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ANIMATED SHORT FILM – TIMELOOP

A single brushstroke forming a circle in Zen. It symbolizes infinity, emptiness, and the illusion of completion.

In this world, it becomes a cycle we cannot escape. A lone character is reborn again and again — from a post-war ruin, to a cold industrial city fifty years later, to a sleek hyper-technological future.

Each time, their body is reconstructed. Each time, war returns. Collapse. Reset. Begin again.

IMU / いむ / 忌む is an experimental animated short exploring repetition, memory, and the illusion of progress — told through bold visuals and cybernetic worldbuilding.

Type: Personal
Tools: Cinema 4D and After Effects

SYNOPSIS

IMU is an animated short film that explores the cycle of destruction and rebirth in a machine-dominated future.

Through rebirth in different bodies and eras, the film reflects on repetition, memory, and the illusion of human progress.

STORY

In a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by war and AI collapse, humanity begins again — but the pattern never changes.

From a desolate, bombed-out city to an industrial wasteland, and finally, to a hyper-advanced Neo-Tokyo metropolis, the film follows a journey across time.

In each loop, a new cyborg is reconstructed in a robotics lab.

Guided by a mysterious hologram, eyes open — and time resets.
The story begins again.

The AI that once promised salvation has become the architect of endless ruin.

IMU is a meditation on circular fate — how far we can evolve, if our own creation won’t let us.

Selected Frames

Reference - When I began this project, I naturally turned to the sci-fi films I’ve always loved — Ghost in the Shell, Akira, Blade Runner 2049. These aren’t just visions of the future; they question identity, memory, and the cost of progress. Visually, I was drawn to the scale of the cities, the isolation within technological beauty, and the thin boundary between human and machine. I also included classical references like The Creation of Adam — as the idea of creation, fall, and repetition mirrors the cycle in my story.

Moodboard - The moodboard represents the three timelines in the film: a post-war ruin, a cold industrial society decades later, and a hyper-technological future. Each era has its own visual tone — heavy atmosphere, harsh lights, and an overwhelming sense of scale.
The sterile environments and fragmented identities speak to a world where rebirth no longer means hope, but another step in a failing loop. This mood was important to capture the loneliness, control, and tension in a system that keeps restarting.

Title Cards - The title cards in IMU appear at key moments and emotional turning points, interrupting the narrative flow to leave a psychological impression. The combination of kanji and English creates a striking contrast, adding symbolic weight to each scene.

World Development - Using Cinema 4D and Redshift, I designed three environments representing different phases of a speculative future: a war-torn city, an industrial rebirth, and a futuristic metropolis. To make each city feel believable, I studied real-world references extensively — exploring urban form, lighting, and spatial atmosphere. I focused on grounding each environment in reality by carefully refining camera angles, lighting direction, and subtle architectural details, making each city feel like a living, evolving space rather than a digital set.

Index

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©MINSIK NAM