Our latest Film of the Month winner is 'Purpose'

Our latest winner of Film of the Month is Purpose, a beautifully made, emotional animation with powerful message for the festive period. This film was made by Rikhil, aged 15, from Cambridge. This month, we have two very strong Special Mentions from Wales. The Mari Lwyd was made by 22 young people from Llanharan Primary School, and Run, run as fast as you can! was made by Luke from Carmarthen.

Purpose (suitable for U audiences) follows a snowman who pairs up with a reindeer to deliver presents across the world, discovering that his true purpose lies in quietly bringing light to others. Read on to hear from Rikhil about the process of making this film.

How does it feel to win Film of the Month?

It feels great! I have never won a film competition before, and this has given me so much more confidence in my work and creative abilities. Winning this competition has inspired me to enter more festivals and competitions and to keep on improving my techniques and films.

What/who are your filmmaking inspirations?

I was inspired by many films in general. What interests me sometimes even more than the plot is the way that the film is created through lighting and sound design. This is why lighting was something crucial I wanted to focus on in my film. I am inspired by directors such as Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg and James Cameron and aspire to create films on the same level that they have.

What were the challenges in making this film, and how did you overcome them?

The challenges were trying to learn all I needed to about blender * in order to make this film in a relatively small amount of time. Learning different aspects such as rigging and modelling characters is something that took some time and was very different to anything I had ever learnt before. I watched YouTube tutorials to try and get a basic understanding and then experimented on my own to get a result I was proud of.

What was your filmmaking process? How did you go about creating this film?

I started by coming up with a storyline that was emotional and creatively fulfilling for me, but also achievable in the small space of time I had to make this film. I realised from past experiences that good visuals were nothing if I didn't have a strong story. After that I started making the basic 3D scene in blender using free assets I found online from sights like CG Trader and ‘turbosquid'. I went with a simple low poly art style which would be easier to work with. However, I did create the 3D model of the main snowman myself. After this, I animated each scene and lit it before rendering them. I then brought each scene into Davinci resolve for editing and final colour grading. I also used hitfilm for any additional effects.

What did you enjoy most about making the film?

I most enjoyed seeing the characters come to life by animating them. Animating small aspects of the character such as eyebrows rather than eyes, allowed me to show emotion and expression without being too complicated and time absorbing. I also really enjoyed lighting each scene in blender as it was at that point that I could start to see the whole film really come together.

What would you do differently next time?

If I was to make the film again next time, I would try to add a few more scenes showing the closer bond between the reindeer and the snowman. I would also add additional scenes showing the snowman dropping off the presents and seeing the reaction of people opening or seeing the presents later.

What message would you like audiences to take from watching this film?

I would like audiences to take away that no matter how lost or confused you feel, always follow the light to find your true purpose.

What are you working on next?

My next film will tell the story of my grandfather and his experiences growing up in a post partitioned India. I feel this film will give me the chance to tell a truly powerful story with a strong message that is close to my heart. This film will also give me a chance to push my filmmaking skills even further.

* Blender is a free and open-source 3D computer graphics software suite used for creating animated films, visual effects, motion graphics and 3D models. 

Special Mention - The Mari Lwyd and Run, run as fast as you can!

This month, we received two exceptionally strong entries that we felt both deserved a special mention. 

The Mari Lwyd was made by 22 young people from Llanharan Primary School and is a fantastic example of filmmaking in the classroom. 

What happens when a spooky horse's skull knocks on your door on a cold, dark, Winter's evening and starts singing to you? This film tells the story of the odd Welsh Christmas tradition of the Mari Lwyd, in a documentary style.

Run, run as fast as you can! is a very fun stop-motion animation about a little gingerbread man who goes on the run, made by Luke, from Carmarthen. 

A little old lady bakes a tray of gingerbread every day, until one of them runs away!