I’m so excited to finally share this short film!
Back in 2020, I was asked by the lovely folks at Westwind Pictures to create this piece, which tells the story of a man on a heartfelt quest to find his beloved — with the twist that he’s being followed!
With just about six weeks to pull it all together, I had the chance to experiment with blending 2D and 3D animation in a way I’d never done before.
This project was also my first time diving into 3D rigging, and I learned so much along the way. After a few years of waiting, I’m thrilled to finally be able to share it with you all!
Chasing the Story
Come along with me and follow in the footsteps of the watchman as I show you how this all came to life.
After receiving the script, I began by creating storyboards, which I then turned into an animatic. From there, the journey continued as we set out to find our protagonist through character designs.
Once we had cast our main character, I turned my focus to designing the environment — which, in many ways, became a character in itself. I found the perfect reference for this world in the Italian town of Matera.
Below, you can see some of the early explorations, along with behind-the-scenes glimpses of how the environments were created and how I animated it all.
This was truly an amazing experience!
Character Designs
Concept Art & Style Frames
Animation Process
Environments
Credits
Production: Westwind Pictures
Directed by: Mary Darling & Bre Vader
Animation Producer: Greg Singer
Animation: Oscar Gomez
Original Score: Sam Hansell
Narration: Marzieh Darling-Donnell
Production: Westwind Pictures
Directed by: Mary Darling & Bre Vader
Animation Producer: Greg Singer
Animation: Oscar Gomez
Original Score: Sam Hansell
Narration: Marzieh Darling-Donnell
