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About

EYECANDY is a labor of love for the people.
It’s something to enjoy and learn from.
It’s not something you should gatekeep—
It was made to blow the gates open.

It’s forever WIP.
It’s never 100% accurate.
It’s a little messy.
It’s for you.

Created by Jacobi.
Curated by you.

What is Eyecandy?

Eyecandy is a database of over 5,000 GIFs representing the very best visual techniques in the world of filmmaking.

Eyecandy can be used as an educational tool, or to help build decks and moodboards for your next film.

How do I use Eyecandy?

From the main page, you’ll see an overview of nearly every visual technique on our site. Click an image to go down the rabbit hole.

The navigation up top is your compass.

To download a GIF, right click ‘Save As’ from the gallery view.

To see details, click on the GIF and it’ll enlarge showing you details about the shot such as title, year, and director.

Why is this a thing?

Creativity is competitive, and sometimes the best creatives gatekeep to keep a competitive edge. Lucky for me, I’m not in the ‘best creative’ category so have no problem sharing visual references I’ve accumulated over the years. Lucky for you, there are loads of other nice creatives that are also eager to share their libraries.

I started accumulating references in 2022, which grew to over 400 when EYECANDY was launched, and now sits at over 1,600 with help from creatives and viewers like you.

How can I submit?

Click the ‘Submissions’ link at the bottom of the website. It’s definitely not a personal email and you’ll definitely hear from me immediately and not in a few weeks when I randomly remember that you sent me something cool.

Are you filthy rich from this?

Nope! In fact I’m losing $33 a month on this website so it’s turned out to be a pretty shitty investment. But it’s not about making money. Never has been and never will be. It’s about not gatekeeping and giving creatives a better way to source creativity and inspiration for their ideas. Also not charging for this website means I care less about typoos.

Category Naming

Part of the struggle of film-making is people not knowing what things are called. So consider categories like “dream state” or “Game Glitch” Jacobi-isms. They’re what I’ve always used to find that type of shot, and chances are it’d be what you’d use as well. But don’t start writing essays about ‘Dream State’ technique.

More Eyecandy?

This website is our home and hosts an ever-growing collection of visual techniques, but we have other channels with different emphases.

Instagram: Showing the best of the best

Discord: Our town-hall. Where the community can come together to ask questions, submit work, and help educate each other.

Website 2.0 Information

We’ll have a new website by the end of summer. This website will feature

  • Search: The website will be fully searchable, using both manual and A.I. tags allowing you to more easily find the type of shot you’re looking for by searching by keywords.
  • Ability to upload GIFs of your favorite visual techniques directly to the website
  • Ability to save your favorite visual techniques to personal boards

2024 Staff Features

JJ Doom - GUV-NOR (2012)
Directed by Ninian Doff for adidas. Features a beautiful match split created by merging two shots into a split screen, and mirroring one side. We call this a Mirror Split.
Artist Feature: Steeze
Artist @legosteeze re-creates some of the sickest clips in action sports using VFX and beautiful colors. The perfect combination of style and ease 😮‍💨
Metronomy - Love Factory (2023)
An ode to the 1960s films like Paris Texas, My Own Private Idaho and The Night of the Hunter.

Loads of primitive TV effects from country and folk shows like crossfades, overlays, rear projection, and a promist / softfx3.
Rema - Trouble Maker (2023)
Great use of different techniques and translating trouble with a dark red mood.
ASD - Legendär / Populär (2015)
Directed by David Aufdembrinke. Throwback to a music video that was way ahead of its time with the techniques it used.
Your Soul Needs DEW (2023)
Nobody’s technocranes are safe when Los Perez is in town.
Elderbrook - Why Do We Shake In The Cold? (2020)
Directed by Jára Moravec. Great use of omnidirectional cameras, in this case an Alexa w/ T-Rex on a Ronin, as well as 360 FPV drone for the aerial maneuvers. I also really dig the use of loops in the video, either as a non-linear time jump, or as GIF
HOA XUÂN CA (MELODIES OF SPRING) (2023)
A special Lunar New Year project shot in the incredible landscapes of Phan Rang, Vietnam
Sub Urban - UH OH
In Andrew Donoho's "Uh Oh" video, Sub Urban, portraying an imperfect Jehovah's Witness, disturbs an idyllic suburban neighborhood, blurring the line between who is truly the source of terror.

