Behind the Film: Make a Wish - Worcester Film Festival

Introduction

Make a Wish is a mixed-media animated comedy short about Womb and Sausage, a couple struggling to decide whether to have children. Combining handmade miniature sets, stop-motion and 2D animation, the film explores the pressure to make a life-changing decision when you simply do not know what you want.

Inspiration

The idea for Make a Wish came from my own indecision about motherhood. When I found myself facing the question of whether to have children, I did not feel strongly that I wanted them, but I did not feel certain that I did not want them either. What fazed me most was not knowing how I felt and being unable to make a decision. It was also a decision I was navigating with my partner, rather than one I could make alone.

Making the film helped me process that uncertainty and everything that came with it. Turning the experience into a comedy made a difficult and emotionally heavy subject much easier to explore. If you watch the film, you will see how my own story unfolded, minus the supernatural elements! I hope other people who feel similarly undecided will feel seen, less alone and perhaps even have a laugh.

The Process

Since the film is my debut short, I made Make a Wish entirely by myself in my home studio.

The film combines miniature physical sets with stop-motion and 2D animation.

I animated Sausage, played by a real vegetarian sausage, in stop-motion within miniature sets, then animated Womb in 2D over the stop-motion footage and still backgrounds.

One of the main creative challenges was ensuring that Womb, as a 2D character, felt as though she belonged in the physical stop-motion world. The greatest practical challenge, however, was working with Sausage – he’s a slippery, greasy character. I had to handle and reposition him carefully to create smooth movement while keeping the miniature sets clean and reusable. This became particularly complicated when I needed to tuck him into bed beneath tiny silk sheets.

The mixed-media process involved plenty of experimentation, but it allowed me to create the distinctive handmade world I had imagined for the film.

What It Means to Be a Finalist

It is a huge honour to have been selected as a finalist at Worcester Film Festival. I never imagined that my debut short, made entirely by myself in my home studio, would be shown at the festival. Having the film recognised in this way is incredibly encouraging, particularly because it began as such a personal project. I am delighted that Womb and Sausage’s story will reach a new audience.