The Linguist-A Stop Motion Fairy Tale

PG
Comedy, animation, stop motion

A comic riff on the Grimm fairy tale, “The Three Languages.” Daphne tries to please her demanding mother but ends up on her own mystical adventure.

Director-Laura Lewis-Barr

Director's Statement

I create comedies. This is my natural sensibility. I also feel driven to to bring more laughter into the world right now.

In addition to comedies, I think fairy tales have a healing function. I began to rewrite fairy tales and folk tales and use my Barbie casts to tell those stories. Using a green screen has allowed me to take these dolls around the world.

I strive to create stories that embrace the diversity of our world. I work to keep my “casting” open and feature dolls of different ethnicities. A recent film had a white GI Joe doll father, a Latina-doll mother, and an African American doll daughter. My comedy short, “Would You Rather I was Dead,” centered on a gay couple.

My Master’s Degree thesis was on the use of held body postures to create energy and presence in the actor. As I use these dolls, I continue to explore the power of still images to create a compelling effect. My day job (teaching emotional intelligence among other subjects) informs my work as I determine how to manipulate the dolls’ faces to express emotions.