Laura Masterson

REM

'REM', is a stop motion, 2D digital hybrid film that explores fears of growing up through the concept of dreams. Throughout the film we follow our protagonist through the many chambers of her mind in an attempt to answer the question, is adulthood really that scary?

'REM' began like all other animated films, with a design phase. I'm normally quite character focused so this is where I started.

Next I had to create a world for the characters to inhabit. As the film is meant to take place in our protagonist's mind I tried to keep the space sparce, comfortable and rooted in early naughties inspiration.

Once my idea was written and finalised I went about creating a lighting and colour story that would compliment the protagonist's mental state.

The final step before animation could begin was background design and creation. As the center section of the film was completed digitally it was important to get these right in a way which complimented the intricate hand crafted nature of the stop motion

The next step was to animate the digital elements of the film. The final look and style of these sections were made to resemble a TV, a prop that plays a central role in the film.

The next step in the process was the stop motion, which was completed over a five week shoot.

While working on the edit, the final step for the footage was a compositing pass. Both the stop motion and 2D digital footage was revisited and touched up in After Effects.

Lastly are some still shots from the final film!

REM was a complete team effort and was a combination of the hard work of a large group of dedicated people. Without the team this film wouldn't have been made!

Our Wonderful Team:

DIRECTION // PRODUCTION

Director: Laura Masterson

Head Producer: Jasmim Lobos

Production: Percy Yates

Production: Michelle Sorriso

First AD: Michelle Sorriso

PRE PRODUCTION

Story: Laura Masterson

Design: Laura Masterson

PUPPETS

Armatures: Holly Angle

Head Sculpt: Rebecca Davies

Fabrication: Livia Martin

Costume: Aisling Wallace, Roxanne O'Brien

SET

Set: Cuttle

PROPS

Props: Cuttle, Annie Sun, Ellen Farquhar, Emma Clarke

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Cinematography: Jessica Butterfield, Patrick Devereux, Gráinne O'Reilly, JP Lodzinski, Magda Skalska, Cori Doherty, Lavinia De Vito, Davy Hudson Tyrrell, Harry Merton

STOP MOTION ANIMATION

Stop Motion Animators: Laura Masterson, Laura Reynolds, Emma Clarke, Milena Fiodorow

2D DIGITAL ANIMATION

2D Animator: Anya Grigoreva, Laura Masterson

POST PRODUCTION

Compositors: Milena Fiodorow, Ash Smith, Laura Masterson

Colour Grade: Michelle Sorriso

Edit : Michelle Sorriso, Laura Masterson

SOUND

Original Soundtrack and Sound Design: Ciara Baui, Nathan Bonar

Voice Acting: Evan Clarke and Laura Masterson

CREATIVE ADVISORS

Ann Upton, Eimhin McNamara, Paul McDonnell, Jack O'Shea, Aoife Balfe, Laura Venables, Niall Doherty, Alan Holly, David Quin

Thesis: Stop-Motion, an Uncanny Educational Tool: Exploring Stop-Motion Puppetry as a Storytelling Medium Capable of Teaching Child Audiences Lessons Through Fear

My dissertation aimed to explore the medium of stop-motion under the context of Marshall McLuhan’s philosophies on a medium’s ability to carry a message. I will explored how the medium of stop-motion embodies Freud’s uncanny and can be utilised as an educational tool in children’s media. Using ideas from Derrin Crawte and Barry Purves on stop-motion mechanics combined with child developmental psychology I investigated the links between uncanny stop-motion content and fear as a catalyst for learning susceptibility in children.

Starting in 18th Century Czechoslovakia I dove into the world of puppet theatre and how the core ideologies of this artform went onto inspire filmmaker Jan Švankmajer. This fueled an intertextual discussion of Švankmajer’s 1980 film The Fall of the House of Usher and Henry Selick’s 2009 Coraline, and their positions as uncanny stop-motion pieces that carry their messaging to children through their medium. My investigation will then moved into a more contemporary context, looking at Claude Barras’ 2016 Ma Vie De Courgette as a visual turning point. I documented the decline of uncanny stop-motion in favour of softer, more narrative based educational storytelling for children. This led me to the question: within the world of children’s stop-motion, is the medium still the message?

Laura Masterson Thesis 2025

Laura Masterson

BA (Hons) Animation

Hi! My name is Laura Masterson, a stop motion director and animator based in Dublin. This year I directed the stop motion short film 'REM', which included writing, designing, animating and compositing. I've always been fascinated with stop motion, its tactility and hand crafted nature, and hope to explore this medium further as I develop my career. Shown here is a collection of work from throughout this year. If you're interested in seeing more of my work, stop motion and otherwise, feel free to explore the links to my portfolio, Instagram and Vimeo on this page!