What is the film about?

A corrupt sheriff and his posse are targeted by a lone gunman, hell-bent on avenging a savage crime from their shared past. Director/animator Adam Ciolfi took inspiration from the classic spaghetti westerns of the 1960’s to create this inspired stop motion short.

What influenced it?

How much do you really need to know about a man who has spent the past 20 years holed up in a basement making hand crafted films. With stories ranging in subject from children’s fantasy to social commentary to all out horror, I can never be sure which genre I will turn to for inspiration. The past 10 years has seen the completion of 4 stop motion short subjects that have combined to win over 20 awards worldwide. At the same time these films have offended and polarized audiences with their strong content and subversive use of a medium that is typically associated with children’s entertainment. My films have been embraced by critics for their originality and visual style while at the same time, have often been rejected in mainstream animation circles. Undaunted, I will continue to carve out my own unique place in the stop motion world one frame at a time.

A little background information...

While reading a biography on Italian director Sergio Leone something occurred to me; wouldn’t it be an interesting challenge to tackle the widescreen vistas of the classic spaghetti westerns of the 1960’s using stop motion animation. From the confines of my small studio I would spend two and a half years bringing that one simple thought to life.

How was the film made?

Production began in November 2018. With the finishing touches to the script in place, a full year was devoted to pre production which included storyboards, designing and building the characters and sets, and recording the vocal performances. Animation began in December of 2019.

One of the benefits of working alone meant the production could continue uninterrupted even after the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in North America in March of 2020. With lock downs in place I spent over a year at the animation table, putting the characters through their paces. The last shot went before the camera in February 2021. Post production followed with the film completed in May 2021.

When I wrote the script, I did not fully comprehend the enormity of the task I had set for myself. This has easily been the most difficult production I have ever undertaken but the resulting film is one I am immensely proud of.