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DeadFish | Short Film
Dead Fish is a short film I finished while in attendance at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. I started the project as a storyboarding exercise in fall 2022 but finished it spring 2024 as my thesis film.
It focuses on the frantic shift of a butcher working in a busy fish market as he faces increasingly distressing orders in his workplace.
Audio
Macleod, Kevin. "Gathering Darkness." Uppbeat.io
Bodgers, Richard. "Locked In." Uppbeat.io
Bees Buzzing. Sound Effects Pro
Kitchen Ambience. Free Audio Zone
Water Splash. Kensound FX
Heart Beat. Soundious
Пікірлер: 939
I liked how no one else there thought anything was off - while I know its probably just a moment of 'it's all in their head' I like to think of those times where you wonder how everyone else doesn't see what you see.
@skibble2628
Ай бұрын
I thought of this and that maybe- there is a possibility that maybe things like this were normalized? Not everyone likes hunting or fishing. Imagine if a species fish did have human like faces? (If not already). In our reality and possibility their's- that feature wouldn't stop anyone from trying to see what it tastes like and practice on how to cook it. If it was normalized- there would be a few people who are disgusted or disturbed by that. Most likely they would probably be looked upon as weird or too squeamish if the villagers of that area or the manager of a store has done the same for years and has stopped associating fish with human faces with the fact it seems odd.
@AXYER
Ай бұрын
As someone with schizoaffective who has experienced this in the past, it's like everyone telling you that pigs are bugs when they're obviously mammals.
@dentheduck2095
Ай бұрын
@@AXYER they are mammals
@marselo1316
Ай бұрын
@@AXYERthey are bugs
@monkqp
Ай бұрын
@@AXYERthey are bugs
I kept expecting the sting ray and the fish to go back to normal, like the person was going crazy, but they never did. Creepy!
@dogmax.
Ай бұрын
I was expecting them to scream I don't know why
@Dummy_1
Ай бұрын
@@dogmax. same….
@SamThornat
Ай бұрын
Poor man needs a different job. 😢
@LJ-ry3ny
28 күн бұрын
Not a manta ray, its a sting ray
@fruitcakerambler4930
28 күн бұрын
@@LJ-ry3nyOh you right, learned a thing today
I once had a dream that I had to move a fish from one aquarium to another by carrying it in my hand. Then, I zoned out a little and accidentally took a bite out of the fish. I felt incredibly guilty and didn't want the fish to suffer any further, so I panicked and continued taking bites until I ate it completely. This animation reminds me a lot of that dream. It's amazing, the way it evoked the same emotions that I felt.
@sammuelcruz4169
Ай бұрын
Man that sounds like one trippy dream. Did it scar you?
@BloomBlanche
Ай бұрын
@@sammuelcruz4169 I did feel pretty unnerved the morning after the dream, but I got over it since
@jawzea4000
Ай бұрын
This is the first time someone has told me their dream and I wanted to then share that story with others. 10/10 very fd up man thankyou for sharing
@Tialovestea
Ай бұрын
My brain completely ignored the word dream 😭😭
@Hello-ud2kj
Ай бұрын
@@TialovesteaLOLL😭
You're telling me I can go there and buy a whole Seaman? Incredible, truly a market that caters to my needs.
@twinfastasytowers
Ай бұрын
“quick quick QUICK QUICK- HEAVEN! HEAVEN- you- ENGLISH- heaven!- everything’s gonna be alright-“ (if someone understands what im referencing I both love you and am extremely concerned for your wellbeing)
@Beanman745
Ай бұрын
@@twinfastasytowersjerma’s fish ramblings
@The_VHS
Ай бұрын
@@twinfastasytowers (in a dead cold voice) " h e a v e n. h e a v e n. "
@a_handle_a
Ай бұрын
I love seamen
@twinfastasytowers
Ай бұрын
The jerma people in the audience here 🫡
This is a really cool concept, I can see it being an RPG horror game where the delusion gets worse and worse
@kin1849
Ай бұрын
It's probably based of a game called mourning tide
@Googoogaga2455
Ай бұрын
What if it was based on the concept of the deep ones from HP Lovecraft's books , they re basically half humans and half fish people that are functionally immortal, but sometimes there are hybrids of both humans and deep ones that have to undergo a painful process of psychological changes and hallucinations before fully transforming at around their 30s from a normal human into a deep one
@AnEmu404
Ай бұрын
Reminds me of Dredge and the aberrations
@EelGood
Ай бұрын
Mourning Tide is like this!
