Murder of Crows

A lot can happen in the span of four years. Especially when you’re in a new environment. I put a lot of those experiences into my work while at SCAD, most of them quite literally; I would make comics about the things that would happen to me, both good and bad. Eventually, I moved away from that style of work. In my case, it was easy to make people I knew care about my characters - because they already knew them from my own life. So for the film, I wanted to try something harder.

Murder of Crows is about the complicated relationship between two scarecrows on an aging farm. Lump is the stern veteran scarecrow, a ball of old straw that stays dutiful to the farm. Meanwhile, Maurice is made up of a crude smile on a jug, all wrapped in a colorful rain jacket that contains a heart too big for scaring. Because there’s such a contrast in their designs and disposition, I knew that’s where the conflict would come from.

What surprised me the most about the final version of the story however, was how much I still saw my own experiences reflected in the film. Like most college kids, I’ve made many a dumb decision. I’ve realized some of those decisions only served to hurt me deeply in the long run. I’ve learned that it’s hard to be honest and stand up for something, especially when everyone else is telling you different. I also know what it feels like to truly lose something, be it relationships or loved ones. All of those things are manifested in the film. My only hope is that people can empathize with the story, knowing in some way or another, they’ve been through what these characters have.

The story took many different paths before finding its voice and ultimately becoming what it is today. None of that could have been accomplished however without the many people that I am so lucky to have had in my life. My family and friends who constantly inspire me, my professors who guide me through creating the ideas in my head and the talented, hardworking crew that did everything they could to bring this film to life.

So with all that being said, I hope you enjoy seeing everything that went into the making of Murder of Crows, from beginning to end.