A couple is on a date night, where they explore the dreamy streets of Los Angeles.

This experimental animated short film serves as an alternate universe, with scenes, cinematography, and atmosphere heavily inspired by the original motion picture Drive (2011). While drawing from those influences, the project also introduces new ideas that fit the animated short film genre. The goal was to test my animation capabilities and explore whether animation could be used as a medium to create a cinematic experience.

The primary challenge was to create everything—from the animations and editing to the soundtrack—using only an iPad Pro. Procreate and LumaFusion were used on a 2nd Gen iPad Pro 12.9”. Frames were exported as "Animated HEVC" with "Transparent Background" enabled in Procreate, then imported into LumaFusion. The final videos were exported in h.265 (which supports an alpha channel), making it technically possible to stack an infinite number of layers by repeating the export process. For example, the freeway scene, where the front end of the car faces away from the L.A. skyline, features more than 52 layers.
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Trivia

  • A Bordeaux BMW E34 enters the frame at 0:26.

  • The alternate “Driver” wears the “stealth version” of the scorpion jacket from steadyclothing.com.

  • The car is meant to resemble a 1978 Cadillac DeVille coupe.

  • The scorpion symbol and the iconic hammer were intentionally left out or hidden.

  • The film was initially intended as just a 10-second loop of the car driving on and off the slope in the LA River.

  • References to Nino, The Frog, Ryan, Refn, IREN333, and 5TAN342 can all be found throughout the short.

  • Thea’s outfit was inspired by the cashier in the viral video, waiting for the Tic Tacs on the conveyor belt.