Albert Paolucci
Digital Media
2024
Artist Statement
Explore the heartwarming journey of Buddy Bear, a young polar bear cub, as he navigates the joys and sorrows of life. Follow Buddy Bear's tender bond with his parents, filled with love and laughter amidst the icy landscape. Yet, amidst the beauty of their Arctic home, tragedy strikes, and Buddy Bear finds himself facing the harsh reality of loss. Join him on a poignant quest for solace and understanding, as he learns to navigate the world without his beloved parents by his side. Witness the resilience of the human spirit as Buddy Bear discovers the enduring power of love, even in the face of heartache.
I'm deeply inspired by how Jonas Mekas approached filmmaking—capturing life as it unfolded, raw and unfiltered. This short film reflects my emotions about my late mother. I created it to visually represent the way my mind keeps glitching back—back to moments we shared, and glitching even more intensely as it approaches her passing. The bears and butterflies in the film are not random; they symbolize her favorite things, pieces of her essence woven into this visual memory.
I made my animation video using Unreal Engine 5 and a dlr.16.9 camera. Edited with Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe Audition The music came from Adobe Stock sounds, and my kids did the voice acting. It was a bit of a challenge, but overall, it was a really fun project.
Batcat (2023)
Albert Paolucci
Digital Art
2023
Artist Statement
Growing up, Batman was a significant part of my life, and I've come across numerous parodies featuring the iconic character. For my trailer project, I drew inspiration from Batman (1989), where Michael Keaton portrayed Batman and Jack Nicholson played the Joker.
In my project, I seamlessly blended video footage of my cats into a captivating Unreal Engine environment. Employing a combination of virtual camera techniques and video recording, my aim was to capture the essence of my feline companions, transforming them into characters within a meticulously designed movie set. This digital world featured immersive buildings and roads, seamlessly integrating 3D models with video elements.
Completing this assignment has been a remarkable journey, allowing me to acquire valuable skills in Premier, Audition, cellphone video recording, and Unreal Engine. I took inspiration from videos I had previously filmed of my cats engaging in actions reminiscent of those found in the original trailer.
Using a digital camera, I translated their behaviors into the game version of the cats. While my trailer may present a darker and more chilling portrayal of Batman, my primary focus was on paying homage to the authentic mental instability of the Joker character, which I had observed in a previous job.
Stop Motion
Tempo Rubato
Albert Paolucci
Digital Art
2023
"Tempo Rubato" is an Italian musical term that translates to 'stolen time.' The story revolves around a melancholic worm, worn out by its monotonous existence, yearning to experience life's pleasures before returning to its dreary duty as a grandfather clock watcher, destined to eventually turn to crystal. This narrative resonates with many individuals in the working class who find it challenging to truly relax and enjoy their free time. Depicted through stop-motion animation, the worm, faced with an existential crisis and reminded of its limited time, aspires to play the piano. The music accompanying the narrative is predominantly somber, mirroring the worm's emotions. However, towards the end, a shift in tone occurs as lively salon-type piano music conveys the cheerful facade the worm must maintain by deceiving itself to complete mundane tasks. Through deliberate out-of-focus shots and disorienting camera angles, the film aims to captivate viewers, enabling them to empathize with the worm and its struggles.
To execute this stop-motion project, I opted to use worms-on-a-string due to their versatility and the possibility of attaching additional strings for precise movements when required. This choice was facilitated by the availability of worm puppets from a family member's past project involving borax crystals. During my research, I drew inspiration from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer DVDs, observing similar camera angles and movements.
Nonetheless, I encountered a few challenges along the way. My cats frequently attempted to abscond with the worms, and I had to juggle capturing the photographs while ensuring the worm puppets moved convincingly. The nature of the narrative drew inspiration from Harry Chapin's "Cat's in the Cradle," a poignant song depicting a father who never made time for his son and later regretted it when his son couldn't spare time for him.