Introduction
This project began in a very simple way. It started with a casual conversation with my friends about things or activities we could do during the winter. In the middle of jokes and spontaneous ideas, one thought suddenly stood out to me as especially funny, what if each person made a snowman that was completely different, strange, and humorous. From that moment, The Perfect Snowman was born.
From the start, I knew that for my final project, which I co directed with my friend David Guerrero, I did not want to limit myself to proving that I could handle the technical aspects of video production, such as cinematography, camera operation, or working with editing software. My goal went beyond that. I wanted to show that I was capable of creating a concept from scratch and building a world that previously existed only in my mind, shaping it through a personal style and creative identity.
With this short film, I aimed to make it clear that I am not only a technician, but above all, a creative. That is why I decided to take the project one step further by combining two of my greatest passions, video and animation. From that union came the perfect medium to tell this story, stop motion, a language that became the child of both disciplines and the heart of this project.
Pre-Production
During the pre production stage, I was in charge of developing the original idea, creating the storyboard, preparing the shot list, organizing the materials list, and building the execution schedule. This phase allowed us to clearly visualize the project before production began and ensured that every creative and technical decision was intentional and aligned with the final vision.
Production
The pre production process is the most important stage of the project. It is the phase that defines the scale, time, and resources that will be used, as well as the core idea that becomes almost definitive of what the project will be. This project was co directed with my friend David Guerrero, which meant that we divided responsibilities and tasks between us.
This stage was the one that took the most time and was also the most enjoyable. This is because in this project we did not focus only on recording, we created an entire small world from scratch with our own hands. The first thing we did was learn needle felting. I was the one who proposed this idea after being inspired by the short film Madre, and I purchased a needle felting puppets course on Domestika. After completing the course, I had a general understanding of the process and what needed to be done. I also took another Domestika course focused on stop motion using a cellphone with needle felting.
We began by building the bodies of the characters. Abi Cedillo and I worked together on creating the heads, while David and I created the bodies. It is important to mention that we had to build wire armatures using epoxy glue so the puppets could be animated properly. After that, David was in charge of creating the BYUI letters, and I focused on building the floor and setting up the base with the snow.
Once fabrication was complete, we moved on to filming, which was the most fun, time consuming, and interesting part of the process. I was responsible for the cinematography, which was especially challenging because I had to light a very small setup. In the end, I achieved the desired look by using three point lighting. We used a Sony a6500 camera with Irix lenses, mainly the 35mm and 45mm. For lighting, I used two Aputure MC Pro lights, one Aputure 300D, and one Aputure Storm 150X, along with a soft box, several C stands, bounces, and negative fill.
For animation, we used Dragon Frame, a professional stop motion software used by studios such as Laika and commonly employed in large scale productions. This project was animated at twelve frames per second, frame by frame. Planning and execution were essential to make post production more manageable. The correct use of backlight helped separate the background from the characters, making the masking of supports easier, along with the constant use of close ups to hide rigs. The fabrication and filming process took an entire month, usually working between six and eight hours a day, five days a week. Without a doubt, it was an incredible experience.
Post Production
Post production was also a stage where I had a great deal of fun. I began by creating a basic edit in DaVinci Resolve. Once the draft was complete, I was responsible for all the visual effects work in After Effects, which involved extensive use of Roto Brush and masking. Fortunately, on set we captured enough clean plates to be fully covered in every scene.
I also completed a significant amount of visual effects work in DaVinci Fusion using node based workflows, especially for the snow effects. I used luma mattes to establish depth and give the snow a stronger sense of dimensionality within the frame. In addition, I handled the color correction in DaVinci Resolve. Although it required a considerable amount of work, the process was very smooth because the cinematography had been carefully executed. It is important to note that all images were captured as JPG files, not RAW or logarithmic formats, directly from the camera.
Finally, I designed the title graphics and end credits using Procreate, Illustrator, and Photoshop. This allowed me to maintain visual consistency and reinforce the overall style and identity of the project.
Conclusion
This project represents much more than a final assignment. The Perfect Snowman allowed me to explore my creative identity while applying technical skills in a meaningful and intentional way. From concept development and puppet fabrication to cinematography, animation, visual effects, and post production, every stage challenged me to grow as a storyteller and problem solver.
Co directing this project with David Guerrero taught me the importance of collaboration, planning, and clear communication. Working in stop motion also reinforced the value of patience, attention to detail, and consistency, especially when creating a world frame by frame. Combining video production and animation into a single project confirmed that stop motion is a medium where both of my passions naturally meet.
Most importantly, this short film helped me understand that my strength lies not only in executing technical tasks, but in creating ideas, building worlds, and giving them a distinct visual identity. This project marks an important step in my development as a creative, and it has given me confidence to continue exploring animation, cinematography, and storytelling in future projects.
