Ready to go behind-the-scenes of Portland, Oregon-based animation studio Laika like never before?
Laika is readying “Made by Humans: Creatives in Conversation,” a new limited video and podcast series determined to explore the human craft behind great storytelling, bringing Laika artists together with filmmakers, performers, designers, puppeteers and digital creators for “for candid conversations about how ideas are shaped, tested, rebuilt and ultimately brought to life,” according to the official release. The series is produced by Sony Music Entertainment in association with Wavland Media. See a trailer for the new series below.
The series will be available starting tomorrow, Sept. 9, as a video series on YouTube and an audio series on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes will roll out through September.
“Made by Humans: Creatives in Conversation” was recorded inside Laika’s Oregon studio, and is intended to go “beyond finished films and polished final products to focus on the creative process itself: the ideas that work, the ones that do not, the problems that demand inventive solutions, and the countless choices and collaborations required to transform imagination into something audiences can see, hear and feel.”
“At Laika, we believe audiences can feel the human choices behind the work. Every frame carries the craft, judgment and imagination of the artists who made it,” David Burke, chief marketing & operations officer at Laika, said in a statement. “’Made by Humans’ takes that conversation beyond our studio, bringing together creators from different disciplines to talk honestly about where ideas come from, how they work through the difficult parts and why they keep making. Tools will continue to change, but the human point of view behind them is what gives creative work meaning.”
Guests for “Made by Humans” include digital illusionist Zach King; Academy Award-winning costume designer Sandy Powell; legendary filmmaker and visual effects artist Phil Tippett; “Wildwood” stars Peyton Elizabeth Lee and Jacob Tremblay; puppeteer and performer James Ortiz (who led the team that brought Rocky to life in “Project Hail Mary”); filmmaker and visual effects veteran Jeff Mann; and animator and creator Kevin Parry, among others.
The series launches with two conversations: “How the Art of Animating Actually Works,” featuring Brad Schiff and Ortiz, and “How to Actually Make Magic,” featuring Brian McLean and King. Additional episodes and guests will be released every other week.
As teased in the trailer above, Ortiz and Laika animation head Schiff explore the way performances are brought to life, while Rapid Prototype director McLean and King compare the techniques they use to create their respective illusions. “Wildwood” screenwriter and key Laika collaborator Chris Butler joins Lee and Tremblay “to examine the unusual collaboration between actors, animators, designers and craftspeople required to build a stop-motion performance.”
Also seen in that trailer are Laika Costume Design Supervisor Deb Cook and Powell, who explore their approaches to costume design (turns out — not that different), while Model Shop Creative Lead Keith McQueen and Tippett “trace the enduring power of physical models and practical filmmaking in a rapidly evolving creative landscape.” And of course Tippett is going to have some good George Lucas/“Star Wars” stories!
The launch of the podcast/video series coincides with the upcoming release of Laika’s “Wildwood,” their biggest and most ambitious film to date, which will be released in theaters on Oct. 23.
If you weren’t already excited for the fantasy epic, then this series should do the trick.
