ANIMATED SHORT / PRODUCTION CASE STUDY

Lichtschwärmer

A two-minute science-fiction short developed around a floating city, a restless protagonist, and a world suspended between warm industrial decay and artificial light.

2026 28 shots 4 sequences Production concluded early

01 / THE PROJECT

Building a short film and the world around it

Lichtschwärmer follows a protagonist through a city raised high on pillars: from a cramped apartment and working harbour to improvised transit, tattoo culture, and neon club lights.

The film was planned as 28 shots across four sequences. I led the project and handled its primary production, developing the environments, 3D work, animation, lighting, rendering, compositing, edit, and sound.

Time constraints brought production to a close earlier than intended. This page presents the completed visual work alongside the last timeline iteration, preserving the project as an honest record of its ambition and development.

FORMAT: Animated short
RUNTIME: 1 min 50 sec cut
PIPELINE: Blender / Cycles / Resolve
STATUS: Concluded in production

V1 PRODUCTION TIMELINE01:50 / 1920 x 1080 / 24 FPS

03 / WORLD

A city assembled around what survived

The environments were designed as lived-in structures rather than clean science-fiction sets. Old transport, stacked architecture, exposed infrastructure, and pockets of plant life turn the city into a layered record of adaptation.

Mei kneeling before a luminous holographic garden in an industrial interior — Holo garden - organic memory reconstructed through failing technology.

Wide aerial render of the city built into rocky pillars — City overview / testing scale, isolation, and the landscape beneath the structures.

Earlier development render of The Drop environment with a derailed train — The Drop / an earlier environment and lighting iteration.

04 / VISUAL DEVELOPMENT

Drawing the rules before building the frames

Astrid Prittschmann's concept work established the character language and gave the environments a practical foundation. The drawings became working references for proportions, silhouettes, set density, and the contrast between domestic and monumental spaces.

Black-and-white concept drawings exploring Mei's compact apartment — Apartment studies / Astrid Prittschmann

Character design for Mei wearing loose green trousers and a cropped top — Mei character design / Astrid Prittschmann

Line drawings exploring tall modular buildings for Lichtschwärmer — Building language / Astrid Prittschmann

05 / SHOT DEVELOPMENT

Finding the character in the light

The apartment sequence became a testing ground for the film's quieter visual language. Warm light, constrained framing, and an environment crowded with objects place the character inside the world before the story opens into the city.

Overhead shot-development frame of Mei lying in bed — Overhead composition and morning light study.

Side view of Mei lying in her compact apartment — Framing the room through its worn window panels.

Mei standing beside the apartment hatch in a warm interior — Character, set dressing, and threshold lighting.

06 / OUTCOME

An unfinished film, but a complete production lesson

The final cut did not reach the finish line we initially planned. It did, however, leave behind a substantial world, a functioning multi-shot pipeline, and a much clearer understanding of how scope moves through every part of an animated production.

The project demanded constant movement between broad creative decisions and detailed technical work. Closing it early made the gap between a compelling frame and a finished sequence especially visible. That lesson now informs how I plan, prioritize, and define the minimum complete version of future films.

CREDITS

Production team

Janos Finger: Direction and primary production across 3D, animation, environments, lighting, rendering, compositing, edit, and sound
Astrid Prittschmann: Concept art and 2D animation
Tim Boos: Additional modeling
Additional assets: Third-party source assets were adapted and integrated throughout the production