INDEX
01. The Project
1.1 Synopsis
1.2 Process and Uniqueness
1.3 Press Release
02. Director
2.1 Note
2.2 Bio & Filmography
03. Executive Producer
3.1 Biography
04. Lookbook
4.1 still frames
4.2 behind the scenes
05. Cast
06. Crew
07. Links
08. Screenings
01. The Project
1.1 Synopsis
“Creamen”- taken from the latin word crimen, meaning “crime”, is a colorful, symbolic story about
the global warming crisis, which brings together an unlikely group of abstract, anthropomorphic
characters who unexpectedly are forced to confront the challenge of a potentially devastating
future together- our future.
This film entertains through a colorful and unusual character development in which animated icecream confront a catastrophic heat wave. The flavors represent different nationalities and regions
of the world: Mr. Popivanov (old fashioned Vanilla), is old and Russian, Sophie (Strawberry) is a
delicate French sorbet, Mr.Chip (Chocolate Cookie), represents the consumer-oriented,
gluttonous aspect of current American society, and finally, Carlitos (Banana) symbolizes the
stereotypical latin lover.
1.2 Process and Uniqueness
The entire story is filmed in one of the most labor-intensive, yet beautiful animation methods:
stop-motion animation- every second of film took between 2 days to one week to shoot. More
than 30 artists were involved on this film; a highly skilled team of animators, sculptors, costume
designers, visual effects artists, colorist and musicians worked on Creamen for three years.
The production department was able to hire some of the most talented stop-motion animators of
today: Two of the lead animators (Chris Gilligan and Kim Blanchette) were also recently on the
animation crews of Tim Burton’s Frankenwennie and Laika’s Paranorman.
The uniqueness of our production technique is matched by the duality of the themes: The
humorous characters of Creamen are anthropomorphic ice cream cones; they attract the
audience to them via distinct personalities and daily routines. Beneath the surface, an underlying
theme begins to emerge as reflection on one of the most pressing social issues of our time:
global warming.
The film appeals to two distinct audience bases - and we are excited to bring them together: Film
enthusiasts, who appreciate stop-motion technique, and environmentalists and concerned
citizens who appreciate our underlying theme.
1.3 Press Release
On the heals of the worst storm in the history of New York City, Charged Studios proudly
announces the timely premier of a groundbreaking new film, Creamen, which explores our current
battle with climate change from an entirely new artistic perspective.
3 years in the making, Creamen (taken from the latin word “crime”) weaves its tale through a
creative mix of color and unusual, abstract character development. In this case, four ice cream
flavors represent different nationalities that are suddenly forced to confront an unexpectedly
catastrophic weather event. Mr. Popivanov (old fashioned Vanilla), represents an irritable,
conservative Russian, Sophie (Strawberry) is a delicate French sorbet, Mr.Chip (Chocolate Chip),
represents the consumerist, gluttonous aspect within American society, and finally, Calitos
(Banana) symbolizes a stereotypical Dominican latin lover.
The story is told through the magical stop-motion techniques of upcoming NY filmmaker Esther
Casas Roura. Her skills in stop-motion animation are joined with an intimate concern and
knowledge of environmental issues, bred from her background as a scientist. In 2009 she joined
Charged studios, a full service production facility, founded by filmmaker Adam Pierce, which
specializes in all forms of animation: stop motion, CG and mixed media, and which also provides
live action production (www.charged.com). Esther joined the team and immediately became
“Artist in Residence” at the studio and began to direct Creamen.
Esther guided the project from concept to completion. She directed a team of diverse artists from
Pre-production through Post-production. This started with Esther working with the storyboard
artists Birgit Maier and Fernando Chan. She then directed a group of fabricators, led by Seth
Mittag and William Pike, to develop the armature, puppet and prop designs respectively.
The animation team included lead animators Chris Gilligan, Eileen Khollepp, Kim Blanchette and
Ms. Casas herself, with Adam Pierce, Adam Davies and Ellen Goldstein assisting. Director of
photography Adam Miller worked along side Esther to tackle the visual challenges of the
storytelling.
