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The Octopus Network

A living organism to host, extend, connect, and express our senses.

Symbiosis between Marco Mezzavilla (Scientist telecommunications, NYC) & Valerie van Zuijlen (Filmmaker, NL).

 

The Octopus Network is our attempt to capture the boundless motion of human senses, thoughts, and emotions that are constantly flowing around us - transported over invisible waves that dance to the vibrational rhythm of electromagnetism, one of the four fundamental forces of Nature. 

 

We explored the spectrum in which physical boundaries become virtually boundless. During this exploratory journey, we met distant strangers that felt closer than ever. We switched roles, we stretched our senses, we created virtual spaces that gave us a sense of natural equilibrium, collectiveness, togetherness, and sensorial flow.

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Part of the Imagine Science Film Festival "Symbiosis" competition, 18-23 October 2020

Special Thanks to Labocine, Science Sandbox & Imagine Science Films. 

The Octopus Network

The big challenge here that Valerie really directed really well was trying to transform all my profound fascination for telecomunication networks and the transmission of signals of thoughts and emotions across the globe. Into something that could be tangible in a way. So we started to really transform all of this scientific perception of what it is a global network into senses. Our goal was to really try to portray this eternal flow of human thoughts and emotions. We started to visualise the network as this living organism, like an octopus. Like an extension of our brains, our senses. And we felt omnipresent, kind of ubiqutious. How can we describe and portray that?  –  Marco Mezzavilla

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For me it was a new way of virtual filmmaking through telecommunications. And I think through this pandemic when everything stopped, came to a halt, you have to outreach. We are the head of this octopus, Marco and I are this brain. But we are expanding our bionic arms allover the world, so that is the Octopus Network. – Valerie van Zuijlen

THE TENTACLES

VOICE

Victoria Hogan - Voiceover

California, U.S.A.

VIDEO

Panagiotis Pourtsidis - Drone Cinematography

Thessaloniki, Greece 

VISUAL EFFECTS

Shobhit Khanduri (Cinematography & Effects)

India

VISUAL EFFECTS

Jordan Brann - Render

Maine, U.S.A.

ANIMATION

Koyusha - Animation Cartoon

Ukraine

MUSIC

“5G” (song)

Clevathoughts (rapper)

New Kelvin (score)

U.S.A.

PERFORMANCE

Eduardo Berrospi - camera and edit

Gabriela González - dancer

Caracas, Venezuela.

VIDEO

Ommar Gutierrez - Cinematography

Effy Rios - Actress

Mexico City

VIDEO

Ruchi Hapuarachchi - Videography

Sri Lanka

VISUAL EFFECTS

Mrigendra Sharma - Render

Mumbai, India.

VISUAL EFFECTS

Muhammad Uzair Fareed - Render visuals

Pakistan

MUSIC

“Swif code”

Woodlane Alexis (song writer)

TeknoAxe (Producer) 

Crystal Pitch (Master) 

United Kingdom

MUSIC

Venus Vargas (score)

U.S.A.

PERFORMANCE

Racquel Monteith & Shanelle Buchanan - Dancers

Kingston, Jamaica

VIDEO

Dimitar Drew - Production & Post Production

Emphis - Choreography dance

Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria

VIDEO

Warrior Dreamzz (Drone Cinematography)

Philadelphia, PA.

VISUAL EFFECTS

Umair Fareed - Visual Effects & Render

Pakistan

VISUAL EFFECTS

Hassan Majid - Cinematography & Visual Effects

Pakistan

MUSIC

“Touch” (song)

Adelynn Mejia (Vocalist)

U.S.A.

PERFORMANCE

Libra Wrld - Freestyle

Tbilisi, Georgia.

PERFORMANCE

Gianna Juliet - Ballet

Santa Clarita, California, U.S.A.

RESPONSES

From Sacha Allen to Everyone: (2:53 AM)

Incredible editing

From Camille Hollett-French to Everyone: (2:53 AM)

That was fucking cool.

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Joint brain. yes.

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such a good team

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​this is mind-blowing.

From Marco's Friend on Whatsapp: (2:46 AM)

There's so much truth in your film. There's an extremely philosophical and intellectual yet ethereal element to it. I think it's something you can keep exploring because your passions can be seen and felt through it. 

From tim grabham to Everyone: (2:53 AM)

great work!

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You organised so many shoots in a week!!!!!

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BIONIC ARMS!!!! I love it

From Thomas Campbell Jackson to Everyone: (2:53 AM)

Lovely editing!

From Wangechi Ngugi to Everyone: (2:53 AM)

Beautiful film!

From Dareen AlMojil on Facebook: (2:46 AM)

Very interesting! the flow of the film felt like a heart beat, bouncing in and out between states. Is this how you visualize communication bouncing between different minds and leading to different states?

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