How I tackled a 48-hour animation challenge
The making-of Piñata
In April 2024, I participated in the annual Cardiff Quick Draw challenge to make a short film in 48 hours.
It’s a tough challenge where the key skill is understanding time management and setting yourself expectations.
In this video, I document how my weekend unfolded, how I managed my time, how the idea came about and the decisions made to bring it all together.
Expect to see storyboards, concept art and design development, animatics, sound tests, time tables and production management tools to get the job done.
If you’ve ever wondered about the process and what goes into making an animation, then this should be a fascinating insight.
Concept Art
The Piñata monster is the key element to this film. This was the concept art I drew for what I was aiming for.
To the left of the monster is a sketch figuring out how the monster would be constructed as a rig that I could animate.
Learn more about it in the ‘making-of’ video above!
Watch the completed short film: Piñata:
If you haven’t seen it already, Piñata is the film that was made in the challenge, it’s about things being more than meets the eye. And asks the question of what is going on underneath all that colourful paper?
Piñata Credits
- Direction and Animation by Matthew Creed
- Sound Design by Richard Jackson / JacksorJacksor
- Cardiff Quick Draw
- Cardiff Animation Festival