December 12th, 2023 
Jackson Murphy 
Santiago Carrasquilla and Jos Diaz Contreras are the directors of the visionary new animated short film Awakening: The First Day. It’s a cool, gripping look at the planet. The talented duo shares how this presentation has gone from stage to screen. (This Animation Scoop Q&A was conducted as an Email Interview and was edited for length and clarity.)
Jackson Murphy: What were your goals with how you wanted to create depth?
Jos Diaz Contreras: The story came from a very personal place, speaking to themes of self-discovery and reconciliation. Visually, thinking always about light, the way that nature and the elements shape it and reveal it in so many different ways.
Santiago Carrasquilla: The perfect connection between the visual and the audio can create depth no words could describe it. That was and is always the goal. Everything is intimately connected and dependent on each other. We worked hard to make a strong connection between the music and the visuals that would hopefully result in a deeply visceral and emotional experience. We crafted all the images to have as much visual beauty as possible, pulling inspiration from nature and art.
JM: What goes into making sure the fluidity and movement work really well?
SC: A constant iterative process of editing and creating new, more refined shots based on the understanding of the flow inside the edit itself. We often make hundreds of versions of the same shot because it continues to evolve based on what comes before and after. The editing process is itself the guiding light for the creation and refinement of the shots.
JDC: Nothing in animation is an accident. Every motion, every pixel, every frame that feels natural is the result of a tremendous amount of care by a team of brilliant animators, modelers, designers, illustrators…
JM: This is based on a stage show. How did you want to make this short an “experience” for viewers?
SC: We love the show and were inspired by it very, very much! And at the same time, we wanted this to work as a standalone short film, and made many stylistic and story decisions that deviated from the show in service of the piece working well on its own.
JDC: We travel from the beginning of time, over land, under sea, through the sky, and into the fire to tell an epic love story in just under five minutes.
JM: What amazes you about the beauty of nature, and what shocks you about how quickly it can be destroyed?
SC: Nature! We are nature. For me nature is my greatest source of inspiration. It’s everything!
JDC: Beyond words.
JM: You present a magical look at the sea with the underwater/jellyfish sequence. How challenging was this?
SC: Technically speaking it was challenging to figure out the fish simulations and especially how to make Light feel well integrated and swimming in a natural way. From a character animation perspective, this was the most difficult scene.
JDC: Some extraordinary nature simulations by Atharva Raut in this sequence. Zaira Calderon’s illustrations for the Jellyfish are a work of art. Overall a major team effort.
JM: What’s the most awe-inspiring memory you have of looking at a key aspect of nature/the Earth?
SC: The sun is a circle, your pupils are circles, when you throw a rock in a pond, circular patterns appear. I think about this all the time. Circles are somehow at the core of ‘nature.’ Why!?
JDC: I was looking through a box of tapes from when I was growing up and found one recording the moments of my actual birth. The love on my mother’s face. Unbelievable.
JM: What advice would you give to aspiring painters and animators?
SC: Develop a deep, friendly and loving relationship with the quietness of your mind. It’s hard to find, but go there, look for it. Work hard, do lots of work, fail as many times as possible, and always try to do more difficult things. Collaborate and join the minds of others to create magical surprising things together, things not one person could ever imagine or do alone.
JDC: Pay attention! Trust yourself. Be kind.
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