"MEIN BALLEN" by Supercasanova is a hypnotic and genre-defying short film by David Byron Kelley. This surreal music video follows the fantastical journey of a farm horse longing to trade its rural confines for the vibrant dance floors of 1960s Paris. At first glance, the film's premise might sound absurd—perhaps even whimsical—but this strange setup makes Mein Ballen such a captivating and experimental piece of art.
The film is visually striking from the outset, thanks to Kelley's collaboration with Cabimat, which combines a seamless mix of animation, special effects, and AI-driven content manipulation. The deliberate deception is on full display, with the creators bending the laws of reality to construct a dreamlike and unpredictable narrative. The horse, whose body language is subtly anthropomorphized, becomes the film's emotional centre. Kelley uses intricate animation techniques to juxtapose the horse's rustic, pastoral world with the dazzling neon lights and kaleidoscopic energy of 1960s Parisian nightlife.
The 1960s setting is another intriguing layer, and Kelley uses this period to accentuate a sense of displacement. The horse's yearning to dance in Paris, a city of artistic revolution and freedom, symbolizes a more profound desire to break free from literal and figurative limitations. The nightclub scenes, awash in groovy colours and frenetic movement, evoke the energy of a time when Paris was at the centre of avant-garde culture. Yet, Kelley does not allow these moments to become predictable or nostalgic. Instead, they are bent and warped through his use of AI-driven techniques, constantly subverting the viewer's expectations.
What really sets Mein Ballen apart is its bold use of AI tools to blur the boundaries between organic and synthetic storytelling. Kelley's fascination with AI content manipulation opens the door to experimental storytelling that feels less tethered to convention, making the narrative feel fluid and elastic. Scenes transition effortlessly from one surreal moment to the next, and the use of compositing further elevates the contrast between farm life and the glamour of the city club. The decision to anchor such an eccentric concept in a musically driven narrative heightens the film's emotional core, turning what might have been a bizarre, disconnected experience into a cohesive and strangely poignant journey.
Written by Vlad A. G