Animation for the film Real by Adele Tulli – Gianluca Abbate

Long animated sequence created by Gianluca Abbate for the documentary film Real, directed by Adele Tulli. The animation visualizes the fragmented and chaotic aesthetics of digital platforms, social media, and data centers. It integrates seamlessly into the film’s narrative structure and was developed in close collaboration with the director.

Real
Animation for the documentary film Real by Adele Tulli

Here I share the animation I created for the documentary film Real by director Adele Tulli. The long animated segment, developed in close collaboration with Adele, visually represents the chaos of web content—especially social media—set within a vast data center. The animated journey unfolds through different environments: the first evokes TikTok videos and influencer performances, while the second is more static, resembling a desktop cluttered with files and applications. The camera movement introduces the next scene, seamlessly connecting with the film’s narrative. I'm deeply grateful to Adele for her trust and for the pleasure of working together on this project.

Opening frame from the film Real by Adele Tulli, showing a data center in Spain. Animation by Gianluca Abbate.

Dense collage of influencers, smartphones, and ring lights in a surreal theme park environment.

Layered digital faces and absurd filters blending with carnival rides and social media motifs.

Fragmented identity and shattered visuals in a hyper-saturated internet performance setting.

Overstimulated digital crowd with glitching filters, emoji reactions, and virtual makeup.

Pop-up windows, 3D icons, and avatars floating in a chaotic, aquatic digital environment.

Animated frame of synthetic characters, clouds, cats, and fragmented media surfaces.

Excerpts from the animation for Real

Below are some vertical excerpts from the animation I created for Real, the film by Adele Tulli. At the bottom of the page, you’ll find Vimeo links to the full animation and the film’s trailer.

FULL VIDEO

TRAILER

Inside the Animation Process

Here are some screenshots from the After Effects viewport, where I created the animation. I usually use Blender for this kind of work, but in this case I chose After Effects because, at the beginning, I was concerned about the amount of video material to manage—especially for long formats—and I thought it might work better. I also knew that the type of rendering in After Effects would result in a rougher look, which matched the tone of the film. Blender remains my main tool for computer graphics.

Screenshot from the After Effects viewport showing early animation layers for the film Real.

Work-in-progress animation frame from After Effects with dense composition of visual layers.

Production view of timeline and compositing structure in After Effects for Real.

Selfie of Gianluca Abbate working on the animation sequence for the film Real.

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