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Macro Animal Footage Makes A Chameleon Look Like A Robot

Darryl McGowan's high-octane nature footage is a character study of a grumpy-faced chameleon.

As evidenced by a quick google search for "kitten," "puppy," or "pet costume," cute pets rule the internet. Filmmaker Darryll McGowan, however, finds beauty in the less adorable residents of the animal kingdom. His depiction of a hardcore day in the life of a spider was as informative as it was spine-tingling, and now he's following it up with PSYCHON▲UT, a nuanced character study of both a frown-faced chameleon and a hungry snake.

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In the video, McGowan's infographic animations are superimposed over shallow-focused nature footage, giving the chameleon's alienlike movements a bionic, robotic aesthetic. The chameleon's mechanical behavior reaches a zenith as the reptile snaps up an insectoid snack with its lightning-fast tongue—blink and you might miss it. In contrast with their scientific details, the animals' lives and feelings are the foci of each beautifully composed shot. "I went for a subtle approach, and tried to show expression of the animals through their eyes," McGowan told The Creators Project. Seen thruogh right light, the chameleon's grandfatherly squints and smiles even become endearing.

But it's the voracious snake who dominates the finale of P S Y C H O N ▲ U T. The scene might be nature's equivalent of the bass drop. "I wanted a calm before the storm fee," McGowan said, and the snake's feeding frenzy definitely represents the storm. A warning to the squeamish, though: if you're not a fan of watching nature take its course, you may want to pause the video at around the :80 second mark.

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