Caught at work

Inspiration

I’ve always been drawn to retro, dystopian, and grotesque settings, where monotony hides something absurd or deeply human. A big inspiration for the tone and rhythm came from Severance, with its sterile corporate spaces and dark humor. I deliberately kept the frogs emotionless, letting their eyes and the scene composition express everything, I find that restrained, minimal expressiveness makes the absurdity even funnier.

How we built it

I started by shaping the two characters: surreal, awkward, and almost comical by nature. Then I designed their environment, built the storyboard, and carefully defined each shot to convey the rhythm I had in mind. Scene by scene, I focused on composition, timing, and subtle reactions to let the story unfold visually, without a single line of dialogue. Editing and sound design came last, tying everything together with a consistent mood and tone.

Challenges we ran into

The most complex aspect was maintaining visual coherence across all stages, from still frames to motion, while preserving a sense of cinematic depth. Because the story relies entirely on what is seen and felt, not said, every decision about camera angle, movement, and shot composition had to serve both clarity and emotion.

Designing transitions between static and animated moments required particular attention: the shifts needed to feel natural, as if the world of the frog truly existed in motion. I also worked to ensure that each frame supported the others, consistent light direction, perspective, and framing so that, once animated, they functioned as a seamless visual language rather than separate illustrations.

Another challenge was finding the right balance between consistency and impact. Each scene had to feel part of the same coherent world, yet visually distinct enough to create rhythm and surprise. Achieving that cinematic flow, where every shot contributes to storytelling and pacing, was a key creative and technical test.

What we learned

This project reminded me that motion doesn’t replace meaning, it enhances it when every frame is designed with intent. Emotion often comes from restraint: a still expression, a silent pause, or the space between cuts can sometimes speak louder than any line of dialogue.

Built With

• capcut
• elevenlabs
• higgsfield
• kling2.1
• kling2.5
• midjourney
• seedance
• veo3.1