Shave It: nature takes power back in a colorful short film
After several hundred thousand views on Vimeo, few of you have probably missed Shave it, the colorful short film from the Argentinian studio 3dar. But when Jorge Tereso, the studio’s art director, asked me if I wanted to feature it, I obviously couldn’t say no. If you haven’t seen it yet, take the next 4 minutes to enjoy it!
In a wild natural environment where giant bulldozers tear down trees, a monkey accidentally discovers an electric razor and decides to use it. Now disguised as a human being, he goes to the city and starts a career. After great success in the business world, he realizes the need to pursue political power. Shortly afterward, he becomes president. Now, he is ready to make a change.
Jorge and Fernando Maldonado, the directors of the short film, wanted to offer an ironic perspective on how nature adapts to human activity. By using saturated and vibrant colors in their 3D and 2D animations, they achieved a unique visual style.
Some notes from the team
One of the main technical goals was to merge 3D animation seamlessly into 2D backgrounds. We spent a lot of time experimenting with different methods to solve this problem. In the end, we did back-and-forth transitions between 3D and 2D to bring these two worlds closer together.
Shading and textures were simplified to create a 2D-like aesthetic, while maintaining the sense of volume in the shapes. The same approach was used for the backgrounds.
Finally, we added a strong layer of hand-animated 2D effects to create an artistic motion blur — subtle enough to enhance the image without distracting the viewer.
Behind the scenes
If you enjoyed the film, you can also give them your vote at
Concept Arts
You can find storyboard images, concept art, and much more on the short film’s dedicated website.
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About the author
I am the Founder of Mattrunks. I work as Creative Director and Motion Designer in my studio. I also create video tutorials to share my passion of motion.