In Depth with the Director - Robbie Shilstone

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background in filmmaking.
My name is Robbie Shilstone. I'm a New York-born, Los Angeles-based animator and director. I come from an illustration and design background and naturally gravitated to animation. I'm mostly self taught in animation which has led me to develop my own process and style. After working in the commercial space for the past 7 years, I'm now looking to tell my own stories.

How did your film first come together as a project?
This music video was originally made for a documentary my friends were producing called 'Islanders'. The documentary follows the band Finkel as they retreat to their home of Mackinac Island to write an album during the pandemic. Finkel have been long-time collaborators of mine, so when they approached me for the project it was an obvious decision.

Your art style and the shapes you use feel very classic. Is this an intentional throwback, or something that has naturally developed for you?
This style first began as a response to modernists like Kandinsky, Mondrian, and Malevich. I also pulled from jazz heavily, which led to a more expressive and minimal style. I also pulled from my grandfather's work who was a career illustrator back in the 50's and 60's. He was primarily a watercolor artist so I use watercolor textures in my work frequently. I'm not purposefully trying to make a style that feels nostalgic, I'm just following what appeals to me.

There's also a tremendous sense of flow and motion in your work, it feels alive. How do you communicate that wonderful sense of movement?
All animation is an illusion. It's playing with our limited sense of sight. To get a sense of motion with minimal shapes I rely on angles, direction and perspective to help sell the illusion. I also enjoy using textures that give that sense of liveliness.

What was the biggest challenge in making this film?
I wanted to make sure this piece both stood on its own as well as complimented the documentary that it was made for. It was a challenge to convey the themes of the larger piece while also not being too heavy-handed with a direct message. Because of this, the piece has a more ambiguous narrative than other projects of mine. It has been fun to hear how people interpret the piece.

What projects are coming next for you in the future?
I have just completed a fun little short film called 'Off Leash' that follows a bunch of dogs in a park. The film was the first of mine to use Web 3.0 tools to help fund and produce the piece. I'm working towards producing a short film anthology that showcases a wide variety of characters. 

Any message to our Melbourne audience?
I hope you all enjoy the piece and be sure to check out the Islanders documentary!