Dancing with Shadows

Inspiration

Dancing With Shadows began with the song itself, a rich and layered track by The Transits that dives into themes of emotional disconnection, identity, and finding clarity through darkness. From the start, we knew we wanted to reflect that tension visually: shadow versus light, fragmentation versus connection.

A major creative influence was Spike Jonze’s Adidas ad “Hello Tomorrow”, which masterfully blends surreal environments and transitions with a dreamlike emotional arc. That ad had a big impact on me creatively. It showed how a music-driven narrative can balance between commercial technique and poetic feeling.

Collaboration and Storytelling

The project was a close collaboration between myself (based in Ōtautahi Christchurch), the band (split between New Zealand and South Africa), and the production support of Paranoid Brazil. With that international spread, every step from scriptwriting to animation had to be highly visual and emotionally communicative.

We developed the narrative hand in hand with the band, shaping a story that mirrored the song’s arc. Two characters drifting through collapsing worlds, haunted by their inner shadows, chasing fleeting moments of light and recognition.

Technical Process

The production leaned heavily on AI tools as creative allies. We approached it in stages: • Concept art and worldbuilding began in image generation tools, interpreting emotions like confusion, isolation, and release • Image to video generation brought motion and rhythm to static frames, requiring dozens of tests to get natural transitions • Element stitching combined character animation, environments, and effects through prompt-based layering • Compositing and editing created the emotional pace and visual narrative

While it may look like a trippy AI experiment on the surface, every frame was deliberate. The goal was always storytelling, not just style.

Challenges and Learnings

The biggest challenge was narrative clarity. Cool AI imagery is easy. Making it speak is hard. We constantly revised shots, refined prompt phrasing, and adjusted character to ensure emotional beats were hitting.

Another challenge was embracing AI as an unpredictable partner. You can’t fully control the output. You guide it, shape it, and adapt along the way. Directing a film this way is more like dreaming than executing a plan.

Closing Thoughts

This project reminded me how powerful visual storytelling can be when traditional directing meets emerging tools. AI can be an incredible enabler, especially for independent artists working across borders, allowing them to craft world-class visuals without traditional barriers.