" ANPU "
This shortfilm was made especially for Odyssey Project Season 2.
We worked average of 15 hours/day for 25 days in a row without rest. The challenge was to make an original shortfilm with high a production value in a short amount of time with all the tools we have access to (Real life shooting, Viggle, Runway ML, 3D for some elements) while experimenting with non-realistic style transfer rendering.
ANPU is an alternative name for Anubis, the ancient Egyptian god associated with mummification, the afterlife, and guiding souls to the underworld. Anpu was believed to escort the deceased to the Hall of Judgment, where their heart would be weighed against the feather of Ma’at, symbolizing truth and justice.
I have always been fascinated by Egyptian gods, Particularly their striking depictions with animal heads. As a child, their mystique captivated my imagination, and Anubis stood out as one of the most awe-inspiring figures, embodying power and respect.
Tokyo, as a densely populated city, is a place where countless souls lead uninterrupted, materialistic lives. I often wonder: what would invisible beings think as they silently observe us?
This idea led me to envision a modern, street-inspired version of Anubis "Anpu" descending into the human world. He observes silently from the heights of a skyscraper, then performs a ritualistic dance in the heart of Shibuya Crossing to weigh the quality of human hearts.
Yet, along the way, something unexpected happened...
ANPU, the character, came to life, literally fed by the mystical power of the music.
His story is now growing beyond the scope of this 60 second technical showcase, sparking a entire darker series and narrative universe that I’m now developing.
The recent advancements in Viggle v.3 allowed me to seamlessly replace the face of an actor, a task that would have required extensive CGI just a few years ago. Combining this with stylization tools like Mago Studio, successor of warp diffusion, enabled the creation of a unique visual style for this film.
To achieve the final result, I employed a mix of techniques and tools.
Each shot was storyboarded and approached like a painting, crafted with care, from art direction to final composite and color grading.
We shot some scenes in real life at Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo where a friend and I were acting, while others shots were generated using Kling AI and Hailuo Minimax. The plate-cleaning process and tracking were primarily handled with Runway ML. Each shot was then stylized using Mago Studio, following a precise workflow that worked only for that shot.
A 10min Making-of about this film to communicate around the tools, and the creative process is currently in production.
CREDITS (Film Runtime: 60 sec + credits)
Direction: Yves Dalbiez
Art Direction & Storyboard: Yves Dalbiez
Anubis actors: Duncan Buckley, Yves Dalbiez
Production Support: André Da Costa
Cinematography / Tokyo Shibuya: Andrew L Phillips, Duncan Buckley, Yves Dalbiez
Offline Editing / Compositing / Color grading: Yves Dalbiez
AI Shots: Yves Dalbiez, Verena Puhm
AI Stylization with Mago.studio : André Da Costa, Yves Dalbiez
Additional 3D camera: Nicolas Leon Flores
Additional Animation: Yves Dalbiez
Additional Compositing: André Da Costa
Special Thanks: André Dacosta, Verena Puhm, Wes Wing, Sunshine Burri and Google Startup Tokyo
Music - Artlist licensing: Quinten Coblentz - "Didnt See That Coming" (edited)
Softwares
VIGGLE AI - Creative Partner
RUNWAY ML - Creative Partner
MAGO Studio - Creative Partner
KLING AI
Hailuo MINIMAX AI
Luma Labs Dream Machine - Creative Partner
Leonardo AI - Creative Partner
Freepik AI - Creative Partner
Midjourney
Photoshop
Black Magic design Davinci Studio
Project Odyssey Season 2