“BAT” By HEDGEHOG
Synopsis
In this dystopian tale, a man escapes from his mundane life into a world ultimately controlled by kids.
Directors statement
I first came up with the idea during my state quarantine in a cheap hotel in Shanghai. The repetitive daily routine inspired me to create this dystopian tale.
The story is set up in an envisioned futuristic world, where all the adults are prisoners of children. They are locked up in small rooms and are forced to do repetitive labors day after day for the children, such as repairing and making toys. Their daily tasks are limited to sleeping, working, and watching a puppet TV show. In the event of an accidental blackout, the protagonist takes his chance to escape, and soon goes on a fantastical and bizarre journey.
I based the emotional foundation of the protagonist directly on what I felt during my quarantine. The fact that he has been kept in the same room for so long, makes him emotionally confused. There are times when he enjoys his work, but always with anxiety and the feeling of emptiness. He gets gradually more used to his work and his daily routine as the days go on, but the yearn for escape never fade away.
The visual style I developed for this music video was deeply influenced by Japanese cult films of the 2000s, such as Escape from the Devil’s Cave, Iron Man, Wife- Killing Club, Battle Royale, and most significantly, Swallowtial Butterfly and Ichi the Killer. I really like the simple yet powerful way of expression in these movies. At that time, the aesthetics were very rich, full of colors and exaggerated images. It’s very different from the current pursuit of flatness and gray scale. I think this kind of direction fit the story very well and it can fully reveal the craziness and the visionary I want to present.
Credits
Production: Round2Film
Music: HEDGEHOG
Director: Haonan Wang
Writer: Haonan Wang, Heran Wang
Producer: Jinming Zhong
Starring: Naughty Xiao
Production Designer: Luyue Meng
Director of Photography: Wenqiang He
Gaffer: Zhengfei Wang
Stylist: Luyue Meng
Wardrobe: Luyue Meng, Huizhen Zhong
Editor: Haonan Wang, Minxing Liao
Director of Animation: Cassie Shao
Director of Puppetry: HIKARU
Colorist: David Rivero Martin (Digital Domain Ltd)
VFX Artist: Pengfei Dang
“BAT” was submitted to us by Haonan Wang. Have a film of your own you’d like us to check out? Click here!