FANTOMATICA

Synopsis

Something moves, even before it has a name.
A subtle energy gathers, contracts, opens: it is not yet form, not yet thought.
It is the motionless time in which everything could begin, but has not yet begun.
A vibration flows beneath the surface, like an intuition unfulfilled,
a perception balanced between presence and disappearance.
A hint appears and immediately withdraws, leaving an ambiguous trace,
like an echo without origin.
In this threshold, the meaning of Fantomatica reveals itself:
a presence that never fully defines itself,
appearing and vanishing in the same gesture,
inhabiting the interval between what is real and what is only perceived.
The film unfolds in three movements, like a musical form that does not lead but evokes.
A continuous flow of images, rhythms, and resonances builds a sensory experience
where every meaning remains suspended,
and every form dissolves at the very moment it tries to emerge.
Fantomatica is a visual exploration of what cannot be said —
a language of images that expresses the inexpressible,
dwelling in the space where words no longer suffice.
A work designed to touch without grasping,
to inhabit the threshold between visible and invisible,
between what we are certain we have seen and what we may have only imagined.

What is Fantomatica?

The term fantomatyka was coined by Stanisław Lem in his essay Summa Technologiae (1964)
to describe a technology capable of generating fully artificial sensory experiences,
indistinguishable from reality.
FANTOMATICA is a metaphysical tale about perception.

All visuals in Fantomatica are handcrafted and entirely non-CGI.
The film was created using a combination of real fluids, optical phenomena, and specially modified lenses.
Each shot emerges from a physical interaction between light, matter, and movement —
captured directly in camera through an artisanal, experimental process.

The spectator is guided through a liminal dream,
a non-human point of view, disembodied and wandering in a space of metamorphosis —
beyond time and logic.
The aesthetic oscillates between the microscopic and the cosmic,
the figurative and the abstract, the organic and the artificial.

The soundscape will be created with the same approach as the visuals:
performed live through modular synthesizers
and completed with immersive, spatialized sound design.

Credits

Sandro Bocci | film maker

Sara Tassotti | concept

Mishikatomo | composer, sound designer

Produced by Julia Set Lab

BTS

Julia Set Lab uses a documentary style with natural light, little setup, and spontaneous moments. This approach captures real emotions and scenes to tell true, engaging stories without fake setups or heavy editing. In contrast, abstract shoots happen in the studio with custom setups and close-up details for a unique and polished look.

Previous Project

Fantomatica follows the path opened by Cosmonautica, our previous immersive film project that premiered at the CERN in Geneva and was showcased at the Syllepse dome.
Entirely created without CGI, Cosmonautica received international acclaim and was awarded First Prize at Light Year Digital Art 2024 (China) as Best Immersive Work. This recognition affirmed our commitment to pushing the boundaries of sensory cinema through real, in-camera experimentation.