Menomonie, Wis. – Girl Scouts and turkeys and zombies! Oh, my! Animation and digital media and video production seniors are busy wrapping up their capstone projects before setting their cinematic monsters loose at the 4th Annual Unspooled Film & Animation Festival on Saturday, May 9, and Sunday, May 10, at University of Wisconsin-Stout’s Harvey Hall Theatre
“Badge of the Dead” – a six-minute animated short, created by a team of nine students under the name Studio Juice – invites viewers to camp out with three scouts as they navigate life, death and teen drama in the zombie apocalypse.
“You Must Destroy” – a 15-minute short film written and directed by Doran Acero – is a supernatural comedy love letter to growing up in an exceptionally strange and beautiful place.
Unspooled showcases the very best in independent filmmaking and animation from both emerging and seasoned storytellers, offering a diverse lineup of genres and styles to enjoy.
Beyond the screenings, the festival offers unique workshops led by industry professionals, guest speakers, and lively panel discussions. Gain insights into the filmmaking process and get a behind-the-scenes look at the magic of cinema.
Purchase tickets to Unspooled, part of UW-Stout’s Spring Showcase lineup of events.
‘Badge of the Dead’ by Studio Juice
After they’re left to the mercies of the undead during a zombie apocalypse, scouts Charlie, Mack and Sana must find a way to get along and work together to escape camp or be eaten by an onslaught of other campers and zombified forest creatures.
“Badge of the Dead” is created by Studio Juice:
Creative director, writer: Hannah Brown, of Appleton
Technical producer, master editor: Mady Hill, of Monroe
Character design lead: Jenna Good, of Victoria, Minnesota
Key art, background, merchandise: Kaleigh Kahl, of Mazeppa, Minnesota
Background, cleanup, social media: Renee Smith, of Janesville
Background, sound design: Novie Touchstone, of Waukesha
Special effects, compositing, editing: Jordan Grover, of Minneapolis
Rough animation: Paige Atherton, of Elysian, Minnesota
Rough animation, cleanup: Jack Carson, of St. Paul
Brown was a Girl Scout and would often play around with the idea of apocalyptic survival scenarios. She was inspired to make “Badge of the Dead” during an animation class last summer. “I created this weird art in class of a hardened warrior-scout with a nail bat and a gas mask,” she said.
“Every good idea starts with a piece of art,” Grover added.
With a heavy emphasis on character relationships, “Badge of the Dead” is geared toward teenagers and pre-teens. The setting is similar to the popular graphic novel-turned Netflix hit “The Last Kids on Earth.” Their style of animation in Good’s character designs and Kahl’s stylistic backgrounds are reminiscent of the Disney XD show “Gravity Falls.” Their capstone advisor, Professor Michael Heagle, worked with Touchstone to compose several soundtracks.
Studio Juice’s biggest challenge came in a moment they called “Bus Gate.” Scene six of “Badge of the Dead” is an action sequence – the piece de resistance – when the scouts must find a way to escape on a bus. “We animated scene six early on because it’s so big, but there was a huge continuity issue between shots of the bus in the background created by different animators,” Touchstone said.
Either the door placement was wrong, or the bus would be facing different directions from scene to scene. “In early production, there is such a cinematic importance to have 100% agreement by the team,” said Good, who created the team’s 10-page animation style guide.
Studio Juice received a Student Research Grant through UW-Stout’s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs to study how having the biggest animation capstone group to date affects their productivity and project management. They’re looking to prove that a larger capstone group works if structured right and will set UW-Stout up to have better animated shorts in the future, replicating the industry standard for larger crews.
Historically, UW-Stout has had small capstone groups. With Studio Juice having nine members, they feel that their group is the most on track this semester to have their project completed ahead of time. From December through mid-April, they clocked 1,037 hours working on “Badge of the Dead.”
“Larger teams allow people to work at their best within their niche. It leaves room for specialization,” Good said. “It also helps with consistency between shots because it’s easier to catch errors with more eyes in the editing process.”
