Holly is a 23-year-old animator and filmmaker, passionate about animation, visual art and storytelling. She enjoys and has experience working across a variety of mediums, and has a particular fondness for stop motion. In the production of her stop motion film, 'Heading Home', she took on a variety of roles from director to animator to modelmaker.
For my project I directed and animated a stop motion short film, entitled 'Heading Home'. The film, made using puppet animation, romanticises the moment in which the protagonist boards a train headed homeward.
Through this project I was able to further develop my animation skills, to try out unfamiliar disciplines like modelmaking, and to learn about the filmmaking process from start to finish, from an idea to a polished film.
My thesis analyses the unique appeal of stop motion animation at a time when digital technology dominates the animation industry. I consider the unique materiality of the medium and its imperfect production process in which human touch is embedded. I also consider stop motion within the context of the modern era, a time of rapid technological progress, particularly as it relates to the phenomena of nostalgia and artistic value. Through this analysis I look to form an understanding of stop motion animation’s unique appeal in the digital age, and why it continues to be practised and enjoyed.