My name is Harrison Killian, I am a producer of stop-motion animated films. I am 22 and reside in the Catskill Mountains of New York. Primarily self-taught, I create all aspects of my films using my own combination of stop-motion animation and CGI. I sculpt and fabricate the characters, write the stories and scripts, and design and build the sets. I also play percussion, bass, keyboard and guitar. The musical scores for my films utilize both music recorded by other artists and music that I play, record and arrange myself.
I produced my first stop-motion animated short eight years ago using a piece of clay. I wrote a story, created the characters and built my first sets using clay and cardboard. My goal was to tell a story by capturing the emotions of the characters through the sculpt and movement. I used only a lump of clay to make my second stop-motion claymation short ‘Sui Decamatio’. The characters came alive in the clay to convey a message, depicted in the Latin title, self-destruction.
Since then I have produced many stop-motion animated shorts, adding more technicality as I progressed. I now construct characters using armature wire, hair and
eyes. The majority of my films are available on Youtube, except my most recent film ‘Dream With Me’, which is available on Amazon Prime. In the course of developing my current film ‘Rider On The Storm’ I have produced numerous time-lapse production videos, which are available for viewing on Instagram (www.instagram.com/ harrison_killian).
‘Rider On The Storm’, is my first feature length stop-motion animated film. I now utilize far more sophisticated techniques like the use of ball and socket armatures instead of wire, plasticine, silicone and casting resin instead of clay, and will include numerous voice-over actors. Currently in the fourth year of production, I estimate the completion will take another four to complete for distribution. The script is written and has been copyrighted, and various aspects of pre-production have been completed. I seek grant funding to complete the building of my studio, acquire needed equipment, hire cast and crew, and begin principal photography.
My last stop-motion animated short film ‘Dream With Me’, is a music video produced in collaboration with the songwriter. Though primitive compared to the animating techniques I have since developed, ‘Dream With Me’ has been screened and/or won awards in 21 film festivals globally and throughout the US, and as noted above, is available on Amazon Prime.