Synopsis
‘Stan & Sven’ tells the story of two best friends, Stan a robot and Sven a fun loving alien. Sven is on a mission to cheer up his buddy Stan who has been walking around with a frown for far too long. Sven soon realises that this is going to be harder than first thought.
Abstract
‘Stan & Sven: A Plan to Help Stan’ combines stop motion animation with children’s literature, to positively help young children understand the complex dynamics of life, in this case depression.
The aim is to translate the original children’s story by Denise Stacey, into a short animation through a playful exploration of physical and tactile environments with
2D illustration through practice-based methodology and investigating how these opposing methods can be combined to both educate and provide a rich opportunity
to explore storytelling further.
2D illustration through practice-based methodology and investigating how these opposing methods can be combined to both educate and provide a rich opportunity
to explore storytelling further.
The hybrid approach to this animation can assist in positively impacting the cognitive development in children, allowing us to teach them important life skills and topics such as empathy, by bringing the pages from a storybook to life through the use of handmade puppets and objects to create an aesthetic similar to that of a children’s book.
Credits
Directed By: Amber Stacey
Written By: Denise Stacey
Animation: Yee Hui Wong & Amber Stacey
Music and Sound: Lucca Torres
Narration: Amber Stacey
Compositing: Yee Hui Wong
Video Editing: Amber Stacey
Set Design & Puppet Fabrication: Amber Stacey
Props: Denise Stacey, Yee Hui Wong & Amber Stacey
Written By: Denise Stacey
Animation: Yee Hui Wong & Amber Stacey
Music and Sound: Lucca Torres
Narration: Amber Stacey
Compositing: Yee Hui Wong
Video Editing: Amber Stacey
Set Design & Puppet Fabrication: Amber Stacey
Props: Denise Stacey, Yee Hui Wong & Amber Stacey
From screen to book!
Based off the award winning animation written by Denise Stacey, 'Stan & Sven: A Plan to Help Stan' is currently being developed into a children's storybook (due for release 2025).
If you would like to register your interest for a copy and be notified when pre-sales are live, please fill in the form and we will be sure to let you know when we are getting ready to launch.
Bulk purchases for schools and libraries will be available, with the option of a reading by the author.
The film will be available online for viewing once it has finished the film festival circuit towards the end of the year.
If you would like a private screening to see whether you might be interested in the story and ordering the book for your school or organisation, please let us know and we will be happy to share it with you.
If you would like to register your interest for a copy and be notified when pre-sales are live, please fill in the form and we will be sure to let you know when we are getting ready to launch.
Bulk purchases for schools and libraries will be available, with the option of a reading by the author.
The film will be available online for viewing once it has finished the film festival circuit towards the end of the year.
If you would like a private screening to see whether you might be interested in the story and ordering the book for your school or organisation, please let us know and we will be happy to share it with you.
Thank you for registering your interest for our book! We will be in touch closer to the pre-sale launch. Have a lovely day!
"An immersive cinematic tapestry that invites viewers to step into the director's imaginative world and experience their creative vision."
- SWIFF Judge, 2023
The Making Of
The overall aesthetic for Stan and Sven, explores the hybrid concept of physical hand made puppets moving around and interacting with flat cut out props in a 2D illustrated environment.
The set design was constructed out of cardboard and paper backdrops to allow for easy and quick set changes. Working with the felted puppets can be tricky as they are extremely light by nature, so to allow for some slightly stronger control throughout the animation process, the floor was large magnetic whiteboards with thin paper over the top. The puppets then had magnetic material glued to the bottom of their feet. Whilst not overly strong, this certainly helped with providing stronger stability.
The set design was constructed out of cardboard and paper backdrops to allow for easy and quick set changes. Working with the felted puppets can be tricky as they are extremely light by nature, so to allow for some slightly stronger control throughout the animation process, the floor was large magnetic whiteboards with thin paper over the top. The puppets then had magnetic material glued to the bottom of their feet. Whilst not overly strong, this certainly helped with providing stronger stability.
Armatures for the puppets were made out of wire and putty with a bendable plastic tube for the necks, to allow for easy access to remove and replace, whilst being able to spin and bend easily. The characters were then needle felted over the top, based off character designs from
the upcoming children's book by Denise Stacey.
the upcoming children's book by Denise Stacey.
To afford the puppets to interact with flat cut out objects, pins and needles were placed on edges, allowing us to push them into the puppets and hold them. One of the larger scaled objects, which presented the biggest challenge was the bicycle scene. This required two
puppets to balance on a flat 2D bike, whilst allowing the wheels to rotate.
puppets to balance on a flat 2D bike, whilst allowing the wheels to rotate.
The faces of the puppets were all animated physically using cut out pieces of foam. This was
to allow for small pins to be glued to the back of each of the face pieces so that we could pull them in and out with the nature of the woollen faces. We then used plain black card with blue
tac to use for blinking motion and eye movements, as this was lighter and thinner to use over
the top of foam eyes.
to allow for small pins to be glued to the back of each of the face pieces so that we could pull them in and out with the nature of the woollen faces. We then used plain black card with blue
tac to use for blinking motion and eye movements, as this was lighter and thinner to use over
the top of foam eyes.
All footage was shot using a Canon 5D MKIV and Dragonframe.
We invite you to watch the small behind the scenes video below to see some highlights of our process.
"A true cinematic gem that showcases the artistry and craftsmanship of the filmmakers, leaving a profound impression on the viewer."
- SWIFF Judge, 2023
"This short film by Amber Stacey offers a world of bright colors,
cool designs, poetic narration and a story that is super warm,
cozy and entertaining."
- short-filmz.net 2023
cool designs, poetic narration and a story that is super warm,
cozy and entertaining."
- short-filmz.net 2023
