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Kiss — A Love Story

Award winning short film about a lunar eclipse

Fig.01. — Impossible Love

i. Project Background
“Le soleil est le passé, la terre est le présent et la lune est le futur.”

As the author Paul Auster said: “The sun is the past, the earth is the present, and the moon is the future.” These words capture the quiet poetry at the heart of Kiss — a short film co-directed by myself and Franck Aubry, and a true labour of love.

Fig.02. — Reflection

Client:
Self-initiated

Product:
Short Film

Year:
2012

Design, direction, illustration, animation:

Joseph Hodgson, Franck Aubry

Music:
‘Stille’ by Bendik

Sound Design:
Erlend Elvesveen & Sven Erik Nordset

Designed @:
Racecar

Awards:
Gold winner at Visuelt 2012 in the Open Class category
Silver award at Gullblyanten for craftmanship and design
Main Feature on Motionographer.com & Short of the Week
Screened at over 30 international film festivals

ii. Process & Result
Told through the metaphor of a solar eclipse, Kiss reimagines the simple act of a kiss as a cosmic dance — the moon reaching for the sun, momentarily united in shadow. Inspired by the world around us and rendered in stark black and white, the film unfolds in a minimal, ominous landscape where light and dark meet, and nothing is said aloud.

Created with little to no budget and no dialogue, Kiss relies on visual storytelling and atmosphere to do the heavy lifting — a story that’s universal, timeless, and open to interpretation. It’s a love story, plain and simple. Told through the language of the cosmos.

iii. Praise for Kiss

"Kiss appears to have transcended its humble beginnings and evolved into something truly infinite and celestial. Its most refreshing quality is its untranslatable nature and the many readings you can take from the universal themes covered within. … with each viewing I take something different from its story, yet every time I am moved by the power and emotion held within its brief duration."

— El Ves, Short of The Week

"Very exciting storytelling, and a great combination of sound and image. Incredibly beautiful, personal, and charged with poetic beauty. … An ambassador that not everything has to be high-end 3D, that being graphic and subdued is strong enough. … It has a kind of magic about it that is beautiful. The moon is trying to reach the sun, and manages to. A clear winner."

— Visuelt July, Visuelt 2012

Fig.03. — Forrest floor

Fig.04. — Slow rise, through the trees

Fig.05. — Calm waters

Fig.06. — Universal

Fig.07. — Convergence

iv. Behind the scenes
A selection of images detailing the process and development that went into creating the film.

Fig.08. — Moon design

Fig.09. — Crator sketch

Fig.10. — Sky & environment tests

Fig.11. — Landscape experiments

Fig.12. — Stone formations

Fig.13. — Mountain range

Fig.14. — Panoramic sky

Fig.15. — Ground texture test

Fig.16. — Forrest floor

Fig.17. — Forrest, side view

Fig.18. — Panoramic sky

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