Superfad creates Preguntas Hermosas

Post by Motionographers' Greg Herman

Superfad Seattle has just released a new short film called Preguntas Hermosas, a beautiful tale of a time shared between two people told through a combination of “Poema X” by Pablo Neruda and “Under the Harvest Moon” by Carl Sandburg. As explained by Director David Viau, “The story unfolds in three parts; a fond remembrance, loss, and then finally acceptance.”

With cinematic transitions and methodical pacing, Preguntas Hermosas casts dark characters in epic worlds for its arresting narrative. The film’s narrator, Gabriel Puerto, complements the score and adds depth to the amazing visual journey. The camera work shows great restraint, leaning more toward a practical approach to cinematography in the CG environment.

David was kind enough to share some of his thoughts and a bit of the process, after the jump:

“My initial plan was to do a personal short film, but the idea was embraced by the office and quickly became more than a one man show. It was primarily done during off hours, nights and weekends, or during the dead zone waiting for client feedback. We really owe a lot to our friends and colleagues who collaborated with us on this.

“Anyone that’s ever tried to do a personal project and balance that with all of the paying work knows that it’s a crazy undertaking. The folks and Clatter & Din and Lightpress here in Seattle were amazing and jumped right in. Christi O’Donnell who wrote the score is an amazing talent. Gabriel Puerto who did the voice over sort of fell into our laps, and the moment we heard him speak we knew he was perfect. We worked in Maya, XSI, C4D, Photoshop, After Effects using Red Giant plug-ins and Final Cut.”

Production Company: Superfad
Directed by David Viau
Executive Producers: Chris Volckmann and Will Hyde
Narrator: Gabriel Puerto

Adapted from the Poems Poema X by Pablo Neruda and Under the Harvest Moon by Carl Sandburg
3D Artists: Dade Orgeron, Robin Scher, Phiphat Pinyosophon, Andrew Butterworth, Tom Oakerson, Alex O’Donnell, Carlos Stevens, David Viau, Paulo Dias
Phiphat Pinyosophon, Jordan Blit
Animation and Compositing: David Viau, Loren Judah, Carlos Stevens, Justin Pae, Paulo Dias, David Viau, Tom Oakerson
Subtitle Animation: Will Hyde
Editor: Ryan Haug
Finishing: Lightpress
Colorist: Jeff Tillotson
Audio: Clatter and Din
Sound Design and Mixing: John Buroker
Original Score: Christi O’Donnell
Pianist: Christi O’Donnell
Violinist: David Liu