Lara Carvalho invited me to create the opening sequence for the first edition of Salvador’s Literature and Screenwriting Festival. It was a dream project: I had complete creative freedom to build on their script and even suggest producing the piece in stop motion.
Since the festival celebrates both literature and screenwriting, stop motion felt like the perfect way to evoke the tactile experience of analog writing since A4 sheet paper and the clapperboard were the central elements of the script.
STOP MOTION
To create the typing effect, I printed sheets as if they were frames of letters appearing and replaced them one by one for each frame. I varied how many letters appeared at a time to carefully shape the rhythm of the typing.
The unrolling paper animation was the biggest challenge. I used magnets to hold each position in place, repositioning them little by little between frames. Always thinking about easing and acceleration.
PROP MAKING
I built the clapperboard by hand using thick chipboard, wire, and paper. The wire mechanism allowed me to control the top section frame by frame. I also cut out the festival logo and added the details with a white Posca marker.
RETOUCHING
The paper was suspended with sewing thread and supported by cardboard to keep it in place. After assembling the sequence, I removed the visible thread and a few glue marks—but kept other imperfections to preserve the raw, handmade feel of the piece.
MOTION
Based on the design created by Alyssa Volpini, I built the layout and animated everything at a low frame rate. A match cut following the clapperboard’s movement helped transition seamlessly from stop motion to 2D animation.
SOUND DESIGN
I also created the sound design, combining effects that added texture, enhanced the movements, and evoked an analog feel—including the sound of a film projector shutting down at the end.
