As the Sun Goes Down: a poetic tale about fear of the dark

A journey of initiation between fear and wonder

As the Sun Goes Down tells the story of Raff, a young rabbit terrified of the dark. To reassure himself, he collects fireflies every day and keeps them as nightlights in his burrow. But one night, a bat steals his precious lights, forcing him to face his greatest fear. Lost in the darkness, he tries to find his fireflies and has an unexpected encounter with a mysterious creature that transforms the little lights into stars. Little by little, Raff learns to accept the night and discover its hidden beauty.

An allegory of the night to touch young and old alike

To reinforce the impact of emotions on the audience, the directors chose to embody the night in the form of an allegorical character. This mysterious presence, which places fireflies in the sky to form the stars, offers a poetic vision of darkness and its benevolent role. The story is designed to awaken childhood nostalgia in adult viewers, while offering younger viewers an educational experience in managing their fears. Between attachment, fear, wonder and hope, the film guides everyone on a deeply emotional journey.

A minimalist, immersive aesthetic

One of the major challenges of the production was to adapt the 3D software to the artistic vision of the film. Designed to reproduce realistic worlds with rigorous perspectives, these tools did not correspond to the desired approach. The students therefore had to “break the codes” to obtain a more illustrative and organic rendering. Perspective was deliberately distorted, shapes simplified and light treated in a painterly way to accentuate the poetic aspect of the story.

The simplicity of the story steered the aesthetics of the film towards a refined approach. The students deliberately chose to limit the visual details to leave room for pure emotion. The film plays on the contrasts between light and shadow, using the brightness of fireflies as a guiding thread through the darkness. This artistic choice reinforces the impact of the story, immersing the viewer in Raff’s sensations.

A graduation project with a human dimension

Beyond technical mastery, the making of As the Sun Goes Down was a real human experience for the students. Working as a group on such an ambitious project taught them to collaborate, to take a step back from their ideas and sometimes to put their egos aside in order to serve the common goal. This synergy enabled the project to be brought to fruition with remarkable artistic coherence.

A team to be congratulated

This film would not have been possible without the talent and commitment of Laurine Bocquet, Ilona Caucal, Inès Fechner, Jahnice Laurent, Sarah Robert, Emma Roussel and Kevin Vandenbeuck. Their meticulous work and artistic vision have resulted in a sensitive and immersive work, a tribute to the visual poetry and magic of the night. Congratulations to the whole team on this success!

Discover the film As the Sun Goes Down on our YouTube channel: