‘Pêcheurs de Rêves”: a fascinating exploration of light and shadow

A world between the light and shadow of dreams

Imagine an invisible realm, essential to our sleep, but hidden from our eyes. This place, populated by dream guardians, watches over the fragile balance between embedded dreams and threatening nightmares. This is the mission of the Dream Fishers. In this story, Nael and Kyra, two intrepid protectors, undertake to transform the nightmares of dreamers into soothing dreams before dawn.

The film draws its inspiration from the symbolism of dreamcatchers, reinvented by the students who combine marine and fairytale elements: fishing, fish and the poetry of dreams. This world explores the nature of sleep and the invisible creatures that watch over our nights. More than just a story, Pêcheurs de rêves delivers a powerful message about the importance of solidarity: whatever the obstacle, unity can always overcome it.

Fascinating technical skills

Creating Dream Fishers required in-depth expertise in the use of animation tools and visual effects. One of the main challenges faced by the team was managing two distinct lighting effects to capture the film’s unique emotion and atmosphere.

• The dreamlike night: A section of the film takes place under a starry sky, with a delicate, immersive light that evokes the aesthetic of Pixar productions. The team used sophisticated techniques to recreate an atmosphere that is both realistic and magical.

• The Scarlet Nightmare: A key scene in the film is marked by brilliant red light, creating an atmosphere that is both intense and suffocating. The transition between these two luminous worlds had to be impeccably fluid, while preserving both visual and narrative harmony.

For this challenge, the students deployed their advanced mastery of Maya and Houdini software. They designed a bridge between these two tools to create complex simulations, such as the tornado sucking up the nightmares or the luminous core symbolising the energy of dreams. Each sequence in the film incorporates special effects (FXs), such as the particles embodying dreams and nightmares, which add both fluidity and poetry to the short film as a whole.

A solid collaboration

In addition to its technical dimension, Pêcheurs de rêves is also a collective project. All the members of this wonderful project contributed their know-how, passion and creativity to bring this work to life. Coordinating the various stages – modelling, animation, textures, lighting and compositing – required solid teamwork.

• Laurie Andrade Sanchez
• Leïlou Bouchon
• Maelle Carron
• Jonah Lin Huang Nin
• Manon Moitry
• Celia Noublanche
• Fifame Schmitt
• Coline Sombret

These students have transformed their artistic vision into a remarkable, captivating and deeply meaningful work.

A fine milestone

Dream Fishers fully embodies the exceptional quality of ESMA’s training in 3D Animation and Special Effects. This project highlights the creativity and precision of our students, while demonstrating their ability to overcome complex and ambitious technical challenges.

Discover the film Pêcheurs de Rêves on our YouTube channel: