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"Why Shopping Carts?"
Wobblewheel is a small, award-winning studio that has introduced a new type of animated character to the world. The concentration at Wobblewheel is on stray shopping carts as characters and how they exist and interact with each other in a world without humans. One of the most fascinating aspects of animation is giving life to inanimate objects, so using real carts and having them act and convey emotion is an exciting challenge. Shooting on location creates a desolate, surreal, but somehow familiar world where only carts exist. While sound effects and sometimes human-like noises are used, there is no dialogue, and action and mood are heightened with music. Stray shopping carts are symbols of overconsumption, negligence, and often homelessness, but here they're curious, humorous, colorful, genderless wanderers, exploring freely and picking up some things, so to speak, along the way. While the concept carries deep socio-political undertones, it's an escapist idea, meant to be a break from reality, and suggest a way to look at the world a little differently.
Rusty (that's me) has a BFA in Animation from The University of the Arts. As a working artist and independent animator, I don't work with a steady team, but I do have the honor of bringing in gifted people from all backgrounds for each individual project. Read on to find out a little more about them.
Deyania is an ambitious, self-taught, Philly-based artist. She has been creating since she was six and has dreams of going into the field of animation. There's just about nothing she loves more than to create (...except maybe her cat). Deyania is currently part of the pre-production team for "Cartwheels", and is helping with character designs. She will also be involved with the animation process.
Linus is an ambitious animator with a passion for puppets and all things animation. After graduating the University of the Arts in 2022 with a BFA in Animation, Linus joined the production team for "Cartwheels".
Rachel is an illustrator who specializes in hand-crafted stop motion animation. She uses colorful, playful characters that evoke feelings of whimsy and remind the viewer of their childhood. She is endlessly inspired by cartoons, the woods she grew up in and the real-life characters she's encountered. She has a BFA in Illustration from the University of the Arts. She added notably to the production of "Cartwheels".
Corrine DiStefano is a Philly-based unicorn with a passion for making cool and magical stuff. She is inspired by nature, mythology, and existentialism. She likes to make people think as much as they laugh. Corrine has a BFA in Animation from the University of the Arts. She will be a part of the "Cartwheels" pre-production and production team.
Katrina is a stop motion animator originally from Long Island, NY. She likes making puppets, holding rodents like they owe her money, and big noses. She is currently a senior at UArts, and her work is mostly inspired by the emotional connections between creatures, as well as making little guys with funny faces. She was brought on as part of production and post-production for "Cartwheels".
In her own...words...?..."After being attacked by a billy goat at a young age, Janelle decided that leaving her Detroit, MI, home was for the best. She moved to Philadelphia, PA, where she works as a sequential artist and arts instructor. Her inspiration falls between 'what happened' and 'what could have happened'. She has yet to be attacked by another goat." Janelle's help on "Mate" saved about a year on the production.
In her own words, "I enjoy creating content that utilizes animation to explore real world environments, aesthetics, and characters". This couldn't be more true. It's also true about the hand sanitizer. Haley's independent spirit and work ethic proved invaluable in the production of both "Bouncer" and "beat", and she also made idea and story contributions to "Mate".
Swissbeatbox.com is the world's largest beatbox platform. They kindly allowed access to archived beatbox battles for the audio tracks on "beat". Samples were provided from artists Markooz and SIDFX.
"Amberella is a Philadelphia and Los Angeles based mixed media and street artist. Most of her work is conceptual and often comments on popular culture, body image, social justices, mental health care, the importance of self care, or love and relationships." - from amberellaxo.com. Her hearts are used as sort of title cards in the short film "Mate".
From laceinthemoon.com: "I am a Philly-based installation artist specializing in all things crochet. I create permanent and temporary yarn wonderlands by taking your average strand of yarn and turning it into a showstopping experience for your event, business, or backyard." We used an installation at 7th & Lombard for a scene in "Mate"!
If you mess with me or my crew, you'll get shot in the face ...I'm just kidding...
...probably the leg or shoulder.
James is a childhood friend from Newark, DE, and is sort of a quiet creative powerhouse. His talent for music would rival any classically trained musician. His talent for singing would not. James helped out with camera on the installation loop "You're It!" and is an excellent idea man as concepts begin to evolve.
Dylan is a long-time good friend, critic, and unconditional supporter. He is often the voice of reason when my ambition gets carried away and always offers an intelligent, objective critique. Dylan has been a restaurant manager in Austin, Las Vegas, Disney Springs, and is currently back east in Washington, D.C.
Dom was a best friend that may not have always understood what I was doing, but would drop everything to help out. He was also very reliable for some potential misdemeanors. Dom helped me shoot my thesis "Everything Must Go!". Although he's no longer here to see what became of it, I know that he'd approve.
Basket is a mini cart and a major pain in the ass. It does not think. It does not care. It also keeps sneaking on here and changing its description to "co-creator". This is absolutely not true.
If you’re interested in more info about paid opportunities, contributions to story or character ideas, or would like to collab in any way, send an email to: rusty@wobblewheel.com
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