Lisze Bechtold

MOON BREATH BEAT is a hand drawn experimental 2D film. The film was started it in sketch books while traveling. I animated straight ahead from bottom page to top, with only a pre-composed rhythm as the film's framework. The dream-like stream of consciousness story evolved as it was animated, becoming loosely about the loss and regaining of creativity. When I got home, I switched to pegged animation paper and frosted cels. It took four years to complete, as I did all the animation and sound design myself. The sound track was recorded and cut together afterward, sometimes 4 frames at a time, to fit the images and follow the rhythm. We're talking 35mm magnetic track and tape, kiddos! No ctrl/cmd Z undos. 

I am incredibly honored that Moon Breath Beat was among the films added to the National Film Registry in 2014.

Congratuations! I just read through the Registry's 25 picks and I guess the title interested me? I immediately had to look up the video and thanks for posting it and I can't believe how much work it was to make. I love it.

Thanks so much!

2D & 3D ANIMATION REEL

I studied animation at Cal Arts, back when everything was done by hand. Fascinating steps in the evolution of computer animation appeared at the various studios where I worked. When it became so ubiquitous that one of my young sons was making his own shorts on our home computer, I returned to school to learn digital tools of the art. This reel contains selections from the all the animation media I have used so far. Still exploring...

All animation by Lisze: Hand drawn, AfterEffects, Maya
"Sushi To Go" story concept, fish design, modeling, and rendering by Serkan Yasayacak; Flea rigging by Maria Preciado; kitchen modeling by Mark Johnson.

"BUBBLE FISH" is a hand drawn sequence from "Roboshow", a World's Fair installation featuring real automotive robots blowing animated bubble creatures. The white outlines on the film represent the positions of the robots.
Sound design by Jim Lang. Project created by BRC Imagination Arts.