"O Palco Animado de
Humberto Mauro"
Roles: Co-direction, Cinematography, Edit, Art Direction and Set Design
Project: Stop-Motion Animated Short Film - (Laboratory.2C / Instituto Fábrica do Futuro)| Location: Cataguases (MG), Brazil
Humberto Mauro's Animated Stage is an original stop-motion short film developed within the scope of Laboratory.2C (Fábrica do Futuro / Zona da Mata Audiovisual Hub). The film pays homage to the trajectory and poetic imagination of Humberto Mauro — a pioneer of Brazilian cinema — by revisiting his life through Tom Gunning's "cinema of attractions" and the handcrafted magic of theatrical performance.
Co-direction & Narrative Concept: Theatrical Illusion in Stop-Motion
The directorial concept draws on the naive and enchanting illusionism of early cinema, engaging with masters such as Georges Méliès, Segundo de Chomón, and Humberto Mauro himself (in "Dragãozinho Manso").
The Transitory "Stage": The narrative chooses to break with mimetic realism, embracing artificiality as a poetic device. The filmmaker's life is staged through a theatrical stage structure, allowing the multiple scenarios and eras of his journey to flow fluidly, playfully, and expressively.
Art Direction & Set Design
The construction of the film's visual universe combined conceptual rigor with an ecological production practice:
Reused Materials and Handcrafted Construction: Most of the set design was built using discarded wood, urban waste, and repurposed materials. This technical choice not only reinforced the tactile and organic texture of stop-motion, but also aligned the production with a commitment to a circular economy in audiovisual media.
Modernist Aesthetic Language: The modular sets and misshapen horizons draw inspiration from the set designs of David Hockney and the traits of Brazilian Modernism—from Tarsila do Amaral, Di Cavalcanti, and Fauvists like Matisse and Derain. The imperfections and seams of the exposed structures become an integral part of the short film's artistic identity.
%2009.jpg)
%2009_23_54_c620e92d.jpg)
Cinematography & Lighting
The cinematography prioritized highlighting the three-dimensional volume of the puppets and the physicality of the recycled sets.
Theatrical Lighting and Contrast: Operating through Dragonframe software, the lighting uses hard, dramatic, and focused lights, emulating the spotlights of a theater stage. The precise balance between marked shadows and points of diffused light delineates the different emotional states and periods of Mauro's life.
Practical Light and Materiality: The use of direct projections and practical miniature lighting sources preserves the original roughness and textures of the pieces, lending warmth and organic life to each frame.