The grant funds supported the purchase of ToonBoom Harmony licenses for each animator. “This is the animation software that’s available on Stout’s campus computers, but we wanted our own personal Mac licenses so that we could work wherever. That way, we aren’t chained to the computer lab to get work done, which has greatly improved our productivity,” Brown said.
Follow the progress and view concept art for “Badge of the Dead” on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
‘You Must Destroy’ by Doran Acero
“You Must Destroy” is set in the fictitious town of Devils Kettle in northern Minnesota and follows two U.S. Forest Service personnel, Glen and Joey, who are tasked by Head Ranger Rusty to destroy their old mascot costume, Twigs the Turkey. When they improperly dispose of the suit, they find out why there were strict protocols in place – it’s alive and is coming back after them.
Growing up in Grand Marais in the north woods on Lake Superior, Acero has both heard stories of and borne witness to natural wonders, the metaphysical world and strange true crime.
“I was lucky enough to grow up in this environment, and I wanted to make a short film that captures some of its humor and magic. This world has been bouncing around in my head for so long,” he said.
In his research, Acero found that the U.S. Forest Service had a protocol for destroying its old mascot costumes of Woodsy Owl, and that the costumes should be disposed of by incineration beyond recognition. “I don’t know. It seems extreme. It seems weird. It inspired me to make a short film,” he said.
Acero wanted to work with people he already knew. The main cast of characters is:
Rusty: He’s got to wear a lot of hats – boss, father figure, medic. Played by Audric Buhr, theater director at UW-Stout.
Glen: The youngest old-timer you will ever meet, who is utterly bored with the town of Devils Kettle, but who is also expected to take over the department when Rusty retires. Played by SJ Olson, director of education at Duluth Playhouse.
Joey: A new recruit – it’s literally his first day. Played by Kelly Harris, a video production
student from Eau Claire.
Filmed in Grand Marais, featuring local establishments like The Fisherman’s Daughter and Hungry Jack Canoe Outfitters off the Gunflint Trail, Acero leveraged the perks of coming from a small town and generous community. And with filming completed in just three days, Acero acknowledged that “something like this, you cannot do as a team of one.”
“You Must Destroy” crew includes video production alumni, students and friends: assistant director MG Gillis-Gambrell, director of photography Ethan Kullinski, assistant camera Bennet Johnson, runner Shelby Kraco, gaffer Nick Houchin, craft services Hartley Newell-Acero, script supervisor Brynn Crandal, sound Adam Trampel, and production assistants Cammi Bertossi and Nina Kitts.
The short film is supported through generous donations on the crowdfunding platform Seed & Spark. Acero also received a Student Research Grant through the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs to obtain a professionally-made turkey mascot costume. The suit arrived just two and a half weeks before shooting.
“I was getting nervous, but all’s well that ends well,” said Acero, who hopes to continue to build the folklore and supernatural stories surrounding his characters. “I do want to keep doing projects like this – to make fun, creative narrative stuff in this place that I love. I have wanted to make something like this for a very long time, just ask my mom. She has had to put up with a thousand half-baked supernatural comedy plot lines for years now.”
Additional Spring Showcase events
Saturday, May 2, 6 p.m.: Stout Fashion Show.
Tuesday, May 5: Research Day.
Thursday, May 7, 6 p.m.: Stout Game Expo.
Friday, May 8, 6 p.m.: School of Art & Design Senior Show.
Wednesday, June 24, to Sunday, June 28: Murals in Menomonie.
UW-Stout’s School of Art & Design offers bachelor’s degrees in animation and digital media; game design and development-art; graphic design and interactive media; illustration; industrial and product design; interior design; studio art; arts administration and entrepreneurship; fashion design and development; and video production, and an M.F.A. in design. UW-Stout also has a new program in game and media studies.
UW-Stout, a member of the Universities of Wisconsin, is Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University, with a focus on applied learning, collaboration with business and industry, and career outcomes. Learn more via the FOCUS2030 strategic plan.