2023 Staff Features

Sampha - Can't Go Back (2023)
Directed by Saad Moosajee. An abstract visual journey centered around an eclipse.
Whiplash (2014)
Directed by Damian Chazelle. I’ve always loved Damian’s approach to whip pans where he taps the DP on the shoulder to let them know when to turn. It’s always felt reminiscent of jazz to me — which makes it all the more fitting in this film.
Bounty Banana - InTENsity
Staff Feature: Bounty Banana - inTENsity (2022) directed by Steven Briand & Julien Jourdain de Muizon. Pure. Unadulterated. Chaos.
Nike - Never Settle Never Done
Staff Feature: Nike - Never Settle Never Done (DC) (2022). A film directed by the late Valentin Petit for Wieden + Kennedy. Nobody created shots quite like Petit.
AJR - Inertia
Feature: AJR - Interia (2023) directed by Edoardo Ranaboldo Such an amazing use of miniatures, focus racking, and zooms to tell a story.. and the song you’re gonna have stuck in your head the rest of the day.
Prince Waly - Charm El-Cheikh (2023)
Feature: Prince Waly - Charm El-Cheikh (2023) directed by Gabriel Dugué.
ASICS - Making Weight (2023)
Feature: ASICS - Making Weight (2023) Directed by James Dayton. Stunning cinematography and long takes that show masterful levels of restraint 🫡
The Cypher - Snipes x Nike
Feature: Snipes x Nike - The Cypher (2023) (DC) dir. Marius Gonzalez. Beautiful Nike spot that has a rotational motif throughout, inspired by a zoetrope.
PHOTO/GENICS MAG - The Job Interview (2023
Feature: PHOTO/GENICS MAG - The Job Interview (2023) dir. Shana Purnama. Shot on Kodak 4-perf 35mm film, which remains one of the most widely used in the film industry for its higher resolution. (Vs. 3-perf or 2-perf).

We loved the juxtaposition of
James Blake - Playing Robots Into Heaven
Beautiful abstract minimalism brought to life in black and white. Directed by Thibaut Grevet Produced by DIVISION Creative Directed by Crowns & Owls

Best of 2023

Sampha - Can't Go Back (2023)
Directed by Saad Moosajee. An abstract visual journey centered around an eclipse.
AJR - Inertia
Feature: AJR - Interia (2023) directed by Edoardo Ranaboldo Such an amazing use of miniatures, focus racking, and zooms to tell a story.. and the song you’re gonna have stuck in your head the rest of the day.
The Cypher - Snipes x Nike
Feature: Snipes x Nike - The Cypher (2023) (DC) dir. Marius Gonzalez. Beautiful Nike spot that has a rotational motif throughout, inspired by a zoetrope.
PHOTO/GENICS MAG - The Job Interview (2023
Feature: PHOTO/GENICS MAG - The Job Interview (2023) dir. Shana Purnama. Shot on Kodak 4-perf 35mm film, which remains one of the most widely used in the film industry for its higher resolution. (Vs. 3-perf or 2-perf).

We loved the juxtaposition of
James Blake - Playing Robots Into Heaven
Beautiful abstract minimalism brought to life in black and white. Directed by Thibaut Grevet Produced by DIVISION Creative Directed by Crowns & Owls
LEARN.    DON'T GATEKEEP.    ENJOY.    LEARN.    DON'T GATEKEEP.    ENJOY.    LEARN.    DON'T GATEKEEP.    ENJOY.    LEARN.    DON'T GATEKEEP.    ENJOY.    LEARN.    DON'T GATEKEEP.    ENJOY.    LEARN.    DON'T GATEKEEP.    ENJOY.    LEARN.    DON'T GATEKEEP.    ENJOY.    LEARN.    DON'T GATEKEEP.    ENJOY.    
LEARN.    DON'T GATEKEEP.    ENJOY.    LEARN.    DON'T GATEKEEP.    ENJOY.    LEARN.    DON'T GATEKEEP.    ENJOY.    LEARN.    DON'T GATEKEEP.    ENJOY.    LEARN.    DON'T GATEKEEP.    ENJOY.    LEARN.    DON'T GATEKEEP.    ENJOY.    LEARN.    DON'T GATEKEEP.    ENJOY.    LEARN.    DON'T GATEKEEP.    ENJOY.