@alyxgraff9121
Ай бұрын
That's what I was thinking. Especially with that subtle Caution Seaman reference.
The faces of the fishes reminded me of that indie game where a fishermen is fishing from a boat, and as the game progresses they can see faces and even whole humanoid bodies in the fishes as it gets put on the hook. Really cool stuff!
@ItsPlayer_3O66
Ай бұрын
Mourning tide? Yeah, I thought so too, rlly cool ‘is this all in my head or no?’ vibe to the animation tho
@ChrisSpams
16 күн бұрын
played that game too. The game is called mourning tide. The 2 concepts are very similar
For some reason this artstyle is reminding me of the indie game called, "Dead Plate".
@Confusedconfusi0n
Ай бұрын
They worked on the game!! Vincent is their oc!
@kj6053
Ай бұрын
It might seem crazy what I’m boutta say….
@campcampcamp
Ай бұрын
Yeah, cause Ekrix is one of the creators of Dead Plate lol
@JustMooshie
Ай бұрын
Lol I knew it looked familiar!!
@aarasko
Ай бұрын
it might seem crazy what im about to say
The line boil really adds to the sense of anxiety and panic, even, and perhaps especially, when the main character isn't doing anything.
I love how unexplained this is. People have already mentioned how the fish never go "back to normal", but you'd at least expect the butcher to try to get his coworkers to react, except he never does, either. Does he not want to be seen as "crazy", or is what he's seeing exactly the same as what everyone else sees? If so, why is he so shocked? There's so many questions to ask, and each answer you can come up with contradicts another one.
@Mister-Blake
24 күн бұрын
I think he's experiencing hallucinations (maybe from some trauma or idk, I'm not really good with that stuff) and that he doesn't want to seem crazy as he realizes others don't see what he sees.
@senpai2.054
21 күн бұрын
sometimes the hallucinations do not go away
This short really reminds me of the game “Mourning Tide” with like the same premise as this !! You could really feel the horror through the screen as the hallucinations got more and more vivid !! THIS IS SO COOL AHHH i just love concepts like this really great work !!
@thebotanist7145
Ай бұрын
Yeah I was about to say!
@al5vin964
Ай бұрын
Yeah it is. I remember Markiplier did play it
@Sunny_Omori12352
11 күн бұрын
A(greed)
ohhhh you cooked with this one . the main character's design differing from everyone else just to further show his inner guilt and anxiety in every single shot was an amazing move. priceless work, this deserves an award from me personally.
This is so uneasy feeling, the color and animation is fantastic! I love the design of our "main character" so to speak, but the fact that what they're seeing doesn't go away when they look away and look back feels so _wrong_ but in a good way, it feels like these weird things with these fish could very well be what they actually look like, but only from the reaction of others does it make us second guess ourself, maybe these fish really are _normal,_ maybe _we're_ seeing things.
@derpboxstudios
14 күн бұрын
Does the word "he" in the description mean nothing to you?
@Skylareed-k3z
10 күн бұрын
@@derpboxstudios wtf are you talking about?
THE SHORT FILM IS AMAZING OH MY DAYS :DDDD I love how smooth the animation is and the stingray and the fish really gave me the shivers!! I can feel the discomfort of the butcher when he cut up the stingray and fish, great work Rix!!❤❤❤
@su4682
Ай бұрын
Yas
@user-cp3le5li1t
Ай бұрын
Vincent in your pfp :3
@averagecupoftea4168
Ай бұрын
@@user-cp3le5li1t yurrr
I actually like this a lot. Portrayal of true fear of having to face slicing/butchering something to turn into EDIBLE eats! Can be PRETTY unnerving!
めっちゃ好き。 環境音とガヤの声と…言葉が無いのに伝わる冷たさが良き良き。
@user-rj6sf9rx2p
Ай бұрын
日本人いて助かりましてよ
I did not expect to be so freaked out by fish today.
This reminded me a Taiwanese urban legend about human faced fish: A bunch of guys went fishing and caught a big one, they then grilled the fish and enjoyed the meal. Suddenly, out of nowhere, an old lady voice asked them in local accent: "How's the fish taste?" They looked around and realized that voice is coming from the grilled fish. The fish just opened its mouth and talked like a human. They took a closer look and noticed there's a face of an old lady popping out of the fish's body. The rest just went with the typical horror tale ending: everyone is horrified and ran away, then the next day someone (or everyone) died due to an unknown cause.
@drunkendye4892
Ай бұрын
Fascinating, is this tale tied to a specific region of Taiwan?
