Exode

Created by students from French school MOPA, Exode is a highly symbolic, crowd-based short film that presents a conflict with the environment with an emphasis on aesthetic work.

Great attention is dedicated to transmitting a sense of scale, through slow movement, sound, fog to create depth, alternating shot sizes, amount of detail in the objects, etc. The short focuses on the collective struggles of a crowd and highlights a few characters. An action sequence is featured (4.07-4.48) that helps bring a change of pace to the short through visual rhythm (fast camera moves, editing, use of close-ups, motion within the frame) and sound.

The aesthetic work is impressive, the desertic ambiance is very well transmitted through the landscapes, atmosphere and stylized characters. The effort dedicated to framing, lighting, effects and composition is also worth noting.

Its use of a creature (or dinosaur, according to the authors) as a symbol of collective endeavor offers multiple interpretations, as well as the choice of assigning the shining toy to the child. The conflict with the environment could be interpreted as an internal one. The focus on an exodus (another way of defining the collective) may inevitably bring to some a connection with current and future events, though it should be noted that the artists started working on the film more than a year ago. Others may perhaps find biblical connotations.