This project is a work in progress-- made in partial fulfillment of my Bachelors of fine arts at Bowling Green State University
Trailer coming May 2025!
here's a sneak peek of some of the progress...
Backgrounds
Cafe Interior
Chairs Close Up
Cup on Table
Espresso Machine
Cafe Exterior
Animation Stills
Thesis Statement
Shared Grounds is a short stop motion and 2D animated film that captures a glimpse of the absurdity of everyday coffee shop interactions. Equipment breaks, spills are common, interesting characters visit, and even the regulars bring exciting new stories to share. Mornings start slow, but as things pick up, the day only gets more bizarre.
Coffee culture is a hobby, job, community, safe place, treat, and everything in between. Concepts for Shared Grounds come from the randomness of a seemingly mundane environment. Each day begins with the simple click of a neon open sign, but everything after is exciting and unique.
Stop-motion and 2D animation are used in combination to create Shared Grounds, a collection of animated coffee shop vignettes. Together, the juxtaposition of these two styles showcase the textured and tactile aesthetics of stop-motion with the expressiveness and fluidity of 2D animation. Creating Shared Grounds involved experimentation during the process of animating, including the crafting of materials and building puppets.
My experience working at coffee shops for over two and a half years has given me insight into the curious interactions of the culture. Through the unifying love of the bean, people with shared interests form strong connections through the simplest of moments. Shared Grounds is an amalgamation of these experiences, showcasing the connectedness of coffee community.
