The Water Man
Feature Animation
We had the good fortune to be tapped to create several minutes of beautiful and imaginative 2D animation for the live action feature film, The Water Man. It is the directorial debut of veteran actor David Oyelowo (Selma, Midnight Sky). The project involved a lot of exciting creative exploration with the end goal of visually capturing the imagination of a 12-year old boy named Gunner as he draws in his sketchbook. Taking place in a small Pacific Northwest town, Gunner depicts a local folk legend of a ghostly figure called the Water Man who haunts the nearby forest.
The animation process involved drawing from live action on computer tablets, then carrying it over to a stylized interpretation executed with pencil on paper to achieve a fully hand drawn aesthetic. The animation appears near the beginning of the movie and is the catalyst for the main character to set out on his journey to find the legendary Water Man. The movie made its premiere in the 2020 Toronto international film Festival and was recently picked up by RLJE Films and Netflix.
Animation Direction by: Chel White
Animation Producer: Rebecca Cedeño Wells
Animation Coordinators: Carlo Fiorio, Colin Steinmann
Lead Animators: Sam Niemann, Tina T. Hsu
Animators:Kailey Choi, Andrew Dieffenbach, Teresa Drilling, Alec Knox, Jesse McManus, Neisje Morrell, Chris Purdin
CG Technical Director: Patrick Coan
Animation Editor: Brent Heise
Animation Composite Artist: Barna Howard
Animation Designer: Dan Schaefer
Animation Camera: Solomon Burbridge, Russell Eaton
Animation Casting: Louanne Moldovan
Animation Reference:Ted Rooney, Holden Goyette, Puddletown Talent
Animation Production Assistants: Megan Deck, Alex Fattal, Alfredo Lettenmaier