HINDSIGHT

The short film HINDSIGHT examines the body’s limits when confronted with the unstoppable forces of nature, whether it be a wolf on the road or aging. reated as a solo project over a 3-month period, the stop-motion animation used approximately 10 puppets, 15 backgrounds, and 30+ facial and body assets. These were made out of cardstock hand-painted with gouache and ranged from 6 inches to 1 foot in height. Additional assets, such as hands, mouths, eyes, and pupils, were made of the same materials on a scale of 1 millimeter to 3/4 inch. Puppets and assets were hand-assembled using brads, tape, and poster-tack.
Animating paper puppets was a delicate process, as any damage would be visible. To prevent having to redo scenes, body parts were delicately moved with a sewing needle or X-acto blade. Replacement animation was used to change expressions. Such animation required patience and a gentle hand.

My animation process depends on the nature of the project. When creating for pure expression, I will start with a feeling and work without a plan, allowing visual elements to present themselves. Expression has no goal but to serve myself. When creating to tell a story, I work off a structure and a goal: “What feeling do I want to leave my audience with?”
Because it is a time-based medium, I find animation prioritizes flow over visual art elements: how a character or composition changes is more important than how they look in a static state. This is how animation sets itself apart as an art form. It relies on development and change to distinguish itself. As an ever-changing person, filled with my own fluid identities and values, animation gives me a voice and vision of what I know but cannot say. My perception of animation as art is informed by my perception of the world as art.