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Claire & The Keys

The animated story of Claire, whose greatest desire is to learn to play music - but this is against her mother's wishes.

  • John Ludwick
    Director
  • John Ludwick
    Writer
  • Toby Cochran
    Story Supervisor
  • Andy Beane
    Technical Director
  • Brice Bowman
    Sound Design
  • Sean Winburn
    Art Director
  • Brian Phillips
    Look Supervisor
  • Joanna Davidovich
    Character Designer
  • John Ludwick
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Animation, Magical Realism, Short
  • Runtime:
    20 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    April 20, 2015
  • Production Budget:
    35,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.40
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Indianapolis International Film Festival
    Indianapolis, IN
    July 17, 2015
    World Premiere
  • Memphis International Film & Music Festival
    Memphis, TN
    September 5, 2015
    Tennessee Premiere
  • DragonCon Independent Short Film Festival
    Atlanta, GA
    September 5, 2015
    Georgia Premiere
    Best Animated Short, First Place: Animated Musical
  • Burbank International Film Festival
    Burbank, CA
    September 12, 2015
    California Premiere
    Nominated: Best Animated Short
  • Breckenridge Film Festival
    Breckenridge, CO
    September 18, 2015
    Colorado Premiere
  • Portsmouth International Film Festival
    Portsmouth UK
    September 26, 2015
    European Premiere
    Best Screenplay for Animation
  • Southampton International Film Festival
    Southampton UK
    October 17, 2015
    Best Screenplay for Animation
  • Atlanta Shorts Fest
    Atlanta, GA
    October 23, 2015
  • World Animation Celebration
    Sony Lot, Culver City, CA
    October 24, 2015
    Best 2D Animation
  • Charleston International Film Festival
    Charleston, SC
    November 6, 2015
    South Carolina premiere
    Audience Choice Award, Best Animation
  • Berlin Independent Film Festival
    Berlin, Germany
    February 13, 2016
Director Biography - John Ludwick

John Ludwick (MFA Sequential Art, BFA Graphic Design) has been a storyboard artist for over 15 years. He has directed 2-D and 3-D animation television spots for Cartoon Network, PBS Kids, and Toon Disney through the award- winning Atlanta studio Primal Screen.
As a professor for Ball State University, John has consulted with regional and international studios to plan narrative animation projects including Disney XD, Meysen Inc. of Japan, The Basement, Design + Motion, Adrenaline Motion Pictures, Mediasauce, and many others. He's presented at the Heartland Film Institute, Savannah College of Art and Design, Cleveland International Film Festival, and twice at SIGGRAPH.

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Director Statement

Consumer Technology is designed to reel people in and absorb them, to be "user-friendly". It struck me that real life, living, is not user-friendly. It is hard, it does not instruct itself, it does not update, and it resists change. I speak as someone who has been on both sides.
So I made "Claire & The Keys" around this idea of Easy Lies vs. Difficult Truth. I created it as if it had been made 20 years earlier as a television special, but in the 2.40 aspect ratio. I hope you enjoy it.