MORNING JOY PRODUCTION
John Henry Hinkel unpacks his part heart-wrenching, part heartwarming animated short
Hinkel. “He really infused the film with a lot of personality.” Morning Joy carries a relatively traditional visual style, combining hand- drawn animation with VFX that at times mimics a handheld camera. Using an array of software – including Toon Boom Storyboard Pro, Clip Studio Paint and Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve – and an ‘elaborate handheld camera effect’ in Adobe After Effects, the film feels organic and somewhat rough around the edges while maintaining a thematic sweetness. Hinkel drew inspiration from both animated and live-action features, citing Spike Jonze’s Her , Trevor Jimenez’s Weekends and Jim Jarmusch’s Paterson as influences. MAKING ITS MARK Morning Joy enjoyed a lengthy festival circuit, making more than 35 international appearances and qualifying for Oscars consideration. Now that the season’s wound down, Hinkel has time to focus on other pursuits, such as editing a film made entirely of still photographs and running Liaison Pictures, the production company he co-founded with former Harvard classmate Andrew Ostapchenko. Liaison Pictures produces live-action features, documentaries and animated
I GRAVITATE MORE TOWARDS FILMS THAT ARE challenging – BUT linger in your brain ” projects, with several currently in post. “We’ve recently partnered with a stop- motion artist and director named Joseph Wallace,” shares Hinkel, who’s producing his live-action puppet film The Wickywock and the JubJub Berry alongside Ruyi Meer and the British Film Institute. With plenty on his plate, Hinkel is busy, but his creative preferences stay the same. “What I personally gravitate towards are films that are challenging and not always the easiest to digest – but linger in your brain,” reveals Hinkel. Morning Joy certainly manages this emotional impact.
humorous beats and did some incredible character work. There’s a shot in the film that’s pretty much his idea, it’s a close-up of a coffee pot, and the coffee is dripping — it’s almost like a tear from his eye. That was a Larry idea we really loved,” details
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