How and why did your journey into animation begin?
My journey into animation began with a group in Portland, OR about a decade ago called Monsieur Soeur who competes in timed film festivals where a short film must be made in 48-72 hours, sometimes 100 hours. This team did all stop motion for these, making the puppets, sets and props all from scratch then animating and editing in that short time period. I started by working in the art department and slowly did pieces of animation and eventually editing and marketing for this team. This set me on my path to start making projects outside of the film races, often collaborating with artists I met working on those short films.
What are your sources of inspiration?
I’m inspired by a lot of stop motion films in last few decades but also experimental animation, Japanese anime and creative storytelling. Some big inspirations are short films I see online, and also a lot of working with Monsieur Soeur over the years. Science fiction, fantasy and horror are some of my favorite genres to explore.
Tell us about your creative process.
My creative process always starts with a simple idea or creature, or a lot of the time a dream I had the night before. Then I start by writing or drawing some ideas and thinking about people to collaborate with for the team. After that there’s a rough script followed by a storyboard. The storyboard gets chopped up into the editing timeline so voice work and sound effects or music can be added as animation is being worked on. If it’s physical puppets then the set will also be constructed as they are being worked on but if it’s 2D all the art comes first usually. Lastly the animation and adding it all into the editing timeline. Final touches, sound balancing and any color grading or lighting happens then we wrap!
Is there a part of the process that bores you? And instead which part is the one that excites you?
I don’t think any part of the process is boring but some parts are harder to work on than others. Building all the art and assets for a project can be overwhelming and take time. The most exciting part is usually animating, storyboards and the editing process.
How would you define the animation scene not linked to big brands? Is there an audience? What channels do you use to post and reach as many viewers as possible?
I think everyone is a fan of animation, especially stop motion. The audience is the world and it all just depends on the story being told and who it will connect with. I use Youtube and Instagram to share content and connect with others as well as Vimeo and my own website.
New projects in the pipeline?
Right now we’re working on Robotany Part 2, a followup to the first and its a lot of work but I hope to get something out this month for everyone to see, I know people connect with these characters and just want to spend more time with them and in their world.
Thanks for taking the time to hear a little about me and Wilmfredle’s Oddities!