The production was filmed on two separate stages using Canon 40D with Tamron and Nikon
Lenses. 40D’s concurrent ability to shoot high resolution digital stills made it the perfect camera
for the job. Seamless blending of background plates with the stop-motion puppets was achieved
by utilizing Adobe After Effects.
The post-production team included the artists Alexander Perlman, Eric Rothman and Karch Coon.
Esther Casas used Final Cut Pro for all final comps.
Sound designer Evan Benjamin, along with music composer Phil Servati contributed the perfect
soundtrack, utilizing both original music and the ideal street and park sounds, which bring this
unusual ‘city-tale’ to life.
Having access to every department under one roof allowed Esther to work simultaneously with
the production and post-production people. Esther said “It is magic when an entire team of film
artists work so closely together; having access to the particular ‘one-stop-shop’ artistic
environment at Charged studios made this challenging project possible.”
“We greatly look forward to joining two audience bases which may not have had a chance to
merge previously” said Esther. “Film enthusiasts, who may appreciate stop-motion technique,
may otherwise not see films with a theme about climate change. Likewise, environmentalists and
other concerned citizens will appreciate our underlying theme – who previously may never have
even heard of ‘stop-motion’ animation. We look forward to reaching out to both bases”.
02. Director
2.1 Note
My filmmaking reflects my observations of the world around me, as seen through an eclectic
personal background, which has always focused on an empirical view of life, people, and the
human spirit.
I produce my films out of the concern I have for the state of our world and, just as passionately,
from the love and joy I have for my craft. My projects are of a socially conscious nature, without
being pedantic, covering a wide range of topics through my individualized and experimental
animation technique: stop-motion animation. I am devoted to this particular animation genre; it is
the primary technical medium I work in.
Creamen, represents the logical extension of my professional evolution as both a visual,
cinematic artist and a scientist who has studied the issue of climate change technically, who
expresses a great concern about the human condition. My goal is to add an entirely new voice to
this most urgent of global crises through a unique and memorable independent film experience.
2.2 Biography
Prior to filmmaking, Esther Casas Roura was a professional molecular biologist, earning a
Masters Degree from Barcelona University, Spain. She felt a deep connection between the
complications of the outer world around her and the intricate, complex world of science and
microbiology. The parallel between these two worlds were compelling and exciting.
Eventually, however, Esther realized she needed to move beyond the empiricism of a truthseeking scientist towards a more ultimate expression of her observations. Esther found herself
gravitating towards art and filmmaking even as a working scientist. She began studying art in
Barcelona and decided to move to New York in 2000, where she became specialized in the
combination of film, sculpture and computer animation at the The Arts Student League and The
School of Visual Arts. In 2003 she established her own production company, Claymaniak
(www.claymaniak.com) and have now worked on several animated commercials for a growing
number of clients, ranging from large corporations to independent media outlets. Her last
animated film, “Check date, an underdog love story”, got The Honorable Mention at the Very
Short Movies and screened in several international and local film festivals.
Late in 2008, Esther joined Charged studios in Brooklyn, New York (a full service production
facility specialized in all forms of animation: stop motion, CG, traditional and mixed media) and
started directing her last project Creamen.
Esther is currently a freelancer Director and Animator. She is also working on her next project, a
feature film, which will include a mix of her individualized and experimental animation technique,
stop-motion animation and live action.
Filmography
“Check date, an underdog love story”, 2008
Official selections: Baltimore women’s film festival, Chicago International’s Children's Film
Festival, San Francisco Int’l Children’s Film Festival, Wisconsin Film Festival, The New
Filmmakers Festival, The Canada International Film Festival and Kids First Film Festival,
Millenium Film Workshop
Awards: Hornorable mention at the Very Short Movies festival 2009
“Creamen”, 2013
03. Executive Producer
3.1 Biography
Esther Casas Roura has indicated that she is very proud to have been able to work with the
Executive Producer of the project, Adam Pierce. Adam is an acclaimed director of numerous
animated films and television series.
When we decided to work “Creamen”, Mr. Pierce said: "Esther Casas is a promising creative
artist that deserves all the attention and support possible and I personally cannot be more
optimistic about her future in this industry. I am eager to work in the project Creamen".
