute fairytale, The Eclipse. Watch it below:

Schemoul most recently worked as lead background designer and effects supervisor on the European co-production Big Lizard and as background designer and 2d effects animator for Mediawan’s Miraculous superhero series. While in production on those other projects, over nine months working nights and weekends from his home studio in Paris, Schemoul self-financed and produced The Eclipse.

The short partially took its inspiration from the ethereal, synth melodies of Austin, Texas, recording artist Kate de Rosset. De Rosset’s song, Flowing Into Joy, accompanies Schemoul’s Hans Christian Andersen-like story of a melancholy winter spirit, ‘Gaufrost,’ who, during the moment of a solar eclipse, ventures out from his ice cave high up on a mountain to explore the wonders of a valley in the world below.

Schemoul describes Gaufrost as a “frozen ghost,” which he first conceived for an unrealized illustrated children book. De Rosset’s 2020 album The Tower rekindled Schemoul’s concept for the Gaufrost as a short film subject, and inspired him to contact the singer. “It felt like fate,” Schemoul revealed in an email conversation. “I reached out to [Kate], proposing to create a visual counterpart for the song.”

Cartoon Brew caught up with Schemoul to discuss his background and the techniques he used to create the charming short, which combines a delicate 3d approach in Blender and Unreal Engine, with painterly renderings that took additional inspiration from the watercolor landscapes of American painter Charles Burchfield.

Cartoon Brew: Where are you from, and what got you interested in animation?

Gabriel Schemoul: I’m originally from the south of France and moved to Paris at the age of 20. In 2008, [comic book creator] Joann Sfar gave me the opportunity to participate [in background design, character design, layout posing, and background inking] in his film The Rabbi’s Cat (2011). Around the same time, I also published a graphic novel in his Bayou collection at Gallimard, another one at Cornélius, and an illustrated fairy tale by the French author Pascal Quignard, along with some children’s books. In parallel, I worked in the French animation industry, where I’ve been involved ever since. I didn’t attend an art school, but I did obtain an illustration diploma from École Estienne as an independent candidate. I’ve always loved creating worlds and stories, whether in books or on screen. I finally took the leap with this first short film, telling myself, I believe I can pull this off on my own.

What was it about Charles Burchfield’s art that inspired The Eclipse?

Schemoul: My girlfriend Léa [Sitbon], who works in contemporary art, brought me a book on Burchfield from one of her trips to New York City. When I started thinking about the film, I became fascinated with his universe. I immediately felt that my frozen ghost would fit perfectly into his landscapes, wandering through his fields and forests, where everything seems to breathe and transform. I don’t have a fixed artistic style — it’s often the project itself that guides me toward a particular aesthetic. I nourish my ideas with references and seek harmony between them.

What is your process, and how did you use Blender and Unreal?

Schemoul: Even though I come from a drawing background, Blender was a revelation for me. The possibilities it offers are incredible. It felt like having my own little stop-motion studio at home! I’m far from being a 3d expert, but thanks to thousands of tutorials, I found solutions to my problems (and there were many!). What I love most is the ability to see results almost instantly and interactively build an image. For certain wide shots, Unreal seemed more practical. My process was to create a rough storyboard to establish timing, then animate freely in Blender, and finally do the compositing in Photoshop and Premiere for the final touch. Since I had neither funding, nor a team, I had to work within the limits of my setup, just me and my computer.

Tell us about the design of Graufrost, and how did you build him?

Schemoul: I envisioned him as pure snow, embodying the spirit of winter. I wanted him to be constantly shifting in form and expression. His silhouette was undoubtedly influenced by ‘The Groke’ from Moomins, which I had in mind. I was also deeply inspired by [American painter] Allison Schulnik’s hobo clowns, which have always fascinated me. I created multiple Graufrost puppets throughout production, adapting them as needed for different shots.

Gaufrost’s hands are very expressive, how did you animate those?

Schemoul: For his hands, I used a simple rig and animated straight ahead. I also made several hand models for close-ups. I love the idea that the character isn’t always the same from shot to shot, depending on the framing.

How did you create the watercolor feling of your landscapes, and the textural feel to how lighting changes during the eclipse?

Schemoul: I didn’t create a color script for this film. I started with the dark sky sequence at the beginning, and then moved into golden fields. Like the animation, the visual approach evolved naturally, incorporating little nods to other works along the way. For instance, the scene where Graufrost passes through a flower field was inspired by the boy walking through flowers in [filmmaker Akira] Kurosawa’s Dreams (1990).

What was your concept for the ice fairies that appear in Graufrost’s hands, and how they transform the abandoned farmhouse?

Schemoul: I knew Graufrost would freeze this small countryside house. The idea of him breathing life into his own snowflakes immediately reminded me of ‘Night on Bald Mountain’ from [Disney’s] Fantasia (1940), a childhood memory that left a strong impression on me. I initially wanted the little ice fairies to perform a harmonious choreography, but the effect wasn’t easy to achieve. Eventually, their movement become a swirling blizzard, [and] waves of frost enveloping the house as they skate and dance around it. The moment the house freezes aligns with the chorus of Kate’s song. I primarily wanted the visuals to convey emotion through rhythm. As for the deeper meaning of a frozen heart within an ice-covered house, I prefer to leave that open to interpretation. On a technical level, I set up a particle system for the swirling snowflakes along a curve. I also made sure that the little ice dancers followed the same trajectory while moving independently. Later, in compositing, I added smoke and a snow sample I found online.

It is a poignant ending for Graufrost, he seems happy as he meets his doom. How did you convey those emotions in snow?

Schemoul: A major influence on Graufrost’s movement was Butoh, the Japanese dance known for its slow, deeply emotional gestures. I thought about this a lot when animating the ending. There’s a specific moment in Herz aus Glass (Heart of Glass) by Werner Herzog [a 1976 experimental documentary] that stayed with me—where a young count burns down his family’s glassworks and performs a final, trance-like dance. In Butoh, dancers cover themselves in ash and collapse as if returning to the earth. That was the essence I aimed for in Graufrost’s final moments.

What are your plans for the film?

Schemoul: Promoting the film is its own challenge. I’ll be submitting to festivals and seeing where it goes. It would be amazing to create more music videos, or short films. Right now, I’m working on something completely different, a tv series project for kids, which I’m currently pitching to producers. Let’s see what happens!