For my senior thesis I animated a story of an entomologist who has become so obsessive and exacting about his work that he nearly forgets the childhood wonder that initially interested him.

The film goes back and forth between a 2D illustrated world inside of the scientist's office, where he is working on the 100th volume of The Definitive Guide to Butterflies, and an outdoor world, depicted in stop-motion, where a childhood version of him simply plays outside admiring the butterfly in the field.

The film has no dialogue and the story is entirely communicated visually. This film represents a core interest of mine, the constant dialogue between the analytical and the subjective, science as poetry, as much as it is a technical study of the world.

This is the rough animated opening to the film. It will eventually be fully colored and inbetweened.

I created two fully posable armatures with wire, cushion, and felting wool (only one pictured here). I build a set and have begun to shoot the stop motion parts of the film.

I am extremely dedicated to creating interesting images. I am capable of focusing on projects for long times, making tedious adjustments with extreme attention to detail.

This film is now complete!

However since it is still in a festival run, I can't make it public yet. Please reach out to me directly for a screening link.