@luislee3247
Ай бұрын
@@drunkendye4892 In many versions, the story took place in the southern side (probably since the fish speaks in Taiwanese Hokkien, which is the local dialogue of many southern cities). As for how wide the story spreads, it's sorta everywhere. Likely due to the fact it was mentioned in a famous paranormal talk show (Nights of the Rose) before. From what I've heard, their intention was to stop the urban legend from spreading since it's damaging the aquacultural business (the fish mentioned in the story, Tilapia, is a common breed in aquaculture), but unfortunately, doing so actually made the story more well-known to people.
as someone who used to experience hallucanations, the anxiety i felt through watching this was real. peak horror.
OHHHH I LOVE THIS SOSO MUCH this actually in some parts was so satisfying to watch i adore the way you in general draw meat food, etc.. and the horror here is illustrated so well the face fish's movements and design were so disturbing i love it
I want to give the main character a hug, they seem like they desperately need it!! :(
@derpboxstudios
14 күн бұрын
He's a guy.
@crei1ndah4t
14 күн бұрын
@@derpboxstudios sorry, didn't know
@derpboxstudios
13 күн бұрын
@@crei1ndah4t why do all you LGBT tryandfirasmanygendersintothepronountabaspossible people always call everyone a they regardless how obvious said person's gender is
I enjoy stories that are left up for interpretation because it makes the horror scarier at times
This is really cool. When I first watched it I was expecting the unnatural visuals like the human face on the fish to go away after he gave it a second look. It’s so interesting to me that it didn’t. It makes me ask, “Is what the butcher’s seeing real, and everyone around him is desensitized to it? Is it normalized? Or is it his imagination?” I like how the question is left open. The whole short film has such a cool, surreal vibe
I really like how you potrayed this character with the shade falling on his eyes and them being visible wide open to actually not be some psycho but regular guy with some funny visions Tldr; i really like
Dude, I was so incredibly exited when I saw this thing pop on my KZread, I actually saw the wip on twitter but I had no idea it was gonna be this intense and interesting!, you really portrayed well their panic in this situation, it was definitely really uncanny, I’ve seen how you draw settings and your character designs before and I just really love the colors you used and your artwork/ art style in general! Overall great job
Extremely effective horror. I love horror that isolates the main character even in a crowded place.
WHOA THIS IS AWESOME
@su4682
Ай бұрын
Yaes
0:57 Did anybody else get a little irritated by the employee not washing their hands and the fish after both touched the floor here?
@basilmelonn
Ай бұрын
nooo youre right 😭
@phamminhquan5054
Ай бұрын
It's realistic though. They almost never wash their hands.
@thatonedrainedplatter5421
Ай бұрын
My mother watched a dude grab raw chicken off of the bottom of his shoe before going back to work, this is why you wash everything before you cook it.
The subtle effect near the end of having the brim of the hat simultaneously look like worried eyebrows helps the character feel even more expressive, this can especially be seen in the shot at 1:34. Excellent work, awesome animation!!!!
@Novaurawr
20 күн бұрын
Very nice attention to detail
I love the audio change of the animatic and the finished version. The stressful music replaced with the heartbeat makes it more scary, and I'm here for it
口や言葉が無くても伝わるのってやっぱ凄いよなあ✨ あとお兄さんのキャラデザが好き
I like how despite being a horror animation, it still ends with a goofy little “Fin”. This short film was also very visually appealing with the charming animation style and the use of lighting.
this is how it feels working at a sub shop knowing that the hunks of meat i put on the slicer were once living animals with feelings and sentience; another soul in a different vessel than us
@TheNeorch
Ай бұрын
And we can't do much, there's always the life cycle,and we're on top.
@Kuba_K
Ай бұрын
You worry too much
@Bit-fz9md
Ай бұрын
Oh well i want it taste good
@moltendiamonds1567
Ай бұрын
This is why I'm vegetarian. They're all just so similar to us.
