Across to You, My Love
Timeline: 2 weeks, February 6th, 2025 - February 20th,2025
Tools: After Effects, Stop Motion App, and Paper/Markers
Role: Producer, Designer and Editor
Executive Summary
An ally cat just found the love of his life. She sits in the apartment building across the street. But such love will be tested. The journey is no easy task. How will their love prevail, and will this journey be worth it? Let’s follow the journey that came to the creation of Across to You, My Love.
Background
Stop motion has always been a big deal for me. I really want to get into the practice of the study and really push forward with it, even if as a side hobby. Suddenly, the perfect opportunity came to be. For my Motion Across Media Class, we had two weeks to make our very own stop motion video.
As someone who had only really done 3-7 long second stop motion projects, this was the perfect way to not only practice my skill but also create a project that I was proud of.
Inspirations
So funny enough, I didn’t really have a lot of inspiration to go off of. I knew from the moment I started that I wanted to make a paper based stop motion. However, there are a lot projects that are cute but mainly work as GIFS, for example.
Thats why Gruff was my main inspiration. Mixed with hand painted characters and mechanical parts, the creator made an amazing stop motion film, and I really wanted to see if I could recreate some of the effects I saw in his video.
Process
This project though would be time restricting, with the first week being dedicated to planning and preparing while the second week focused on the actual filming process. It was a whole lot of crazy but one that I welcomed with open arms!
Practice Stop Motion/Planning Doc
Orginally, I had two stories at first. One was Across to You but the other was called The Master Piece. There was a problem though. Both were very complex, and each holds a special place to me. However, I think Across to You was the better fit. The Master Piece would be a great short film, but not one that can be made in a week.
After I prepared and crafted how I wanted things to go, I began to also practice with other items. I had a couple of Moster High Dolls laying around, and they provided the neccassary motion I needed for my project! Both the practice video and the planning doc are here.
Physical Filming and Creating
if you look to your left, you’ll see the state I was working with. And even though it seems like a lot, trust me there is more. Because in total, I created BY HAND:
Over 20 hand drawn backgrounds
Over 40 character models
Filmed and recorded for 3 and 1/2 hours
Edited video and audio for 2 hours
It was incredible to see for a week straight. But hey the final looks amazing.
Final Product
After 2 insane weeks and over 40+ hours of content, finally, Across to You My Love was completed and was uploaded to my YouTube channel on February 20th. Truly, I had an absolute blast with this project. Using Stop Motion and After Effects was a combo I’d ever thought I’d have. And despite being only 40-45 seconds, I think its very well done! Please check it out below!
Reflection
There’s a lot to look back on now that I have completed Across to You, My Love. For starters, I wish I had timed better. Despite the fun, the process would of definitely been easier if I started a week earlier.
But I know better now, and such delays shall not happen again. Plus I suppose there were benefits to the longer time period. Meant I got more done. And despite being 45 seconds, you can see the level of work I put in, and while my management should have been better, I’m proud of the outcome.
Next Steps
For where to head next:
I really want to edit the after shots better. Some still feel too short.
If I can, I want to add more elements to the story as well! I especially want to add on to the cats romance life after!
And finally, I want to learn more stop motion tricks so my future work will be better than ever!