‘Sometimes, The Most Authentic Result Comes From Doing It The Traditional Way’: Luca Cioci’s Practical Magic In ‘Metrophusis’ (EXCLUSIVE)

For today’s Cartoon Brew Pick, we’re thrilled to debut Luca Cioci’s ‘Metrophusis,’ a light-fueled sensory experience based on a solitary visit to the gas pump.

Constructed using a miniature set combined with photographic plates of real-world locations, the scene is enriched with dimensional light effects achieved through practical techniques like light painting and slit-scan. These photographic methods, together with stop-motion animation, motion control systems, and DMX lighting, allowed for the precise layering of multiple lighting passes per frame, producing a dynamic, tactile experience of space and time.

Cartoon Brew spoke to Cioci about crafting the short, where the idea came from, and the difficulties that come in shooting a stop-motion short in your living room.

Where did the inspiration come from to create these dancing lights and colors? It’s such a fun juxtaposition to the dark and quiet way the short starts.

Luca Cioci: The idea came to me on a particularly tiring day at a gas station. As the fuel was pumping, the dispenser’s speakers and video screen started playing, adding yet another layer of sensory stimulus. Despite trying to ignore it, I had a sudden vision. This moment, like many others in Los Angeles, highlighted the city’s constant noise and flow of traffic — something I’ve never quite gotten used to in nearly ten years of living here. In a place where everyone seems to be rushing somewhere else, liminal spaces — those fleeting pauses — take on an emotional significance, almost like a chance for redemption.

At its core, the piece explores how distractions, particularly the spectacles of advertising and entertainment, can overwhelm our focus and derail our original purpose of actions. It’s about how, in these everyday, mundane tasks, something unexpected can break through, transforming the experience into something more kinetic and alive.

Which tools/software did you use for the effects in the short?

I built the miniature set using scrap material, making sure to add enough texture to make it look full-scale. For animation, light painting, and slit-scan effects, I used Dragonframe with DMX-controlled lighting, a slider, and a rotator connected to motion control.

Everything was shot on a mirrorless Sony camera, including photographic plates of the background. The lighting setup included dimmable DMX bulbs for the canopy ceiling, a TV monitor above the set for interactive ambient light, and some old electroluminescent panels (originally used on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine for spaceship mattes), which I gelled with different colors for the canopy and columns.

Due to limited gear, each light was shot in separate takes and composited in After Effects. The sound was composed in Pro Tools and edited in Premiere.

What was the biggest challenge you encountered in making the short, and how did you eventually overcome it?

I shot the piece in the living room of my old house, so space was limited, and the wooden floor kept shifting. The biggest challenge was finding the right position to stand in for each frame to avoid noticeable shifts in the set. Of course, the set did shift overnight, as is common in any stop-motion production, but I managed to work around it and adjust as needed.

How did you settle on this mix of animation techniques?

In my work, I often merge animation techniques with elements from the real world, creating an environment that feels accessible while subtly introducing abnormalities and unexpected moments.

I’ve always been drawn to certain graphics from the ’80s, and I was eager to experiment with a practical slit-scan effect. I also wanted to work with electroluminescent panels, despite their low brightness, to achieve a unique lighting effect.

While new technologies offer a quick way in, I believe the key is to truly understand their origins and critically assess how they simulate what they aim to replicate. Sometimes, the most authentic result comes from doing it the traditional way.