Private Project

Birth of a Doodle

A Dadaist journey through a universe of drawings in which two doodles have an unexpected encounter with a guru, swim in a pastel river and live in the moment as they travel across pages of a sketchbook.

  • Elisa Pontes
    Director
  • Laurianne Bézier
    Sound Design
  • Alessandro Garino
    Music
  • Tim Horlor
    Sound Mix
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Experimental, Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    2 minutes 20 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 24, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.90:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema
Director Biography - Elisa Pontes

Elisa Pontes is a Brazilian animator and illustrator based in Montreal, Canada. A recent graduate of Concordia University’s Film Animation Program and with a certificate in Animation from Université Laval, she is also a recipient of the De Sève Cinema and Turtle Creek Asset Management Scholarships.
She explores mixed media processes in her illustrations and under-camera, 2D digital, and stop motion animations. Watercolour, pastel, and digital painting are her materials of choice to convey her passion for storytelling.

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Director Statement

The Birth of a Doodle is my graduation film for the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. In the short film, I explored 2D animation with watercolour, pastels, and paint to illustrate an exciting story about life stages. It has always been my intention to make a film about the idea of events happening in an unforeseen way, a universe with freedom. After spending hours doodling, I realized how relaxing and liberating the practice can be, and a film about this universe had potential.
I also wanted to experiment with mixed media to expand the existence of the characters. Having many different worlds encapsulated in the film, I had to design variations of the same characters and approach animation differently in each technique. During the production, I enjoyed working with mixed media and learning their particularities. At some point, I felt that I was making a movie about filmmaking and unconsciously, I made a film celebrating 2D animation, the drawing process, and my path in the Film Animation Program.