SHORT FILM | 2021
In a gloomy room, a lonely author struggles to find inspiration and muse for his novel. Frustration and despair lead to exhaustion, so he leans on the desk to take a bit of a rest. As he falls asleep, his mind takes him into a surrealistic world where bulbs are sentient creatures with emotions, desires and dreams. One bulb, glowing alone in the darkness, suddenly dies out, when its light escapes. In a desperate attempt to retrieve what is lost the bulb goes on a chase, which leads it to the Bulb Paradise, where light bulbs are resting with their glow shining bright. But even that broad place of serenity is threatened when darkness falls over it and the bulb is left alone. It tries to run, to escape, but words of dark thoughts stand in its way, materializing into sentient beings… The bulb is alone in the void, terrified and hopeless when something in the distance drags its attention. A single word, sentient as the others, but a word of inspiration, drive and mindfulness… The bulb then retrieves its light, but from within… The author wakes up, still alone in his room, and starts writing, but this time with passion and inspiration.
'Brighten up' is one step further in my learning flow in Maya. I was challenged to experiment and play with movement and ideas.
Going through many ideas in my head, I was not feeling so confident about my storytelling skills. I had the character design, born from many sketches and observational drawings now then. What I was missing was the story. That's when my idea for the film was born. The extinct bulb symbolizes how lost and scared an artist feels when nothing comes to his mind. Going through this peaceful 'light paradise', he feels alone and endangered. In the end, the writer finds his inspiration and the bulb finds its own light.
