A Pirate for Christmas

Inspired by childhood memories of Newport, Rhode Island A Pirate for Christmas is an original animated short film set during the town’s colonial era. Blending an original fictional story with meticulous historical research, the film reimagines the classic holiday lore through the lens of a scrappy pirate adventure set in 1775

ROLE

writing, directing, storyboarding, art direction, modeling, animation, lighting, editing

FORMAT

Animated short film

RUNTIME

18 minutes

ROOTED IN NEWPORT

Every environment is rooted in the real Newport. Architecture, geography, and materials were reconstructed from historical references, while many textures were captured directly from their real-world counterparts, grounding the film in a tangible sense of place.

TOOLS

Cinema 4d, Blender, After Effects, Adobe Photoshop, Substance Painter, Adobe Premiere Pro

DEVELOPMENT

From the writing and storyboarding, to the character design and animation - this project has been a deeply personal one. Pulling in local references and shared experiences seems to connect with viewers as friends, family and strangers alike have been invested in its production right from the beginning. A Pirate for Christmas won the coveted “Projects we Love” badge on Kickstarter.

MUSIC AND SOUND

An original score composed for the film was performed live by musicians playing vintage glockenspiels and busted accordions to bring out a hand made charm that matched the film perfectly.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Designing the characters meant balancing a stylized feel with an immediately recognizable look of the 1700s, capturing each personality while staying true to the period.