Artist and animation director Hayley Morris (and her studio Form & Shadow) have labored on a wide range of combined media and stop-motion animated tasks for shoppers corresponding to MTV, Netflix, Samsung, Sesame Avenue, Hewlett Packard, Kate Spade, Burt’s Bees, The Robin Hood Basis and plenty of extra. She has additionally created music movies for Iron and Wine, The Smashing Pumpkins, Explosions within the Sky, Bon Jovi, Pure Bathing Tradition and violinist Hilary Hahn. Her newest work is a stop-motion quick titled Marguerite, which is a few girl who’s transported to her childhood when she hears the music from a mysterious guitarist. She was type sufficient to reply a couple of of our questions on her new mission:
Congrats in your stunning quick. When did you start to work on it and the way lengthy did it take to make?
I began engaged on “Marguerite” in 2017. Jamie Caliri reached out to see if I wished to make a promo for a model of the brand new Dragonframe primarily based on a drawing I had accomplished of a 1920’s fashion girl. As we began engaged on it, it developed into a brand new mission, and we determined to ditch the thought of it being a promo and have or not it’s a really quick movie as a substitute. We labored on it, on-and-off for the previous few years in between our tasks and life occasions (pandemic, I had a child).
What had been a number of the inspirations for the quick?
My inspiration for the movie is an amalgamation of many issues. My dad handed away in 2014. He was a musician and guitarist and we actually bonded over music. I had been eager to make a brief movie impressed by him that wasn’t instantly a movie about him. That very same 12 months I went to Paris for a present I used to be in with different cease movement artists. I fell in love with the sensation of the streets at night time and listening to the town sounds.
When brainstorming concepts, I used to be listening to numerous Django Reinhardt and had been making drawings with references to 1920’s Paris. In my analysis I used to be drawn to the images of Brassai and his night time scenes of solitary figures in shadow. I did a collection of drawings impressed by the characters in these scenes. Considered one of them was a big drawing of a girl that I became the primary character of Marguerite. Stylistically I wished to discover how I might create a 3D cease movement puppet that appeared hand drawn. I created drawn textures for the face, hair and garments that I then reduce out and sculpted for dimension. I then crafted a narrative and scene round her impressed by Django fashion music and references to my childhood.
Why did you determine to do it in black and white and the way did you incorporate the 2D animated sequence?
The units and puppet had been all muted browns, black and white and blues initially. We shot it in colour after which whereas modifying determined it labored higher as black and white. It matched the unique reference images and added to the mysterious stylized temper we had been going for. Because the puppet and textures had been hand drawn, I wished to include this sketchy look into the reminiscence scenes. I animated this historically with pencil on paper. The reminiscence scenes are impressed by time spent on the Maine coast the place my dad lived. Once I was younger I spent numerous time exploring tide swimming pools and watching my dad fish from a distance. I wished to seize that feeling of trying down the shoreline at him and the wind-swept feeling of being by the water. Each within the puppet scene of the guitarist and the hand drawn scene you don’t see his face. The impermanence, and sketch high quality of the pencil animation displays the transient haze of reminiscence – he’s unreachable and the readability of reminiscence frays and fades as time passes.
Inform us about working with these two amazingly proficient stop-motion artists Jamie Caliri and Anthony Scott. Had you labored with them earlier than?
I had met Jamie on the present in Paris known as “Movement Manufacturing unit” curated by Yves Geleyn that featured cease movement animation artists from world wide. Whereas we had been there for the opening we talked about probably collaborating sooner or later and we stayed in contact. I actually love Jamie’s work and his sensitivity in storytelling and cinematography. He lights cease movement scenes so superbly, and I like how he captured the sensation of Paris at night time. For me, it was so thrilling to merge our concepts and work with somebody I like as an artist and director. I had by no means labored with Anthony Scott earlier than, and it was wonderful to see somebody together with his degree of stop-motion animation expertise deliver my puppet to life. He did an attractive job capturing this quiet second and including refined gestures to her that I like.
What did you’re keen on about this expertise?
There are a lot of issues I beloved in regards to the expertise. I’d say creating one thing private was particular for me. I largely create commissioned work, so having an opportunity to discover private themes and elegance was rewarding. I additionally beloved crafting the puppet and exploring the fashion of the movie. I like the combo of supplies and the simplified shapes I used for the characters and props – these are gestures I’d like to push this extra in a future mission. Lastly, I beloved the collaborative course of and dealing with such unimaginable artists.
What would you say had been your your greatest challenges?
The 2D animation was the largest problem. It was troublesome discovering a glance we had been happy with. My preliminary strategy was white traces on black, a type of inverted look to match the shadowy distinction of the cease movement scenes extra intently. I animated most of the pictures on this manner and we determined it wasn’t fairly working. So, I in the end went with a softer look utilizing conventional pencil on paper to create quite simple animated scenes – however so simple as these scenes could appear, there was an incredible quantity of care that led as much as their realization.
What was an essential lesson you discovered from this mission?
I’m used to being type of a lone wolf in my tasks and tackling each facet of a mission by myself. It was studying expertise for me to let go a bit and see how a collaborative course of might work. So, I’d say my greatest lesson was studying to belief. After this mission I spotted doing every part by myself isn’t obligatory and a mission can tackle surprising vitality when different artists are supporting your imaginative and prescient.
I’m on the East Coast and Jamie and Anthony are on the West Coast. It was numerous video chatting and sending information backwards and forwards. It was enjoyable to see how we might make it work from lengthy distances. I created the storyboards, references, puppet, guitar/guitarist and different props again at dwelling and shipped them over to California. Then Jamie and a small staff created the units and shot them in his studio. I went out to California for about 2 weeks myself and crafted some extra buildings and animated the guitarist taking part in the guitar. I then did all of the 2nd animation together with the smoke at dwelling and Jamie composited and edited it collectively. I actually loved this fashion of working. I feel for the reason that pandemic it has develop into the norm. You don’t essentially need to be in the identical place to work with different artists you admire. Now I reside within the woods in Vermont and do all my tasks this fashion. It’s nice!
Do you will have any ideas for future quick filmmakers?
My recommendation could be to maintain making. Preserve creating your fashion and imaginative and prescient and don’t cease experimenting. Do issues that excite and encourage you and proceed to study by way of the act of creating. Attain out to different artists that encourage you, journey, learn, go to museums and many others. Write down your concepts. An concept may not appear attainable to attain proper at this second, however in 2, 3, 5 years it might make sense to you.
Watch the quick beneath:
For more information, go to www.shapeandshadow.com
