Forge was made by a small team with big belief behind it. We played with 3D mapping, pushed limitations, and built visuals that lived halfway between instinct and discovery.
It took trust, creativity, and a crew willing to dive headfirst into something unknown. For a project of this scale, the commitment and artistry from everyone involved was massive.
Massive thanks to the team. Your patience, courage, and curiosity made every frame possible. Couldn’t have done it without you all. ❤️
@nolnstudio : All the late night making making those environments was worth it la!
Our project Chromatopia - The Origins of Colour was a finalist for the SONY Catchlight Film Fest. Thanks to @langridgeartistcolours@benco1721@cesar_salmeron_dp for a great evening that ended with a calming cocktail in a tiki bar.
Here is the teaser trailer for the upcoming world premiere of Chromatopia, Lamp Black which will be screening at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival on Sunday the 20th of July at 1015am.
Let’s talk about black. Not fashion black. Not design black. Real black. The kind that carries history. Soul. The kind that doesn’t just absorb light, it swallows it whole. It’s more than a colour. It’s an idea. In a world screaming for clarity and brightness, black waits. A signal of power and of absence.
David's search took him to Japan. To Kobaein, the last of the great sumi ink makers. Here, black is made the old way: fire, smoke, animal glue. No machines. Just time. Just hands. Pigment pressed into sticks for people who understand that every stroke is a commitment. A fragment of soul, left behind.
In Chromatopia: Lamp Black, David is not just showing how black is made, I’m asking why. Why we’ve always needed to leave a mark. From charcoal on cave walls to a monk’s brush gliding silently across rice paper, black is the first word. Sometimes, it’s the last.
I’m proud to share that this short film has been selected for the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival this July. It’s part of a larger series I’ve spent five years developing with colour expert David Coles and producer Ben Morieson.
Colour is more than surface. It’s how we make sense of the world—and our place in it.
📅 MDFF Shorts Session 3
🗓️ Sunday, July 20th at 10:15am
🎟️ Tickets: .au/Ticketing/visSelectTickets.aspx?cinemacode=1&txtSessionId=371965
@chromatopiahistoryofcolour@langridgeartistcolours@mdffest@benco1721@cinemanova
I love you Rhys Lee! Thank you my friend for making the time for us yesterday and being part of the project. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and processes and opinions on Davo’s leather jacket! A true fucking inspiration my friend. @rhyslee_@radar_orion@langridgeartistcolours
I am thrilled to announce that my short documentary Chromatopia - The Origins of Colour - Lamp has been selected to screen at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival this July!
Chromatopia invites viewers into a vibrant world of artisans and their intricate craft. Through mesmerising cinematography and meticulous storytelling, the film reveals the alchemical transformations of raw ingredients into calligraphy ink, the colour black, from a 700-year-old family-run business. The journey continues as we meet a calligraphy artist and discuss the use of the ink as it dances on the paper. As generations of craftspeople extract, mix, and perfect their legendary pigments, we witness the preservation of a vanishing art form and the intimate connection between human hands, natural materials, and artistic legacy. Chromatopia is both a visual celebration of colour and a testament to the quiet dedication that keeps traditional knowledge alive in our modern world.
This short documentary is a proof of concept, which is part of a larger docuseries concept I've been developing for the past 5 years with Colour expert David Coles from Langridge Artists Colours and producer Ben Morieson. It's been an incredible journey exploring the world of colour and its meaning and how it intersects with traditional craftsmanship and artistic expression.
Melbourne friends and film fans - I'd love to see you there!
📅 MDFF Shorts Session 3 🗓️ Sunday, July 20th at 10:15am 🎟️ Tickets: https://lnkd.in/g63Dkb_P
There's nothing like experiencing these stories on the big screen with fellow documentary enthusiasts. Come celebrate the art of colour and craftsmanship with us!
@langridgeartistcolours@mdffest@benco1721@chromatopiahistoryofcolour@cinemanova
