By adding subtle narrative detail to the quotidian scenes, Renaud and the team created a sense that we are viewing only a glimpse of a much larger world. The team wanted to set the scene, hint at a wider universe, but focus on one moment at a time.
"Night Shift" showcases the balance struck when abstraction is grounded by realism. Our cell team wanted to explore one of Hornet Director Renaud Lavency's cinematic styleframes, with its highly stylized characters and abstracted environments, and bring them to life with hyperrealistic cinematography and movement.
By adding subtle narrative detail to the quotidian scenes, Renaud and the team created a sense that we are viewing only a glimpse of a much larger world. The team wanted to set the scene, hint at a wider universe, but focus on one moment at a time.
"To make the scenes feel bigger, we played with microstorytelling." – Hornet CD Natalie Labarre
To achieve a lifelike cinematic quality, the team wanted the camera to feel handheld, and the character movement to be grounded in reality. Each animator filmed their own reference in order to capture the weight and timing of their character's movements.
Renaud was initially inspired by the lights, colors, and cinematic point of view that exists during the nighttime.