Adam Pierce made his first Super-8 animated film in the fourth grade, setting into motion a
lifelong craft of animation, visual effects and puppetry. His work is notable for its immediacy in
capturing attention, playfulness and humor. After over 15 years of working in the film and
television industry and directing spots for Nickelodeon, Subway, and Howard Johnson, Adam has
come to grips with the harsh reality that he plays with dolls for a living…one frame at a time.
Mr. Pierce is the co-founder of Charged studios, a full service production facility specialized in all
forms of animation: stop motion, CG and mixed media, and which also provides live action
production (www.charged.com).
Adam generously (and confidently) took on Creamen’s pre-production and carried it through postproduction, offering the crew steady guidance, and the comic relief necessary to maintain
momentum throughout the process.
04. Lookbook
4.1 still frames
4.2 behind the scenes
05. Cast
Main Cast
Mr.Popivanoff
Geoffrey Cantor
Sophie
Jen Cohn
Additional cast
Chaka deSilva: human male VOs
Additional voices
Emily Greenhill: mom
Elliott Pierce: little kid
Violet Pierce: girl
Kaylin Lee Clinton: indian female
06. Crew
Writer, Director and Producer
Esther Casas Roura
Executive Producer
Adam Pierce
Director of Photography
Adam Miller
Additional DP: Mike Eder
Carlitos
Mr.Chip
Carlos Velazquez
Michael Landry
Story by
Esther Casas Roura
Screenwriters
Juan Bissone, Samina Virani and Eugene The Poogene
Script Consultant: Don Lieber
Storyboard artists
Fernando Chan
Additional storyboard artists
Birgit Maier, Ignacio Jaramillo, Chris Gilligan
Chracter design
Humans: Will Knight
Ice-creams: Jan Seguí
Set design and construction
Design, color study
Birgit Maier
Design and construction
Seth Mittag, Valerie Light, William Pike
Assistants: Liza Wiley, Karen Evans, Eray Bintas
Interns: Christine Kennedy, Danny Curtin, Fruzsina Molnar, Tom Palma, Katherine Marie
Prop makers
William Pike, Seth Mittag, Hero Hiro Hero
Interns: Claire Greene, Liza Wiley, Karen Evans
Puppet makers
Sculptors/Painters
Human puppets
Leads: Seth Mittag , Hero Hiro Hero, Adam Miller
Assistants: Liza Wiley, Marcy A. Chevali, Karen Adelman, Gideon Angkasa
Interns: Suzanne Stockhausen , Adrian Alexis
Ice-cream puppets
Lead sculptor: Aaron Smith
assistants: Lisa Barnstone, Dorothy Pizzuti
interns: Kate Lundell
Armatures
Humans: Seth Mittag, Adam Miller, Peter Blank
Ice-creams: Chris Gilligan, Dave Hettmer
Costumes
Ceili Clemens, Heather Sehrt and Livia Abraham
Interns: Andrea Seidel, Caroline Berti, Tiffany Jordan
Lead Animators
Chris Gilligan, Eileen Kohlhepp, Kim Blanchette , Esther Casas Roura
Additional animators: Adam Pierce, Adam Davies, Ellen Goldstein
Interns: Alison Fortuna, Max Lopez, Megan Cox
VFX artists and Digital Compositors
Alex Perlman, Karch Coon, Eric Rothman
Rotoscopers
Michael Melcone, Peter Perlman, Melissa Loyola
Interns: Oleg Ossayenko, Katie Goellner, Danielle Francis
Editor
Esther Casas Roura
Sound Designer
Evan Benjamin
Additional: Andy Harmon
Music Soundtrack
Phil Servati
Color Correction
Marika Litz
07. Links
Official website: www.creamenthemovie.com
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC0fq8f8kq8
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2500678/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Facebook page (with almost 600 fans):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/creamenthemovie/
08. Screenings
- Festival de Cine Medina del Campo, Spain April 5-13th 2013
- Golden Kuker – Sofia, 4th International animation film festival, May 7-12th 2013
- Festival Internacional de Cine de Animación Animayo, 8-11 Mayo 2013
- Green Film Festival in Seoul, May 9-16th 2013
- Reel Earth Environmental Film Festival, New Zealand, June 14-22nd 2013