DAY THREE

Process To Performance

Creator’s Note:

Welcome! This is day three of a 5-day series going behind-the-scenes of creating “Oh My Sweet”, an original music track and animated film. If you’re joining us after March 22nd, you can review the days you missed here. Each day I’ll highlight a different part of the process – the joys, triumphs, challenges and heartbreak. This series is curated by me (Casey Lipka) with animation secrets by Joanne Davis tomorrow!

Each day will include pictures, video snippets or text as part of an in-depth view of the process. This series is 5 days long. You can expect one email each morning.

Remember that art isn’t created in a vacuum. Art thrives with community, support and time. Let this be the start to your ongoing celebration of artists and the care that goes into creating a piece of art.

Day 3: The Heartbreak

Yesterday I left off in the story where I had just completed the music for “Oh My Sweet”….

After the excitement of completing the song, I went on my merry way, energized to find an animator….

My first pick was Joanne Davis. I found her art and she was absolutely perfect!

Unfortunately for me (and wondrously for her), she was about to go on maternity leave and was weeks away from giving birth! She was incredibly gracious and said:

I was lucky to find a different animator who was excited to take on the project.

Animation is an intense process!

We started with a mood board to brainstorm the overarching emotions and themes we wanted to convey:

After that, we needed a story!

I got together with my dear artist friend Meredith to create a storyboard….

After the story, the animator created 3 style frames options….presenting varied artistic options to choose from:

I absolutely loved the foxes on the far right and we moved forward with that style.

I was excited!

Some BTS:

In February 2020, seven months after our initial conversation, I received this 10 second animation. It was a culmination of all the pre-work and style frames we decided on:

Shortly after, I received an email out of the blue from the animator….

They revealed they were having a hard time wrapping up the project or making any progress….

They expressed how they wanted to put their head down and do the work but simply couldn’t do it…

They disclosed that while they initially wanted to take on the project, they felt that they could no longer commit to it….

I read the words….“I need to cut ties….“

Out of respect for the project, they said they needed to bow out….

They voiced their apology and said goodbye….

….WHAT?!

While I acknowledge that life happens, this came as a complete shock….

Suddenly, after 7 months, the project disappeared right before my eyes….

To say I was surprised is an understatement.

To say I was heartbroken is an understatement.

I was devastated…

While I was attached to the idea of bringing this project to life….

I couldn’t bring myself to move forward in any way…..I didn’t have the heart to carry on…..

…So I let it go…..completely…..

So how did “Oh My Sweet” transform into a complete, beautiful, and thriving project?

More on that tomorrow. See you for Day 4!

Yours in song,

Casey