Lightcatchers

A short film by Edward Madojemu

Synopsis

When her apartment begins suffering power outages, a twenty-something gamer has to deal with the Lightcatchers, supernatural creatures that feed on electricity.

Artist’s Statement

Lightcatchers was inspired by my experiences growing up in Nigeria with an unreliable power grid. I wanted to capture that experience in a playful manner, reframing it as an urban folktale that blends real events with fictional ones. The film aims for a stylized, hand-painted look, striking a balance between illustrated 2D paintings and 3D CGI. Created almost entirely in Virtual Reality, the film is animated frame by frame, using a method that can be described as “digital stop-motion.” This is done in tandem with virtual production and motion capture in the game engine Unity, further blending the real and fictional.

You can find more of my work here.

Award Recipient

• The President’s Media Awards for Excellence – Best in 2D or Experimental Animation