@iamablacksabbathsong9765
Ай бұрын
@@moltendiamonds1567 if vegetable could walk and move like an animal , you would be struggling too eat them
0:13 is that money boy saying "schnitzel" ? or am i crazy
@ender3154
2 күн бұрын
No i heard it too. Sounds like the creator used background noise in german for this film lol. You can hear some people in the background say "bitte" and "Ja ja"
This is absolutely amazing the phycological horror of the animal industry and the strain on ones mind really is clear in this animation you're criminally underated and very talented. 👍👍👍👍👍👍
it's already night and I'm watching this on mute in bed while bugs are chirping outside the window, it's such a good job, I love the color and the character, the darkening of it on his eyes, the design is very good and the atmosphere too! I really got scared towards the end
THIS IS SO WELL DONE !! Love the work done on the sound. It really gives a scary aura, it's so cool 🥰
This is amazing!! To see your own work outside of Studio Investigrave, I love it! Your artstyle really adds to the discomfort of the situation! Stuff like animals with human faces has a creepy uncanny feel to it so it's cool that you explored it in your film!
as someone who works in a kitchen and watches my boss butcher fish this is really well animated, I can't butcher anything because of this
@rsrctbpoplaterbox3290
Ай бұрын
I misread your comment, and I thought you said your boss was a butchered fish
@Sunny_Omori12352
11 күн бұрын
@@rsrctbpoplaterbox3290 🤣😂
I feel like this is gonna turn into one of those childhood animatics/short films and everyone's gonna be like "Oh i watched this when i was a fetus and it scared me so bad when i was a child" in the future"
This is a pretty cool concept ngl I suddenly imagined that, like the butcher guy is an alien in an alien food market and all the different kinds of fish are other smaller, dumber, sentient aliens, including humans. Sometimes, they didn't die completely yet, so the butcher chopped them into food. But sometimes, he sees them still alive, squirming, begging, and trying to escape. Can't help but feel bad and distruebd but also have to work for his job. Pretty kewl
Bro this creator's art is amazing, it's beautiful and I love their work on the games like Deadplate. (Also the protag oddly hot tho)
Omg! This is so perfect! So creepy and uncomfortable
DIOS HACE TIEMPO ALGO NO ME HABIA DADO ESCALOFRIOS COMO ESTE CORto. Increible Trabajo!
While the animation is great i honestly think the sound design is one of the best parts of this
OMG IM LOVING THIS CONCEPT…ANOTHER BANGER FROM RIX
Just a guy having a psychosis attack, actually cool and well executed, great work
I loved everything. The line, the color, the animation, the facial expressions and the vibe of it all. B-R-A-V-O!!!
I can not express how much I utterly adore this artstyle! Also love how perfectly and clearly everything is portrayed without any dialouge
The fishes actually reminds me of that one fishing indie game. (I can't remember the name, BUT! I've seen Jay play it before.)
@Shy0z
Ай бұрын
FR THE FISH WITH THE FACE LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE THE ONE IN THE GAME
@puzhang465
Ай бұрын
Are you talking about Mourning Tide?
@Shy0z
Ай бұрын
@@puzhang465 idk what the game was called all I remember is watching Jay and markiplier play it, it's about fishing from a boat in the sea and everything starts getting more and more creepy and the fish have human faces and stuff like that
@shrewkit
Ай бұрын
yeah it's the name that guy said!@@Shy0z
@OminousBro
Ай бұрын
I thought this was about spatun
yes !! finally they adapted one of my favourite esoteric programming languages into a short film !!
Thiss is really cool! I watched this without audio and i love the ambiguity of the fish after he cut them. the one with the eyes was never turned over to see it's reaction, similar to how the head of the one with the face suddenly disappears, preventing us from seeing the aftermath of his work. (Though the fish would be dead, obviously :p)
I feel like this perfectly captures how I feel when I hallucinate: the distorted reality, the sudden panic, the realization that nobody else sees what you're seeing. It's so strange, terrifying, and almost lonely. Like you're in a separate world that's so different from everybody else's. The film is beautiful, and I love the art style as well. The slightly scribbled lines of the characters contrast well with the clean background. Whether intended or not, it's a beautiful clash of chaos and control, one that I find quite appealing to the eye.
I love this short film! This might just be my favorite
That's why you shouldn't catch fish from Chernobyl
Good lord. I love this. It made me truly uncomfortable and the art and animations are perfect. Keep doing this!
Wow, that springray was a punch in the gut.
i like the german restaurant background loop lol
ah, yes, vince’s long-lost pale-haired sibling who works at a fish market. all jokes aside, this is an extremely nice animation. i love how the overall feel of it has been created
I'm in love with the art and animation style... It's all so fluid, so beautiful, the colors match so much. I loved it!!
I really like the way the sounds were worked in this. And the artstyle is incredibly well fitting.
This is how I struggle with eating too......
Splatoon reference?!?! Jist kidding. Awesome animation!
