PAWN SHOP

Synopsis

Through the course of a day, a magical pawn shop owner trades enchanted objects that alter the state of three unsuspecting customers - an old wise lady hopes to be thoughtless,  a little boy requests to look older so he can be respected amongst peers, and a vain man offers to trade his soul to seek an escape from his exhausting reality.

Summary

PAWN SHOP is a dark-comedy fable about an enchanted storefront and its charming owner Mr. Shupe. The piece is a musical, 2D-animated cautionary tale utilizing cell animation, vibrant backgrounds, and music primarily composed by me. The character animation ranges from pose to pose to straight ahead to build the rhythm of the film. In addition, lip sync and puppetting are implemented to practice replacement animation techniques. My love of smear-frames and squash and stretch in motion are littered throughout the piece to amplify the comedy of each character. As someone with a dark upbringing - struggling with extreme mental and physical health challenges, and feeling isolated and lost I put myself into each of the characters and their requests. I wanted to create a piece that was bright and bubbly with a more serious undertone. The central theme of the film is gratitude, and I hope those who are lost or unsatisfied find solace in the resolution of PAWN SHOP.

Credits

Written, Directed, and Animated by Amouri Edwards

Mr. Shupe - John Warren Hart

Mrs. Sage - Dean Edwards

Little Boy - Aiden Riley

Fib - James Moutsos

Color Assistants -  Kelly Martinez, Jack-Henry Lee, Maxim Hagendorf

Sound Mix - Julia Messick

Score - Amouri Edwards, Zionkat, Roseblud, Julia Messick

Capstone Advisor - Yulia Ruditskaya