The Craftsman

A beautiful short animated film written and directed by Devin Scott about his great-grandfather, Felix Landis.

Based on a true story, through animation, music and voice-over, this short provides a remarkable and inspiring account of the creative achievements of Felix Landis, a farmer in the United States with highly artistic qualities, with a particular passion for woodworking. The project revolves around Landis' decision to craft four violins out of different kinds of wood and make them stand out in the music world. The determined artist had this idea during the Second World War, when he was in his sixties and as wood was in high demand due to battle requirements, Landis decided to acquire four abandoned doors and make his violins out of each of them. Following an introduction to Felix as a person and artist, the film then explores the story behind each door that was used to the creation of each violin, where the doors used to be. For instance, one door used to be the front door to a prison and voice-over reveals some dramatic events that took place there. Also, Landis named each of his violins.

Landis' story is very inspirational and the viewing experience is greatly supported by the animation, the music and the voice-over, all of which will be analysed below.

If one word could describe the level of AI animation that was utilised in this film, it would be 'outstanding'. From start to finish, the viewer is presented with visuals of exceptional quality, with excellent colours and lighting. The animation shows a vast variety of people and environments, some examples would be a Wild West setting with gunslingers and a luxurious hotel during the late 19th century, filled with guests. To give an idea of what the characters look like, one should probably think of the ones in films such as Frozen. And of course, Landis is present as an animated character, shown primarily as an elderly man, working on his violins and playing them and becoming familiar with the impressive achievements of this person is very inspirational.

The wonderful music perfectly accompanies the images, creating emotions that can either be heart-warming or downbeat. The score contains sentimental piano melodies and (unsurprisingly) there is plenty of violin music.

Scott provides the voice-over, narrating his great-grandfather's story. It is stated that Felix recorded the backstory of each violin on a reel-to-reel recorder and his recorded voice is used to tell the four separate stories, accompanied by the visuals.

So many themes are explored in this short. Having a passion, the significance of doors, how wood produces music, romance, war, capital punishment, Wild West, life during the 19th century, memories, craftsmanship, violins. Stories of joy, sadness, crime and love. So many things are acknowledged in this story that looks back at an individual's life and achievements.

Fourteen unforgettable minutes that take the viewer on a magical journey. This film deserves massive praise and recognition.