+MYTHS
To celebrate the official launch of Formas y Más in 2020, we created an identity reel to showcase the capabilities and diversity of the newest addition to the Shapes + Forms family. We came up of the idea of taking Latin American myths and giving them our own twist, incorporating the stories and imagery of these rich cultures as a means to showcase our capabilities as a studio.
We reimagined this collection of tales as an art exhibition; moments frozen in time that embodied the core of each myth. This approach mixed with our street art influences resulted in a piece we’re proud to showcase as our introduction to the world. A lot of teamwork, brainstorming and mid-night oil went into is reel. We hope you enjoy it!
+ La Candileja
La Candileja is a lesser-known legend about a specter of fire who travels the night spreading destruction. We took a lot of creative liberties in reimagining him as a Greek sculpture, wrapped in tentacles of fire. The solemness of the gallery setting blends eerily with his foreboding appearance of death. We used quick, rhythmic camera movements to enhance the menacing, yet beautiful tone. The use of gold as a means to compliment and elevate the grey-scale scene became a key feature in many of the myths.
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+El Silbón
El Silbón, “The Whistler,” is a legend from Los Llanos region of Colombia about a young man who killed his father for failing to bring home food from one of his outtings. Outraged, his family drove him from their home. He is said to wander the countryside, carrying the bones of his father and preying on drunks and womanizers for the rest of eternity. His gentle whistle is the only warning that danger is near. For this myth, we created a dark, sinister environment where we see the skeletal figure of the El Silbón suspended in a technological purgatory. Electronic impulses illuminate his face. Wires and circuitry ominously plug into the back of his skull, powering his nightly rage for the rest of time
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+El Dorado
El DoradoThe story of ElDorado evokes that of gold and immeasurable wealth. We interpreted this scene by blending our love of street art and design with the story’s cultural roots. Tats, gold graffiti and a modern chain represents part of the regions current pop culture, resulting in a unique, fresh take on the those who sought out the City of Gold.
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+Florentino y el Diablo
Florentino y El Diablo is a Venezuelan tales about a traveler’s encounter with the devil. In it, the devil challenges Florentino to a singing contest. Only Floretino’s faith and mastery of improvisation staves off the devil’s attempts at collecting his soul. Recreating this scene took a lot of time and collective creative energy at the studio. We used drastically different lighting setups and camera angels that amplify the conflict between the two. Finishing touches like the flickering of lights, subtle camera movements and sound wave effects were the final contribution by one of our artists Juan David, who truly brought this epic, musical battle to life!
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+El Sombrerón
Hailing from storybooks in Guatemala and Mexico, El Sombreron is one of the most iconic boogey man characters of Central America. This ghastly figure is known to come out during the full moon, stealing horses, clad in black clothing, boots and a large hat. We took the key features of this myth and evolved them into an even more nefarious creature. Part Man, part horse, he lurks in a monochromatic world accented in white highlights and a light, but slick graphic treatment.
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+El Hombre Caimán
This myth originates from the Colombian Caribbean region and tells about a man who could transform into a caiman with the help of black magic. After abusing this power for his own perverted desires, his body became trapped in the midst of the transformation. In this scene, we see El Hombre Caiman’s self-inflicted curse in a futuristic context. Android-like armor fuses with the anthropomorphic body of the caiman, trapping him inside a dark, yet beautiful prison of technology, human and animal form.
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+La Madre Río
La Madre Rio tells the tale of an enchanting siren that attracts men to the river with her beauty in order to kill them. We recreated this vignette in a holographic environment, glitches representing the impermanence and sometimes deadly affects of blind attraction. La Madre Rio’s duality is embodied in the female form, incarnated as a monster with tentacles for hair that trap those who gaze upon her in a watery grave.
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+Sací Pereré
Sací Pereré is a Brazilian myth about a one-legged prankster that wanders the Amazon playing tricks on passersby. There are many versions of this myth. Most are light and playful, causing no real harm. Our interpretation reflects this. A stoic, immovable man is imagined like the many Greek statues, offers no imposition. His bust comes to life with dynamic projected designs, graphics, electro-pop lighting and, of course, Shapes’ number on motto: “Never Sleep.”
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+El Chupacabras
El Chupacabra is one of the most widely known myths of the Western Hemisphere, with variations on the tale in nearly ever region from the United States’ Southwest to the tip of South America. Chupacabra literally means “goat sucker” and is known to stalk farms and fields looking for fresh goats’ blood. As the final piece in the Formas y Más myth identity reel, we took an illustrated, cel animated approach that stays true to the modern Colombian tradition of street art. Much like the art of Comuna 13, vibrant colors and raw edges bring this edgy, exaggerated character to life.
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