@Budgie_Films
Ай бұрын
I thought the same thing
It’s all fun and games until AliveShark walks in
This is actually so cool i love how the sound was so realistic and your art style is so cool too! :)
Whoa😱😱😱 Coincidentally , this happens to be the second hand-drawn short film that i've seen today that are both really creepy and about fish. Well done!!! 👏 👏 👏
delicioues... scrumpdiiddlly umtious animation.... Edible art... SCARY FISH
ЭТО ТАК АТМОСФЕРНО И НЕВЕРОЯТНО!!! ОБОЖАЮ ВАШЕ ТВОРЧЕСТВО🛐🛐🛐🛐🛐
🎶🎶 it’s beginning to look a lot like fishmen! 🎶🎶
Oh yeah oh yeah
I could really see him continuing to hallucinate and learn to accept what he sees as murder, which could probably lead to the start of a villain arc hehehe
OH MY GOSH THIS WAS SO COOL!!! the colors and the faces and everything is perfect omofgf
I really love this type of video when it talks about aquatic stuff I am literally interested and just seeing this makes me extremely happy!
1:34 this sounds like fnaf 3...
'Dead fish' Me= Nuh uh 'Dead plate' Me; Yuh uh
AAAAH i love this the animation is so good, the lore, the characters, everything!! I LOVE THIS.
Main Character never had an all you can eat buffet
This was ASS! Where were the action scenes? Why was he not voiced by Chris Pratt?
@TyrannosaurusRex..
12 күн бұрын
Everything is Christ Pratt. Chris Pratt is love, Christ Pratt is life.
this is such an honor for me to be featured in this video
One day this video will be 10 years old and will most likely gain millions of views
Something I love is that when the main character looks away and looks back, the "delusion" is still there. It makes you wonder if its actually real, which is genius because thats exactly how main character feels.
This is such a cool short film! Gave me chills Even though nothing that disturbing happens, really creates a feeling of paranoia
Alright well that was pretty unsettling, good job
I HAVE TO TELL SOMETHING!!!! I loooveeee fishes, like... im obsessed. I have always drew sea creatures in general and wrote stories using them as metaphores and as a consept in general. Back then i was a little shy about it but now i feel like theres many people can understand this. ANYWAY I REALLY LIKED THIS ANIMATION ITS AMAZING I CANT EXPLAIN- have a nice day everyone :3
The art, skill, and story are so amazing! While this may not have been the artist's intent, the butcher's isolating experience of horror as they realize that the creatures they're cutting are suffering lowkey reminds me of what it's like to be a vegetarian working with meat. You're poignantly aware of the life and suffering that went into the production of that meat, while everyone else sees it as completely normal
Ok, but if I saw a fish with a human face flopping around, my first thought (after a heart attack) would be “who fricked the sea life?”
This is incredible, I love the art style and the whole horrifying situation, I hope you do more stuff like this.
The protag in this animation looks so sick his design is so cool 😭😭😭😭
the suspense is built up so well and I really like the sudden switch to the only red color palette. the way you draw the different faces of the fish and the protagonist invoke so much horror and fear
Absolutely awesome from idea to execution. Hope you’re proud of this!
It reminds me Dead Plate. Cuz the animation name is Dead Fish. I love this animation and art style EVERYTHING about this!!! I love it! This is amazing and so mysterious too. We're proud of you. Don't give up! 😢🌷✨
this perfectly shows one aspect on why i’m afraid of fish / eating fish / looking at dead fish or fish in general. it’s just so euhgshujexi why
Everyone talks about art style, but I gotta say your fundamentals are the most impressive! You do a lot of good natural movements that don’t feel too floaty like many other indie animators tend to do
fingers crossed this may lose the "short" prefix in the title 12/10 idea, animation, sound design >chefs kiss
DUDE I RELATE TO THIS SM LIKE I JUST FEEL BAD FOR THEM AND THEY HONESTLY DONT EVEN LOOK OR TASTE APPETISING
Reminds me of my favorite game, Dredge. Where sometimes the fish you catch are horribly mutated.❤
Love this bro. I clicked on it as soon as it was recommended I knew this was going to be something else. But a little short on duration but still cool asf
BRO THIS NEEDS MORE VIEWS OH MY GOD THIS IS SO GOOD
Omg I wasn't even listening to the background noise but I just noticed they’re speaking german or maybe austrian (im german) also, awesome animation I love this specific flavor of horror that functions fully without jumpscares and is still scary!
Reminds me of some short indie game I played where the fish you catch quickly get more and more "human" features.
I LOVE THE GERMAN IN THE BACKGROUND IN THE FIRST 10 SEC OF THE SHORT FILM