Rob Munday
No matter your beliefs, the creation of Earth is undeniably one of the greatest wonders of the universe. While scientific and religious perspectives often clash on how our planet came to be, director Michael Langan playfully steps in to settle the debate with his short film GODFART.
A film that came about thanks to the death of some beloved socks, a fascination in “big picture questions” and a love for Joan Osborne, GODFART comically suggests that our world was created, as the title suggest, from transcendent flatulence. Reflecting on the origins of his on-screen universe, Langan shared how a little divine intervention sparked his own cinematic big bang:
“After Dahlia showed on Adult Swim in 2012, producer Dave Hughes sent me some rad swag socks. A brick wall pattern, busted out in places to reveal a starry sky beyond. They became my favorite socks, the ones I’d put on whenever I needed to break through a creative block.
But things fall apart, and so did my socks. So I wrote to Dave in 2023 to see if he had any more. ‘No,’ he said. ‘but do you want to make another film?’ He said he was funding a bunch of shorts about sex, drugs, music, and farts. I said I definitely had ideas in the first three categories, ruling out the possibility that I would make a stupid fart film.
I went to bed. And then it came to me: GODFART, the origin of everything. All thanks to my holey socks.”
GODFART isn’t Langan’s first venture into spotlighting a “supreme being” in his work, following his 2007 short Doxology. Like that earlier film, Langan used pixilation to bring this tale of immortal flatulence to life. He highlights the technique’s versatility, praising its “ability to fold different animation styles and effects into one scene” while also creating an “expectation that ‘something different is possible’ in the mind of the audience”.
Using a pixilation technique he dubs “slow for fast,” Langan filmed live-action scenes in real time, having his actor perform movements slowly before retiming the footage during editing. The result is delightfully entertaining, though Langan admits it’s “hell on an actor’s core muscles.” Adding to the absurdity are quirky puppets like Skully the demon and the cosmic burger.
The final scene in GODFART sees the universe born in one almighty bang
For the climactic moment of creation, Langan combined “Hubble images, religious iconography, and historical dioramas generated in Midjourney” to craft the effect. After experimenting with “a couple different versions of the ending,” he ultimately chose this one because he “loved how the unfolding world effect mirrored the profusion of an epic fart.”
Here at SotW, we have a soft spot for a great micro-short, and with GODFART, clocking in at under three minutes (credits included), Langan proves you can tackle even the universe’s weightiest questions in no time at all. A filmmaker we’ve admired for over a decade, Langan continues to impress, and we’re already eager for his next short, which promises to feature the unmistakable vocal talents of Reggie Watts.