Where the Heart Lies
Chantelle Kuittinen
Duration: 3m 13s
Medium: 2D digital animation
Genre: Fantasy
TRAILER
LOGLINE
A grieving dollmaker performs a forbidden ritual to bring his daughter back to life.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
At its core, “Where the Heart Lies” is about saving the ideal of something, even if that ideal isn’t true. Basile wants to bring his daughter, Clara, back to life—however, the doll is not his daughter. And his daughter was not the doll.
I wanted this story to carry a contradiction of closeness, of feeling distanced from the ones we care most about. When Basile is alive, Clara is dead. In order for Clara to be “brought back”, the price is Basile’s own life. There is also a heavy emphasis on insect imagery; the butterfly and cocoon motifs are tied to Clara’s own “metamorphosis” by the end of the film.
I find myself drawn to tragic stories and otherworldly atmospheres, so I wanted to create something in that vein. I am inspired by detailed and subtle animation and the feelings they can evoke. This production was a wonderful opportunity for me to experiment, particularly with balancing movement with layers of detail, lighting, and textures.
PRODUCTION STILLS
CREDITS
Director – Chantelle Kuittinen
Sound Design – Olivia Comolli
Sound Mix – Olivia Comolli
Storyboard – Chantelle Kuittinen
Animation – Chantelle Kuittinen, Natalie Lait
Layout – Natalie Lait, Chantelle Kuittinen
Background Illustration – Natalie Lait, Chantelle Kuittinen
Compositing – Chantelle Kuittinen, Natalie Lait
Music – “Only Human” by Philip Ayers
