Toby's Two Cents
Eugene is a complete character, and so
The Commute ended up being just as hectic a short as
he is a person. I had so many ideas for this one that I wanted to throw at the wall, and I feel that many, but not all, of them stuck. Stop-motion is near and dear to me, and I had grand plans for animating his entire commute using Google Maps printouts and scale models. What I didn't account for was the amount of printouts I'd need, or how to cleanly move them in and out of frame, and while I still like the idea, I wish I had exectuted it more cleanly.
Then, there's the interview itself. Still being a rookie, I shot it in a poorly-lit space, and didn't set up the microphone properly. Putting it in black and white was a good stylistic suggestion from my instructor at the time, but it was still a lesson to scout locations and double- and triple-check
that everything is workng as intended.

The Commute
For most people, their commute is the least significant part of their day. But most people aren't Eugene Riel.
Director, DP, & Editor
2019//Beacon High School


