Inside the mind of H. B. Coffin…

Here’s some old work I’ve been meaning to post for a while, along with some stills from my most recent project, “She Had Willix.” Enjoy!

La-Di-Gua-Na – Slipped, textured, glazed, and fired terracotta.

Yumenoko Kodomo – Charcoal pencil on paper.

Death & Decay – Musical composition and performance by Harry’s Bronze Coffin.

She Had Willix – Video stills.

The new site is up and running! Check it out @ hbcstudios.com

Inspiration for the overall concept came from my girlfriend and her experiences, along with her hopes and dreams from childhood. The idea was to create a playful narrative, rendering her childhood issues into the physical manifestation of a cursed relic (Willix the doll). The idea of Willix stems from the idea of a malevolent, metaphysical entity from my past, creating a link between my girlfriend and I in a fictional sense. A sort of dark take on tales reminiscent of those in line with E.T.A. Hoffman’s “The Nutcracker and the King of Mice,” influence may subconsciously stem from being exposed to such theatrics as a child. Original plans to execute the film in a stop motion video format were inspired by the craft of Tim Burton and Michel Gondry, though the subject matter and method of story telling is still reminiscent of their work.

“The Fawn of Man” was made for a contemporary studio course at the University of Texas @ San Antonio, under the instruction of Hills Snyder.

Another animation in the inspiration of Sebastian (our pug), who passed away last summer, in this animated short, Sebastian is a “timeless” artist, leaving behind traces of evidence to the origin of man, time travel, and the key to eternal happiness. A play on the hit show, “Ancient Aliens.”

“The origin of man… where did we come from? It’s always been the big question. Does Sebastian hold the answer? It’s hard to say.”

- Frito Layfield, “The Fawn of Man”

“We all remember the adorable ancient Chinese toy dog breed, the pug… and some of you may remember George A. Romero’s ‘Night of the Living Dead.’ Well, put the two together and you have… absolute armageddon!”

- Jim Mojoney, “Fawn of the Dead”

“Fawn of the Dead” was made shortly after the death of our dog, Sebastian, the end of last summer. This was excellent therapy in helping me recover from our tragic loss. The video at the end of the animation was unfortunately the only recording we ever took before he passed away, which set the ground for the concept of the story. This animated short is dedicated to him and his legacy. May he rest in peace… or rise up from the grave!