David Badounts is a Creative Director for major brands.
Working directly with Ryan Gosling, his directorial debut, Lost River, is a haunting dreamscape set in a forgotten corner of Detroit, where decay and beauty collide. The film follows Billy, a single mother, and her sons as they struggle to survive amid a surreal and crumbling environment shaped by economic collapse and quiet desperation.
For the title sequence, we explored themes of isolation, abandonment, and a fractured American dream. Imagery of rusted metal, empty swimming pools, and flickering streetlights is juxtaposed with poetic textures and submerged light play. It visualizes a world suspended between ruin and rebirth, mirroring the film's central motif of the haves and the have nots-those left behind in neighborhoods with no future in sight. The result is an evocative introduction that blends decay with dreamlike beauty, grounding the viewer in the fragile world of Lost River.
—
Role: Designer + Creative Director
Client: Warner Bros.