The earth is flat (2016)

Initially a simpler piece based on an idea of a depressed and thoughtful 3D stop motion character walking around a barren wasteland filled with flat 2-dimensional characters screaming catchphrases. During the pre-production phase I fell upon the "flat eather" community, and was inspired to make a more specific narrative that utilized the medium I wanted to use to emphasize points I wanted to make about human perception. The message of the piece ended up about how when you believe in something that is considered to be strange and incorrect by the world at large, it still feels very real to the individual who believes it. The perception is warped, but to the individual it is as real as something like the globe earth is to most people. 

Transferred to VHS about 6 times in a row to get the warped effect. Had 6 different versions of the film at different levels of distortion that I edited together, and used the most distorted versions for when the pink character's worldview is the most warped. 

I made most of the film by drawing the characters digitally for each frame, printing each frame out, cutting out each frame and putting the shot together on a multiplane. Any shot with the stop motion puppet had to be put together on a stop motion stage.

1/5 of my "Wasteland" series of films. 

The pink puppet was built by Kesiah Manival, the cg flat earth shot at the end was animated by Ben Zell Reicher. VHS conversion help by Cooper Babbes. 

Music by Jason Richards. 

Finalist at the Toronto Animated Image Society's 10th Annual Animation Showcase.

Screened at Kinetic: An Audiovisual Experience, Rush Process, DIY Animation Club, Harvestworks.

The version of the film without the VHS transfer was reposted by a Flat Earther youtube channel that thought it was supposed to be flat earther propaganda, which is one of my crowning achievements in life:

Animation tests and concept art: