Stash is pleased to present the premiere of a new passion project from Coat of Arms – a lockdown collaboration of 22 team members, The Rough Cut explores “the struggle creatives go through during the process of creation”.

Coat of Arms creative directors Clara Lehmann and Jonathan Lacocque: “Near the end of 2019, we came up with an idea to make an animated video all about the creative process.

“This project ultimately morphed into a way to come together during a challenging time. How do we stay creative when we’re stuck at home, feeling sad or depressed, or scared?

“In filmmaking, a rough cut is the first phase when a story begins to take shape. Just like a piece of rough-cut lumber, you see the defects, rough edges, and inconsistencies, but the overall beauty of the piece begins to form.

“By uniting different artists with a common goal, we were able to keep going, stay positive, and find meaning in what we do.

“Each collaborator played a vital role, especially since each section had a unique style and technique. We were conscious to include multiracial and multicultural voices in the project and tried to balance the gender makeup of our team as well, with 10 women and 12 men.

“One major challenge we faced was first finding time and budget to create the video. Often working on it after delivering to client projects or during paid off hours.

“Near the end of the process we were deep into the pandemic, many of us battling emotional struggles and increased demand from parental and family duties. The project really helped us balance things and acted as a bright spot during a time that could have become depressing.

“Once we had all our sections finished, we had several artists help tie sections together for smoothness. This was important as we were able to make small adjustments throughout for continuity and make the piece look and feel fluid.

“This premiere is also linked to a new feature on our website called Behind The Shield where we will be sharing project files!”
 

Production: Coat of Arms
Creative directors: Clara Lehmann, Jonathan Lacocque
Design Director: Ryan Butterworth
Writer: Clara Lehmann
Editor: Jonathan Lacocque
Sound design/mix: Sarah Krohn

00:00 – 00:14
Bubbling Spheres
Design & Animation by Ryan Butterworth

00:14 – 00:24
Exercise & Ice Cream
Illustration by Nuria Boj
Animation by Arm Sattavorn, Nuria Boj, & Romain Loubersanes

00:24 – 00:32
Sailer & Siren
Design & Illustration by Aaron Ray
Animation by Aaron Ray, Mantas Gr, & Ryan Butterworth

00:32 – 00:35
Wood block construction
Design & Animation by Arm Sattavorn

00:35 – 00:48
Smoothing the rock
Design by Ricardo Nilsson
Animation by Arm Sattavorn & Ricardo Nilsson

00:48 – 00:55
Rolling ball
Design by Ana Hill
Animation by Arm Sattavorn & Susanna Basone

00:55 – 01:03
Child’s wooden blocks
Design & Animation by Steve Savalle

01:03 – 01:08
Curves & Cmd+Z
Illustration by Aaron Ray
Animation by Arm Sattavorn

01:08 – 01:21
Rough wood = magic
Illustration & Animation by Mantas Gr

01:21 – 01:48
Coat of Arms
Design & Animation by Ryan Butterworth