The Alchemist
This film is about humanity's obsession with attempting to thwart mortality. An alchemist searches for eternal youth, creating potions whilst experimenting with things beyond human understanding. He ultimately succeeds, although not in the way he intended.
This was my third year graduation film. Inspiration came from a visit to a genuine medieval Alchemist's Laboratory in Prague. Research into the history and origins of alchemy played a huge role and I built the set, character and the majority of props from scratch. I loved making this film and was able to learn skills such as building a miniature chandelier complete with LEDs and practical stop motion effects: smoke, fire, and bubbling potions. For the sound design I collaborated with Will Crawford from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire who composed an original soundtrack overlaid by my own sound effects.
Hounded
A character driven stop motion film, incorporating everyday objects as they form from the back drop of a chaotic desk.
This second year student project was filmed over a hectic two weeks when I decided to re-start and change the location. Shooting without greenscreen allowed for a greater level of realism and softer lighting. It also inspired me to increase the interaction between the characters and other elements in the scene, such as the deer climbing the book pile, and crossing the coin river.
What Remains
An atmospheric exploration of a historic space, aiming to bring life to textural skeletal characters as they search the graveyard ruins for purpose.
This film was a student project and my first solo animation venture. Its creation taught me the basics of sound design, puppet building, editing and outdoor animation. My animation skills have improved drastically since this project, but I'm proud of the colour palette and pleased that the decision to shoot outdoors created lovely atmospheric stills.