Chiaroscuro

A CG short by Daniel Drummond. Chiaroscuro instantly mesmerised me. I could not take my eyes off these two organisms and their competition for light. The short starts as a ball of smoke finds a light source, after absorbing it he then becomes the light source. However, he faces competition by a black mass of cubes, sinister in its initial appearance with its dark colour, this is enhanced by the use of sound effects, as it recklessly chases after the light. The animation is so symbolic, there can be so many interpretations from it. The light source could reflect power and the two organisms reflecting governments and the never-ending battle to own the most power. Fighting for power is one major fault for humanity, we have to be the most powerful beings in our on-going quest for dominance. What I also find symbolic is the ending. How the light source fades at the end after the destruction of the black mass, like the light has been drained because the organism is undeserving now it has destroyed another organism. This could be highlighting the horrific sacrifices one makes on the quest for power.

What captures me the most apart from the two organisms, is the organisation of the shots. If you pause the video at any point, the composition of the still is so beautiful it could be a digitally rendered piece of art in itself. The texture compositing is delightful on the eye, reinforced with the sound effects makes for a captivating piece of 3D animation.

The organisms have no human characteristics what so ever, yet at the end we sympathise with the black mass as it looses all its pieces along the way, becoming nothing, to finally be destroyed by the light.