Gumdrop is the latest short film by CalArts alumni Kerry Conran (Film/Video 88), the writer and director of the 2004 film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, and Stephen Lawes (Film/Video 94), who last served as creative director for films such as Men in Black 3 and The Avengers.
The six-minute film follows a robot during an audition interview and screen test, with directors Conran and Lawes mixing live-action and CG visual elements to create a compelling character and film.
From Film School Rejects:
This delightful short film makes good use of current CGI to embed a robot named Gumdrop (who’s 27 years old and Bulgarian) into scenes with Charlie Chaplin and Fred Astaire. It’s a keen exercise in visuals, and the main character is a joy to watch, brimming with a kind of sweet enthusiasm and earning bonus points for being a big Buster Keaton fan.
Gumdrop was released last Monday (Nov. 19) on WIGS, an original content channel on YouTube, which specializes in original series, short films and documentaries with female lead characters.
The video below is a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Gumdrop: