DISAPPEAR | award winning stopmotion short film

[@WhiteGhostBlackGhost]

I love the lighting in this short. The subtle reflection in the window and the magic act were among my favorite moments.

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. The reflection was pretty tricky to do, as I had to get a lot of extra light onto his face, without it spilling out onto the rest of the set.

[@WhiteGhostBlackGhost]

***** What gripage were you using to flag of the light? some black wrap may have worked if not some solid flags etc. I wanna work with you man. I can light for you!!!!

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Joseph Baltazar I was using a combination of a gell and diff sample swatch pack (I ust broke the binding pin and had hundreds of tiny little gels to use), and mostly everything was ghetto rigged with clamps, clothespins, bits of cardboard, hot glue, thumb tacks etc etc. I'm based in Budapest right now. What part of the world are you in? I'm focusing mainly on live action again, but would like to do stopmotion again sometime.

[@WhiteGhostBlackGhost]

I'm in Los Angeles. I mainly focus in live action as well but I hold a strong passion for stop motion. Animation in general.

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Joseph Baltazar Cool man, I was in LA and Mill Valley late last year for the Mill Valley Film Festival. It's a pretty great place. Add me on facebook if you like, I can let you know when I'm next in the states.

[@temporarymomentary]

Briliant stop motion. I love the mood and camera movement. Well done

[@drewwittman1917]

Definitley deserved an award. This is awesome work. To me, the man looks like Edward James Olmos.

[@littleshedproductions7287]

Really enjoyed this film, I think the black and white really made it atmospheric , You can feel the passion you have for your chosen career.

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

+LittleShedProductions Thanks! I do love it. I'm in preproduction for another short film now. Gonna be a long project, but I'll post some BTS content as I go.

[@stuntdix6405]

This gave me chills it was amazing how life like the movements are

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Glad you liked it!

[@stuntdix6405]

Hendrikus De Vaan thanks for replying

[@Gabby-pk7dg]

I love that every stop motion videos I’ve watched, has such beautiful meanings and yet sad, but so good

[@EmlynBoyle]

Great work Hendrikus! And deserves far more likes too :)

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

+Emlyn Boyle Thanks!

[@homebarproductions]

I have a growing obsession with stop-motion and I've started developing two of my own pieces. Through this journey, I've been checking out your videos. VERY inspiring and this is a work of art, my friend! :D

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Go forth and conquer!

[@TheMcraemer]

Fantastic! A compelling short story with depth ... great animation and lighting. Thank you ... your work is much appreciated and admired.

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Thanks!

[@BikeBuddiesCrew]

Rod Serling would be proud. Excellent film!

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

I loved the original Twilight Zone series!

[@greatlittleartlessons3487]

This is one of my favourite stop-motion animations!

[@hoserlu]

I really enjoyed this. The camera work in particular was terrific, and of course very imaginative. Thanks for doing it and posting it for us to enjoy.

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Thanks!

[@0126tanya]

2:26 That was saucy 🔥 He did the smooth magic trick then looked into the mirror with the light skin face of the century then transitioned onto the stage.

[@MrFreeman516]

This is amazing. Honestly should have way more views. Great work Hendrikus!

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Thanks!

[@TheVanyves28]

amazing animation and cinematography! love the tiny details and lighting. new fan here all the way from the Philippines

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Awesome :)

[@GetRailedChannel]

Such amazing design, he only has one expression but it works so well for every situation. Astonishing film, wish for more from you in the future! :D

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Thanks! Context and cinematic grammar go a long way, expressions are perceived based on these.

[@boblydecker5951]

Absolutely beautiful little piece!! I’m particularly drawn to the mystery behind the window next door. Thanks for creating this little world, it was an interesting place to visit. 😀👍

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Thank you very much!

[@paravespula5495]

Beautiful animation and I'm also amazed by the amount of work you put into it on your own! It shows your extraordinary determination and dedication to this art form. Well done to Lily Unsub for the music too! I'm new to the stop motion animation world as a stop motioner myself and watch animations with a completely new awareness now. Looking forward to watching your next film! All the best

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Thanks for dropping a line. I'm glad you enjoyed it :)

[@soledadaguero9714]

Wonderful and deep. Amazing atmosphere also! This short film full of energy to those who are in the delicate task of creation. Thank you very much and congratulations

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Thanks for dropping a comment. Glad you got something out of it

[@MisoirWill]

Great short film! Absolutely loved the lighting. Keep up the good work.

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

+Will Harvey Thanks! I'm planning another short right now. Will be a few years though.

[@drolla9575]

Man I love this you have inspired me to create my own film your work has changed my life.

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

I'm so happy to hear that! Go make magic!

[@marianaaqueen6208]

I came here too late, but this was awesome, i rlly love it, those eyes are incredible, and if Hendrkus reads this i would like to let him know that Im not one of those people who like to watch stop motion films, because in some way they bother me, but when i saw this one, wow i really liked it.

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Thanks for the kind words, I'm glad it touched you in some way. It was a passion project from the heart.

[@marianaaqueen6208]

Hendrikus De Vaan OmG thanks. By the way, how much time did it take you? PS: excuse my english it is not my first lenguage

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

@@marianaaqueen6208 About 2 1/2 years. There is a behind the scenes video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eHazYodvo7WHp7c

[@cinemaforever7]

Clearly David Lynch and Mulholland Drive were some inspirations for this...also the beginning shorts of the character looking at the neighbors window (across the way) remind me of Kubrick's Killer's Kiss.

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

+cinemaforever7 Good spotting. Eraserhead was actually one of my reference films. Big Kubrick fan too. I took a lot of inspiration from a lot of different films for this.

[@psychoactiv]

Terrific work. I enjoyed the details in your sets and the subtle movements in your animation. As well as the story of your journey in the "making of video". Inspiring stuff. Cheers from Phoenix, AZ.

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Thanks!

[@semlegesigen]

No wonder he disappeared, nobody wants to deal with the TPS reports. :) Great film!

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Good spotting! Glad you liked the film :)

[@CynthiaGall]

Beautiful work! The lighting and the camera moves are masterfully executed :)

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Cynthia Gall Thanks! I put a lot of time into blocking out the film and doing the storyboards. If you're interested, the storyboard jpeg is available here: goo.gl/PVSXDm

[@CynthiaGall]

Thanks for sharing your storyboard! That was very helpful. I am taking a storyboarding class next semester but I am very nervous about it as drawing is not my forte (I am a grad student at AAU in Animation and Visual Effects - emphasis in Stop Motion).

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Cynthia Gall Don't worry too much about the quality of drawings. As you can see, mine are pretty crude - but they give enough information to be able to covey the general idea of what I'm trying to achieve. I did block out the film before I did the storyboards though, you can use HWCW Shot Designer or something for that. I used paper and pencils, as it didn't exist yet when I did DISAPPEAR.

[@CynthiaGall]

Thanks! HWCW Shot Designer looks awesome - just checked out the website. Unfortunately, I do have to worry about the quality of drawings as those who cannot draw cannot expect more than a D in the course... :( Yours look great to me, btw!

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Cynthia Gall Ah, I see. I guess I never worried about grades, I dropped out of high school when I was 15. For me it's all about a means to an end, making the piece of art you want to make. There are some good books on drawing that will get you up and running pretty quickly. Check out Drawing The Marvel Way, for eg.

[@Gamesrob]

I absolutely love it it has a touch of eraserhead about it, very inspiring film, well done!

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Thanks! Eraserhead was certainly part of my inspiration for this film.

[@allinwith2sChip]

Brilliant work, great short film and amazing stop motion. Look forward to seeing more. Subscribed!

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Thanks for the sub!

[@MaddiHenderson]

Love the stop motion animation. I'm still in high school, and I'm looking into programs in college space for stop motion animation. This is very different from Tim Burton's films, but I actually love it to be honest.

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Thanks! I'm not sure if going to school for it is the best option. Best to either experiment on your own, or maybe get an internship in various areas of the film and tv industries.

[@katiestarling665]

This was wonderful. Very well done.

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Thanks!

[@alexnewsome4548]

the eyes are beautiful....how did you do that?

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Vaseline and a paint brush.

[@lynleycopland6306]

Fantastic all round! Very well done, thoroughly enjoyable thanks

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

You're welcome, I'm glad you liked it.

[@HeatherlyPerson]

Love this short so much! Keep coming back to watch it again and again! So inspired!

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Thanks so much! Really pleased you like it. Are you working on a project now?

[@HeatherlyPerson]

+Hendrikus De Vaan I'm working on a stop motion short at the moment

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

+HeatherlyPerson oh cool! That makes me happy. What's it about?

[@HeatherlyPerson]

+Hendrikus De Vaan it's about body image :)

[@squirfly]

It's really wonderful ! Has this video ever been posted before ? It was viewed only 130 times !

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Thanks for the kind words! It's on Vimeo too, but I just haven't gotten around to marketing it yet. Feel free to share it around :) H.

[@patriciogonzalez5464]

Beautiful job!!!

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Thanks!

[@MM-bw1lo]

Great film, wishing you the best in your upcoming projects!!!!

[@JimberJam]

The camera moves are brilliant! Great short!

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Thanks! I actually built an arduino driven moco rig for the moves.

[@JimberJam]

***** Wow.... just when I thought I couldn't me more impressed! That's amazing! Can't wait for the BTS.

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Jimber Jam BTS will come out tomorrow.

[@danielvelez8586]

Amazing work...is a Beautiful short...

[@winfieldpipher9431]

Great film enjoyed the making of the film and really liked what you said about making what you want to come true. Thank you Winfield Pipher

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Thanks Winfield!

[@Moist_Plinth]

Deserves to be a winner so brilliant loved it so much I wish I was apart of something so great like this

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

+Serena Langford Thanks so much! Best way to work on stuff like this is to make your own films :)

[@nikeshpk2077]

superb dude!!! great work :) keep doing

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

+Nikesh Pk Thanks man, staring a little studio soon. Can't wait to begin pre production on my nest short!

[@CrazyMotionChannel]

Very detailed! Impressive operator's work and scenario!

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Thanks!

[@THEethOnet]

Wow, I am really impressed with this production :)

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Thanks :)

[@Quaquadaqu]

***** How long did it take you to make this?

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

evilgrunt123 Two and a half years, between other projects. Check out the BTS video if you like, linked in the description :)

[@giorgiapillai8241]

Beautiful! ❤

[@FelixisaJerk]

Absolutely splendid

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Thanks!

[@laboriontech]

WOW !!! Great Job !! Complimenti !

[@cutechihuahuaeverybodylove827]

Very well done he disappeared to the underground and became a notorious gangster, he surely had the face for it.

[@Spectrumpicture]

Fantastic work, do you have anything future shorts in the works?

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Got a few things brewing. Not sure if I'll produce any stopmotion anytime soon though - as it is pretty cost prohibitive. But, I'm writing, and working on a couple of projects, so time will tell :)

[@nouralsaadie3521]

Love it! Wow....

[@acadia5898]

Beautiful.

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Thanks!

[@AyonicBom]

awsome artistic story line..stop motion is a very hard word..specially doing with figures

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Thank you!

[@reclaimerReclaimer]

Great animation, my kind of stop motion where there's still the characteristical puppet magic left unlike those slick Tim Burton productions that might as well be CGI.

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Thanks! That was a very important consideration for me, glad it gelled :)

[@wingitprod]

gelled:-D

[@naclau2487]

I"ve learned a lot watching it, Thanks

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

+Ña CLAU Glad you got something out of it

[@andresmallea638]

Gorgeus film, congratulations

[@SrikrishnaCharan]

Splendid!! I love Stop motion among all types of animation. So nice to watch it. So what are U up-to now. Any new projects??

[@amysifuentes55]

this is so amazing

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

+rock ula Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it

[@izzawicca]

great film! the set is just perfect and the puppet has wonderful material details. very well done. how did you make the camera movements? did you use a rigger and a lot of patience?

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Hi! Check out the behind the scenes video, it goes into detail about how I moved the camera using a moco rig.

[@JohnoNZ]

That is so cool! Should make a behind the scenes video

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

If there is enough interest I might put something together, sure!

[@SakowskiStudios]

***** dooo itt

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Sakowski Studios BTS video coming in the next few weeks.

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

BTS video coming out tomorrow! I've been really busy, but finally got it done :)

[@SakowskiStudios]

boom

[@martbrighton2885]

Thanks Hendrikus, excellent +.

[@mishabruml]

fantastic work

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

+mishabruml Thanks!

[@woozywojak]

amazing, i love this 💖

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Thanks!

[@woozywojak]

looking forward for another film soon!

[@StopMotion-rb8vy]

Very nice work.

[@MarvelousFilmsSL]

Nice work...keep it up 😊

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Cheers!

[@Ownxer]

With the new update to youtube the video box is in a shape so there is no black lines on the screen not in full screen so the screen is literally screwed.

[@ntw4585]

Beautiful

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

+fish bones and dapper hats Thanks!

[@MMatz-ro1bj]

Beautiful story.

[@twangyproductions5616]

amazing!

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

+Twangy Productions Thanks! Really glad you enjoyed it.

[@twangyproductions5616]

yea i did ive seen a few stop motion videos on here but find myself keep coming back to this one lol, well worth every hour,month,years that went into it.

[@ktutubechild]

Awesome man! keep it up

[@metofilms_910]

Amazing

[@filmrummetmfk2308]

Great short! I'm a fellow stop-motioner and also a magician :P

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Oh cool! Just the film for you then :). Thanks for watching!

[@unapanda]

Liked it a lot!

[@harddriverecordingandfilmsNY]

Hey loved it man. I come back to this often to watch, I'm close to getting started on my first short film/stop motion. (it doesn't help that I just dropped my 7d and killed it, but...) I have a couple questions; did you capture everything in color so that look could be an option for the movie someday? Also, at the end when the camera circles around the room, would it be possible to video that rather than stop motion, for a smoother look? or is that a whole new rig set up for that, etc. thanks!

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Hey, thanks for reaching out. I did shoot in color, as I shot CR2 raw files, which I still have. I'd never release it in color though, it wouldn't look right. I shot it with B&W in mind, and there are some classic cinematography techniques when shooting B&W. This, in addition to mixing color temperatures of lights in unconventional ways, as well as the dynamic contrasting etc, it just wouldn't look right in color. For the final shot, I made the mistake of shooting it all on 12fps. The film was done at 12 fps, the animation etc. But, could I go back and do it again - I'd do that particular shot at 24fps. I might even shoot it at 48 or 96 fps and do a faux soft global shutter frame blending effect on it to minimize the severe temporal aliasing. Hope that helps!

[@harddriverecordingandfilmsNY]

Yes that helped a lot! Congrats on your success, love the behind the scenes vid too. I'm excited to learn and do all this!

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Awesome! Shoot me a link or email once you've got something :)

[@harddriverecordingandfilmsNY]

I sure will. I'm in the first stage of writing the script, and dreaming about the 5d mark iv. LOL (since I dropped my 7D :-( .......) I have to study up on what lens will work for my setup! My goal is the Boxtroll look.

[@abhijeet144]

Inspiring.

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Thanks! Glad it worked for you :)

[@paradigmstorytime]

How did you control the camera shutter and focus? was that worked into the arduino rig? or did you manage to find a camera that could be controlled via USB?

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Paradigm Storytime Lots of cameras are controlled via USB using Dragonframe. I used a 550d (t2i), which had pretty good live view and integrated natively. The focus was done manually by hand, marking the barrel with masking take for my focus points.

[@Simplesimple123]

Excellent

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Thanks for watching!

[@verobaxington1258]

By the way love the animation please make more

[@ahmadbidmeshki]

The design of decoration is potentially for a longer film...sad to see this film very short. Incredible design nice job. Just the camera movements can be better also shooting and lighting all nice

[@hemanthhari8028]

nice story good one

[@Redundant_Deer]

Awsome

[@axelrandm2262]

poor rabbit, always being taken by the ears

[@ramongaona6232]

wow, it's amazing, can you show me how to make stop motion please??

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

+ramon gaona Check out the behind the scenes video, it's a good start. Also, if you search for Nick Hilligoss here on youtube, he has some good tutorials. I'll make some tutorials over the next few years, just need to set up my new studio first.

[@ramongaona6232]

okay, thanks

[@__-wm9lu]

What type of rigging did you use?

[@florbengorben7651]

Can someone tell me what the meaning behind the video is?

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

It's about leaving your life behind to follow your dreams.

[@deliriumdelimov1726]

Эхх, жизнено

[@CeliaTyree]

What is the music piece?

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

+Miss Anthropy It's an original score by Lily Unsub. soundcloud.com/alexisk

[@CeliaTyree]

+Hendrikus De Vaan Thank you so much, I wasn't expecting such a fast reply.

[@CeliaTyree]

+Hendrikus De Vaan what is the name? can't seem to find the exact one

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

+Miss Anthropy It hasn't been released as a track. We were going to release a soundtrack, but never got around to it.

[@CeliaTyree]

+Hendrikus De Vaan Damn, I need to hear more.

[@greatlittleartlessons3487]

Is the vaseline effect with the eyes original to you? .. and can we borrow your idea?

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

GreatLittleArtLessons ideas are to be shared freely, that's how we all learn :)

[@AnimationArtist]

deep

[@jellyenchilada7216]

kool :)

[@honeydate]

Exactly what I want to do

[@jasonselph6968]

He's behind Tesla's laboratory...

[@nillsthefunexpert2571]

arz you dutch, you look like you have a dutch name

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Yes I am! I live in New Zealand though.

[@MrMIKEWORLDS]

I like the video but I don´t think I got the message

[@BooserBoi]

He works a shitty 9-5 job he hates and has dreams he wished he'd have chased. Hence the "work" beeper and constant telephone ringing and the magic. He wanted to be a magician and just didn't do it for whatever reason. In the behind the scenes interview, the director said that he things people can interpret it differently based on what job they have or where they are in life when they watch it.

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

This.

[@1GamersRewind]

Damn this video seems incredibly easy to decipher to me. Maybe I just faced the struggles of this guy though... ..

[@jaff442]

Magic sad

[@iWinGamer]

The walking is a little awkward but otherwise really good

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Yeah, I agree, this was my first stopmotion, so was a steep learning curve!

[@jahan8993]

he is look like a ghost

[@KneeAhhhhhhh]

Beautiful

[@HendrikusDeVaan]

Thank you!

[@KneeAhhhhhhh]

+Hendrikus De Vaan I watched the behind the scene video before seeing this. You are insane. Love your work, it's incredible!