Popula: An Animation Short (2015-2016)

In June 2015 I began work as the producer of the approximately 5 minute animation short Popula.

This is together with Sally Csordas who is an animator from Sweden. She will also serve as director.
Popula is a short animated tale about a man, Manne, who often visits a tree that is inhabited by an ancient tree spirit named Popula. They slowly fall in love. However as the climate of the surrounding world changes, then the Popula and tree grows ill. Finally Popula falls into a deep sleep and the tree withers away. Manne still visits the tree everyday and waters it. He is tireless but endures. But one day, he grows frail and tired and then...

I do not want to spoil the end. Like all of my projects, this a volunteer-driven collaborative. All of us, including me and the animator, are doing this in our spare time.

Thus far I have found and recruited the following volunteers:

• Foley artists Assi Sender and Andreas Skoglos from Berlin, (they have volunteered for two projects, the other being my production of Casey Jones)
• Composer Elijah Shepard from California for the musical score. His website is Audio Catharsis.
• Dancer Denise Brown from New York whose movements will be rotoscoped as inspiration for Popula.

Quite an nice accomplishment!

After almost a year of work, I had decided to stop my production work in 2016 so that I could focus on other interests. But Sally and her team will continue to make the project a success. I can't wait.

Below is the teaser trailer.