A stop motion animated skeleton, once a formidable villain of the silver screen and now a struggling actor, takes drastic measures when he learns the film for which he was created is being rebooted without him.
Directed by Michael Shanks, a Melbourne-based director operating out of production company LateNight Films.
Shouldered by stellar local talents, including Gerald Thompson (Director of Photography Stop Motion) Gerald is a legend of the Australian animation industry and worked across many projects including as a cinematographer on Adam Elliot’s Mary and Max.
Working closely with Gerald is Samuel Lewis who was in charge of the stop-motion animation of Phil. You might remember Sam’s work in the 2018 short film ‘Lost & Found‘ which was shortlisted for the 2019 Oscars and has garnered over 3 million views on YouTube.
The driving force behind this project was to create a love-letter to the history of movie magic: To see the history of Hollywood special/visual effects creature coexisting in the same frame. One of the main things I want from movies is to see things I’ve never seen before – and this was something I’d never seen so I thought I’d try and make it!
– Michael Shanks (Director)
The ambitious project received funding from Screen Australia and YouTube Australia and the Skip Ahead program that provides a boost for local creators.
The short film is a wonderful homage to the work of Ray Harryhausen bringing back wonderful memories of watch Clash of the Titans and Jason and the Argonauts.
Here are some Behind the scenes of ‘Rebooted’ – detailing the various elements of production whilst diving into some fun Stop-Motion and VFX tips and tricks.
For more behind the scenes on this amazing production check out this detailed article from befores & afters, Ian Failes.
Full Credits list available HERE
