AnimationWorld Magazine — December 3, 2018
Bringing a 2D Touch to DreamWorks Animation Short ‘Bird Karma’
William Salazar’s Bird Karma, the first project to emerge from DreamWorks Animation’s Shorts Program, which was formally announced in late 2017, is just one of the studio’s contenders for a nomination in this year’s short film Oscar race.
The 2D-animated short, directed by Salazar and produced by Jeff Hermann, brings a classic hand-drawn look to CG animation. Told over richly toned watercolor textures, the delightfully lyrical tale features a long-legged bird who becomes enamored of a gloriously colored fish. When he finally captures and eats his elusive quarry, the karmic consequences prove highly unfortunate.
The five-minute Bird Karma had its World Premiere at the 2018 New York Int’l Children’s Film Festival, in February, and went on to open the Annecy Festival in June. Winning the Audience Award at the San Francisco International Film Festival, the short has also been highly lauded at presentations at CalArts, Gnomon, and the recent CTN eXpo.
Here’s an exclusive look at how Salazar’s short film was brought to life in a new video, “Bird Karma: from storyboard to final,” which takes viewers through a sequence starting with storyboards and rough animatics on through the ink & paint process, character and water animation, and finally the completed shot. Watch it in the player below, then scroll down for our interview with director William Salazar detailing Bird Karma’s journey from an obscure vinyl record to the screen: