The Maker; Animation Inspiration.

THE MAKER: CHRISTOPHER KEZELOS (DIR.)

"A strange creature races against time to make the most important and beautiful creation of his life." 

'The Maker' is the multi-award winning brainchild of Christopher Kezelos, Paul Halley and Amanda Louise Spayd.
After realising that friend and composer, Paul Halley was struggling to reach audiences online, Kezelos decided to team up with Amanda Spayd to bring attention to the music he was creating. Between them, they formed the world of The Maker; a short story that takes place within one enclosed, yet cosy looking room. The film begins with a rabbit-like creature's eyes snapping open. The expression looks shocked or perhaps even horrified, and the environment seems unknown to them. As the workshop is introduced to the rabbit, the audience too become acquainted with the surroundings that appear homely and colourful. However, as the story continues, we realise that the character has a purpose, and is being directed by the props and signs throughout the room.

He begins constructing, sewing, baking clay, and the viewers begin to realise he's making a second rabbit. The initial presumptions could be that he's creating a companion for himself, as the book he seems to be reading instructs how to create a creature similar to him, and how to bring it to life through the medium of music. This itself could be a nod towards the animators and composers themselves, perhaps saying how music brings their image to life?
We see the processes he goes through to create his smaller companion, but the mood goes from cute and artsy to gradually more stressed. This vibe is definitely assisted by the upbeat tempo of the music evident from the very start; as much as the setting is beautiful and the main character feels home made, and creepy but equally adorable, the use of unnerving music and symbolism of a timer that is constantly running out creates a vibe of uncertainty and nervousness.

The twist in the tale happens when the timer runs out just as this father figure is giving his own creation the manual on how he made her; As the last grains of sand fall through the hourglass, he disappears in a flurry of dust that resets the messy room as it scatters. The room is tidied and exactly back to the way it was when the original character first opened his eyes. The daughters expression mirrors that of her own maker in the first seconds of the film, and the audience realise as the hourglass flips and the urgent violin music starts up again, that the entire story is an ongoing cycle of makers and their creations.

Overall, 'The Maker' is definitely an animation that made me sit back and think about it once it was finished. Watching it a second time also helped me to realise a lot of the messages that were being conveyed, and themes made a lot more sense and clicked into place the second time watching it through.  The aesthetic is gorgeous in both the character and the set, and I love the way the character moves in the scenery. It's definitely a complete world that fits together beautifully, and I aim to use this example as a signpost to come back to, to inspire my own work.