Pixels

Pixels is a short film directed by French artist Patrick Jean that features iconic 8-bit video game characters invading New York City. The artist, who graduated from renowned school Supinfocom, created the short while working at Paris-based One More Production, inspired by the video games he played in his youth. Patrick wanted to experiment how the 8-bit video game world and the real one would mix together. He cites Ghostbusters and Who Framed Roger Rabbit as influences.

Pixels uses hand-held cameras (the filmed sequences were shot in NY using a Canon 5D Mark II) and features a cast of renowned 8-bit characters: Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, the frog from Frogger, space ships and aliens from Space Invaders, paddles from Arkanoid, and pieces from Tetris, among others. The film places a focus on aesthetics and on how the characters produce a transformation from a live action aesthetic to a 3D pixelized one (perhaps the word “voxelized” would be more accurate, in this case).

Also of note, the short places an emphasis on the use of sound to recreate the 8-bit world, and on re-signifying famous New York city landscapes and locations through the use of the 8-bit characters and their recognizable roles, all with a great dose of humor.