"There's a Man in the Woods" - Short Animated Film

"There's a Man in the Woods" is a short film created by Jacob Streilein from the California Institute of Arts in the Character Animation Program. This is what Jacob says about his short animation: 

"When I was in elementary school, the older kids started a rumor that quickly made recess a terrifying experience. I've been wanting to make this film just so I had a place to put some of the details of that rumor. I animated this in flash, and did my backgrounds in photoshop. After Effects for compositing, and Protools for sound. Thanks to Michael Paul Kennedy for the wonderful music ( mkennedymusic.com ), and Michael Ho for the voice work ( michael-ho.net/ ). Watch other films made by my classmates: vimeo.com/channels/calartscharanimfilms2014"


This was Jacob Streilein's final film at CalArts. It is written like a poem and told from the teacher's perspective. The writing is beautiful and intriguing. The story is almost like a take on Aesop's "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." Seemingly simple at first, the plot turns into a dark whirlwind until the teacher's life spirals out of control. The first time I watched it (because I've now watched it several times), I had tears in my eyes and goosebumps all over my body.

The color helps the audience understand the order of the story. The visuals are dark green and yellow when it is current time, and very vibrant greens and purples for the flashbacks. The animation itself is very fluid and aesthetically pleasing. The sound and music fit perfectly, with creepy/suspenseful sounds creating the bone-chilling atmosphere.

After the four minutes were over, I felt so moved that I wanted more!

You really need to see this:


There's a Man in the Woods from Jacob Streilein on Vimeo.