Much Better Now by Salon Alpin

“Much Better Now”, the highly acclaimed short film signed Salon Alpin, is 5:56 minutes of gripping visual delight supported by a simple yet compelling narrative. A tale of evolution centered around an initially forlorn bookmark and its uplifting journey surfing through an ocean of adventures on the pages of a hardback.

The entire project springs from a very simple visual intuition whereby the pages of a book, once set in motion by a current of air, resemble and recreate the effects of ocean waves. There goes the analogy between water and paper, which the entire production sets forth in its attempt, a rather successful one, to reproduce it in stop motion. The challenge was to adapt complex surf moves to the character’s paper reduced anatomy. The clip is the result of over one year of zealous work that has seen its authors experimenting with various techniques and media in order to reach the ideal blend that would render the imagined effect.  The result is an interdisciplinary creative product whose every single frame is of the finest quality.  The production combines the use of computer graphics and diverse techniques such as 3D animation, stop-motion and live action with handcraft and real scenario.

The work deserves praise not only for its visual quality, but also for its story, delivered through an ingeniously crafted metaphor. The bookmark, aptly named Now, is stuck in a forgotten book, in a room that is the epitome of desolateness. One day a gush of wind wrenches open the book. Now is set free only to jump back into the book, now an ocean, to start surfing on its pages, now waves. A completely different environment allowing for wipeouts, washouts, nosedives. Once the last page is reached the books closes with a snap and the bookmark is blown out. This particular adventure is over, but the clip terminates on an hopeful note.  Uplifted by this experience, the bookmark finally turns and is able to see how piles and piles of books are filling up the room. A gentle reminder for Now, a much better Now, that the end of a story can mean new opportunities on the horizon if one is willing to keep on moving. The work pays homage to books as it shows the waves of creative energy that can hit the reader approaching the printed pages. Warm, gentle colors and an effective sound design contribute to the exquisiteness of the final effect.

The short has entered the official selection of independent film festivals such as ECU Paris 2012, Taafi, RIFF Awards, Surf at Lisbon among others. Work on this project had the same effect on its creators as on the clip’s character, a gush of wind for their creative impulses, as claimed by directors Phillip Comarella and Simon Griesser of Salon Alpin. Coming from the Alps and headquartered in Lisbon, this rather eclectic production group can now confidently, and rightly so, boast visual art, graphic design, illustration, animation, film direction and music among its competences.