Countdown

Span and the Emmy Award-winning performance collective Manual Cinema co-created a short film and original theatrical work entitled Countdown that combines handmade shadow puppetry, live actors, music performance, and Span’s digital animation.

Countdown follows an unnamed protagonist as she attempts to escape from numbers that frantically shift around her. Beginning with the handmade sets and projected cinematic techniques by Manual Cinema, the piece visually evolves into a 3D digital world created and animated by Span.

Countdown was conceived by partner John Pobojewski who led the art direction, design, and animation for Span’s digital landscapes together with Zach Minnich and Valeria Bernal. Manual Cinema’s Sarah Fornace, Drew Dir, and Julia Miller led the story development and puppetry performance. Music and sound was composed by Ben Kauffman and Kyle Vegter.

The numerals set throughout the piece include custom typography drawn by Valeria Bernal and Nick Adam, as well as the most amount of typefaces we’ve ever used, including: Adieu, HWT Aetna, Bodoni, Camera, Central Avenue, Dirk, Eklips, Empire Fold, Geometric, Gravity, Hoefler Text, Inline, HWT Konop, Megavolt, Sharp Grotesk, Trois Mille, United Sans and WTF Empire.

Manual Cinema use “vintage overhead projectors, multiple screens, puppets, actors, live feed cameras, multi-channel sound design, and a live music ensemble to transform the experience of attending the cinema and imbue it with liveness, ingenuity, and theatricality.” They have received national recognition by the New York Times and were featured in the 2021 film remake of Candyman directed by Nia DaCosta and produced by Jordan Peele.