Of Dust
and Light
def404
2025
- AI
- Short film
The forgotten sound
A silent civilization moves in unison, unaware, numbed by routine and repetition. What begins as a fracture becomes a journey of awakening — a collective rediscovery of music as memory, expression, and freedom.
AI as visual language
When absence becomes narrative
This short film belongs to an ongoing exploration. Built entirely with AI-generated imagery, it depicts a dystopian world of vacant stares, abandoned environments, and forgotten memories, where absence itself becomes narrative
The visual approach is restrained and cinematic, shaped by stillness, muted light, and empty space.
The process
Beyond the prompt
Over 3,600 AI-generated images were created and explored across multiple visual directions, then animated and assembled through a custom, carefully crafted post-production workflow.
Human touch
While the images were generated, the sound was not. The soundtrack was composed and recorded entirely in analog by Carmine Calia.
Real instruments, real hands, real imperfections: in a world without music, it felt right to bring it back the old way.
Credits
Client
def404
Year
2025
Written by
Alina Capellino
Directed by
Alina Capellino
Fabio Iaculli
Matteo Masserani
AI and visual artist
Arianna Ancona
Project manager
Manuel Giordano
Music and sound design
Carmine Calia
Voice over artist
Leila Yvetta
