Have you ever read “The Causes” by Jorge Luis Borges?
If you haven’t, I’ll save you the trip to lovepoems.com and I’ll share the Important bit “And all these things had come to pass/ Before our hands could meet.” I think Ghostmantic works like that too. The project was born seven years ago, but many things had to pass before it could become the short film it is today. Ghostmantic is much more than the sum of its parts. It has been reconstructed and so we have worked on countless versions, that’s why it´s such an important project for us. It’s very nice to ponder in the past but is also important to look ahead. Ghostmantic was the first project we made together as Casa Cocuyo and we are sure that it was the first of many. We are incredibly proud to share this project with you, and we hope you stick along with us so we can keep telling stories.
Th project started as a Kickstarter Campaign. More than 90 backers helped us made this project a reality. Here's the Sneak Peak we made for the campaign that shows 2 minutes and some scenes of the final shortfilm.
Ghostmantic Scene 07 progression!
First we start with the Storyboard/Animatic. Once we have that, we can work on the layout and we design the #background which we paint with watercolors.
Meanwhile we start with Rough Animation that afterward needs inbetweens, a cleaned line and color.
Lastly we add all the Fx that make Nas look ghostly and amazing!
Then everything is combined with sound and music. Voilá! we have a scene number 7.
First we start with the Storyboard/Animatic. Once we have that, we can work on the layout and we design the #background which we paint with watercolors.
Meanwhile we start with Rough Animation that afterward needs inbetweens, a cleaned line and color.
Lastly we add all the Fx that make Nas look ghostly and amazing!
Then everything is combined with sound and music. Voilá! we have a scene number 7.
When we first envisioned Nas, we thought it would be hilarious if a ghost fell in love with a sheet thinking it was another ghost. As the story grew we decided to talk about fear and how we cope with it.
We wanted Nas, and the viewer, to know two very important things:
1) Sometimes if we change our perspective our fears aren't as terrifying as we thought they were.
2) You are never alone, and help is always there when you need it.
Background Construction Progression
The abandoned Hacienda for Ghostmantic is another character of the story, since it changes to reflect Nas's fears and aspirations. We wanted it to be a visual representation of Mexican elements we still see everyday. Crosses, "Milagritos", Saints, and family paintings adorn its walls reminding us of the typical house of our grandparents.
We are pleased to announce that: After 9 months of work, with the talent of 25 artists and thanks to more than 100 sponsors, Ghostmantic is finished!
We feel very happy and grateful for all the recognition Ghostmantic has received all around the world. This are the awards and festivals where our first short-film had the privilege to participate:
At CASA COCUYO we feel very excited and grateful.
This is going to be FANTASmánTICo!
