Puppet Film Spotlight

Today’s film spotlight focuses on the short film Puppet directed by Thomas West.

What is the title of your film and what inspired said title?

My Stop-motion Animated Short Film is titled ‘Puppet’

I have always been inspired by the work of Aardman and Laika animations studios, since I was 11. Just studying the behind-the-scenes work that makes a stop-motion film was always incredible to watch, and I wanted to try it out for myself. So, I started creating my own little film out of Lego and as I grew up, other incredible films kept me inspired to make even more. However, the inspiration for the title was from the animation puppets used in the films. The intriguing complexity of how they were made, I found, to be amazing. The knowledge of understanding how much the body conveys emotions is easily replicated in their films, which was my main goal for this project and so the film had to be titled the way it is.

Tell us a little bit about the story and origins of your film.

Puppet is a short stop-motion animated film about a lone armature puppet miraculously comes to life and discovers a passion to play a guitar that is just out of his reach. So, he must take a journey in-order to achieve his dream.

The origin of this film was that when I was younger, I loved music including the guitar and I was determined to practice. Yet, my life at that age was very fleeting in the sense that I hardly had much time to spare during my studies, to be able to play anything and I already had a strong passion for animation. Therefore, I sacrificed the time from playing to animating, but I never lost my interest in the guitar. So I took inspiration from that and used it as the main plot for this film. Where the puppet must overcome, its obstacles to achieve its dream and do what I couldn’t.

Any films or filmmakers that inspired this film?

Most definitely, I was always in love with the work of ‘Wallace and Gromit’ and Laika’s ‘Kubo and the two strings’ film. Nick Park has a special place in my heart for his love of animation and the goofy comedy portrayed in his films. Also, I enjoy the work of Justin Rasch, who is an Animator at Blizzard Entertainment and is always showing the behind the scenes of his work. Justin has shown many new ways of creating his animations and I took some of those methods as inspiration to making this short film.

What is the goal of the film for you?

During my education, the covid situation was in place and I wanted to create a wholesome family film that could inspire others to achieve their own dreams in whatever they desired. Since in my past, I can understand some of the mental struggles that could prevent a person from giving it a go.

What has the journey been like getting the film into production?

Thankfully, I had most of the film production planned out, however, I came across a few minor issues that held me back for short periods of time. Such as finding the right studio to work in, personal issues and having to get a new laptop due to breakage. This didn’t stop me from making the film, however. This was a film that I generally cherish and therefore, I was committed to completing it, not just for my education but also for my future career.

One thing you learned from this project?

As I mentioned before, this whole project has been about the journey of learning something new and sharing my passion amongst other creatives. With everything I had to go through during my film development, I made sure I never lost sight of the reason I was making it. To share with the world my love for filmmaking.

How can folks find you and your film online?

My Online Brand is called Thomas West Studios and I am on most social media platforms. But I mostly respond through my YouTube Channel, Instagram and LinkedIn Accounts. All under the same name.

Any last pieces of advice for fellow filmmakers?

Never give up on your goals, whether your work is bad or good. There is always something new to learn that’ll make you an even better filmmaker.

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