Elementa: The Language of Stop-Motion

Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski wrote and directed "Madame Tutli-Putli" – nominated for Best Animated Short Film at the Oscars and awarded at the Cannes and Annecy festivals – and "Higgelty-Piggelty Pop!", produced by Spike Jonze.
Art directors on Guy Maddin's feature "The Forbidden Room", they co-directed the VR film "Strangers" with Patrick Watson, and are currently working on a second VR piece, "Gymnasium".

Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski will focus their Masterclass on top-motion animation, which is the medium of "Elementa", materials (clay, string, seeds...) assembled to create an illusion of movement or even life. Elementa forms the vocabulary of the stop-motion filmmaker. However, that often leads to a cliché; pickle-jar sets and weak characterisation. By investigating the language of stop-motion, we can begin to undo or at least subvert that cliché.