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A few days ago, we visited French digital arts school Pôle 3D to watch the latest short films created by their students.
Are these new animated shorts as good as other thesis projects from this school, such as The Seine’s Tears and Migrants, which were critically acclaimed? You’ll learn the answer in this article!
The shorts aren’t available online yet, but we included in this article screenshots and posters.
Pôle 3D – fifth year: three impressive shorts
Here are the thesis short films created during the fifth and last year at the school. As you’ll see, the teams chose very different visual styles.
- Au 8ème Jour (“On the 8th day”): a world made out of strings will face a terrible threat… The students chose to focus on the impact humans have on their environment. This short films reminded us of Migrants, which came out of the same school. However, the team managed to find their own path, both visually and when it comes to the message at the heart of the film. This project received a jury mention.
We should highlight the impressive technical work done by the team to create this universe and the creatures that live inside it.
- Ny Fiaran’i Dada: this short film is inspired by memories from the family of the director, Jeremy Andriambolisoa. His team and him gave life to the story of two brothers in Madagascar who love cars. The visual style is inspired by fauvism. We especially liked the overall vision behind the project, with characters speaking in Malagasy and music by Dimby Randriamanga.
- Stabat Mater, received the jury’s congratulations. The story follows a sculptor and his creation. The animation is inspired by stop-motion, and the team did not hesitate to explore overexposure, very long takes, as well as framing experiments. A breathtaking experience.
Pôle 3D – third year: very diverse projects
Students from Pole 3D also create short films during their third year at the school. Of course, these shorts are less polished and refined than those created during the fifth year, but they still deserve to be watched!
- Huma, first of all, is a reflection on transhumanism with contemplative shots of nature and construction.
- The Last Drop relies on a toy-like world to highlight our overconsumption of oil. A very peculiar rainstorm transforms the inhabitants of a city…
The short film received a jury mention.
- Kafarnaum follows a girl visiting a strange, dark and mechanical world. With a twist that managed to take us by surprise!
- Last, but not least, here is Ideal, which received a jury mention due to how bold and daring it is. The team led by Mathilde Nicolas created a very unusual short film, inspired by the poetry of Charles Baudelaire and by artists using “broken CGI” in their creations. Deconstructed visuals, animals created out of cubes, shaky animation, all of this on purpose: the team made bold artistic choices. The jury was quite divided: some loved it, some did not.
As for us, we really enjoyed the short. We found it reminiscent (in a good way!) of CG from the 90s, when conferences such as Imagina screened experimental shorts that had to circumvent the technical limitations of the time, while still being creative.
There’s a good chance this short film might be well received in animation festivals!
Coming soon in a festival near you
These short films will be screen at various events and festivals in the coming months. They will then be available online.
In the meantime, huge thanks to the students and the school for inviting us!
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