Escape

I chose to direct this film because I’ve always been fascinated by the tactile, hands-on artistry of stop motion animation. There's a unique magic in bringing inanimate objects to life frame by frame, and I wanted to challenge myself creatively while telling a story that felt intimate, imaginative, and visually distinct.

While watching this film, I wanted the viewer to experience a sense of wonder—like rediscovering the world through a child's eyes. I aimed to create a world that feels alive, imperfect, and emotionally resonant, using the medium’s physicality to enhance the narrative.

Some of the challenges of making this film included the painstaking attention to detail that stop motion demands, as well as time constraints and the need for incredible patience. Every second of footage took hours to animate, and keeping the visual continuity was a constant test of endurance.

Working with my crew was fun because everyone brought their passion, creativity, and willingness to learn. We became like a small family, solving problems together and celebrating each tiny success along the way.

We were fortunate to get the equipment for this film because of generous local film supporters and a few borrowed pieces from friends who believed in the project. Resourcefulness became our strongest asset.

This film will always be special to me because it was a labor of love—from concept to final frame. It represents not just a story I wanted to tell, but a personal journey of learning, experimentation, and growth.

The film turned out to be a little different than the script because the process of animating inspired spontaneous changes. Some visual moments were discovered organically during production, and I embraced those shifts as part of the creative evolution.

We had some delays creating this film because of technical difficulties, particularly in rigging and lighting. Stop motion is unforgiving when it comes to consistency, so re-shoots and re-rigging were sometimes necessary.

We were fortunate to raise the funds for this film by combining personal savings, a small community crowdfunding campaign, and in-kind support from local art spaces.

The experience working on this film will help me with future projects because it taught me resilience, the value of collaboration, and how limitations can actually fuel creativity. I walk away from this project with a deeper appreciation for every frame of cinema, and I’m excited to take these lessons forward.