Germán Di Ciccio, an illustrator, animator, and art director, co-directed and designed the short film Musical Hallucinations. The story is a tribute to Leo Rangell and his interview on the Radiolab podcast. Di Ciccio collaborated with Hero Studios to visualize Rangell’s story and offer their own unique perspective on how people experience music in different ways.

The visual style is inspired by the work of French artist Henri Matisse and contemporary collages and illustrations. The visuals are approachable, with paper-like textures, calm and inviting voiceovers, and a splendid color palette. The short film was created by a small and passionate team.

While the team was planning the storyboard, the narrative was already put together as a podcast episode on Radiolab. The creative team’s challenge was to condense the 20-minute episode into a 1-2-minute short film. They solved this challenge by splitting the narrative into two major topics: an explanation of the science behind how a song can get stuck in your head and the story of Leo Rangell. The team did an excellent job of condensing the story, and the result is a visually compelling and moving animation. Musical Hallucinations also have the ability to spark new questions in viewers’ minds.

Discover more from Germán Di Ciccio from Instagram, Vimeo and his website.

Musical Hallucinations Credits