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Title: Stop Motion: The Making Of
Runtime: 3 min
Country: UK
Director: Kessiah Arthur
Placement: Honorable Mention
Competition: June, 2021
Synopsis: A glimpse at behind the scenes of the making of stop motion animations with Steve The Test Dummy, and the moments that didn’t quite go to plan.
OR: What was the inspiration for your film?
KA: This film was inspired by my love for film making and watching the behind the scenes documentaries and gag reels from the films I have enjoyed through out my lifetime. I am enjoying a career in practical Creature FX myself and love the family and fun that can be had with like-minded people behind the camera. I thought this would be a fun way to summarise my experience on the course, and show the insight into the processes behind creating stop motion animation, and what can very easily go wrong in the process!
OR: When did you conceive the idea for your film and how long did it take before it was realized?
KA: This film was made to celebrate everything I had learnt on Aardman Academy’s first ever run of their new course Stop Motion 1 as my final piece. I had four weeks on the course to make my final piece around my hours working full time on another production. The first two weeks were spent writing a script, editing audio files, making key props and my puppet Steve, and the last two weeks consisted of filming and editing.
OR: What was the most challenging aspect of working in a short film format?
KA: I needed to make sure each animated scene was short and concise, and flowed in the right order for an enjoyable pace and engaging series of events.
OR: What was the most challenging aspect of your production?
KA: The main challenge with creating a stop motion short was time constraints as it as very time consuming process that requires meticulous attention to detail!
OR: Do you have any advice for first-time filmmakers?
KA: I will pass on the advice said to me: “Just have fun! People will enjoy what you make when you’re having fun. You’ll always be at your best when you’re playing”