THE Eldritch Kid: JUGGERNAUT

Animated GFS Project 2018

(Supervising Director)

The Eldritch Kid film project was a short animated film idea co-created in partnership between the Animation department of the Griffith Film School (Griffith University, Southbank, QLD) and award-winning publisher Gestalt Comics (ABC's Comic Book Heroes documentary, The Deep, Flinch, Torn, The Example, Changing Ways, Cleverman and many others). The concept was brought to GFS by Paul, with the approval of Gestalt editor in Chief Wolfgang Bylsma, creator and writer of the Eldritch Kid graphic novel series Christian Read, and Dr. Peter Moyes (Head of Animation at GFS). The aim was to allow graduating 3rd year GFS Animation students (and assisting 2nd years) the access and opportunity to work on an industry-connected property and group-based production, to add this material to their experience, demo reels and CVs.

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The film was written by The Eldritch Kid creator Christian Read (Lark Case Files, Karnak, Unmasked), with the Eldritch Kid: Bone War illustrator Dr. Paul Mason supervising the production, and providing many of the storyboard thumbnails. The film was directed by Xena Achilleos, produced by Melody Borg, co-directed/produced by Katie Giefer, and created by a small but hardworking team of 2nd year and 3rd year Griffith animation students. 

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Director's Statement:

“The idea to produce a graduate film based on the Eldritch Kid comic series was from our supervising director Paul Mason, who arranged the rights and the initial setup for the film. I read the comics out of curiosity and was instantly hooked, the weird mix of classic action adventure of the western serials of old with the supernatural horror-fantasy appealed to me, and I jumped at the chance to help adapt this local comic to the screen. I joined the team at the end of pre-production, and discovered that there was no central leadership directing the movie, and pre-production was barely underway. The film was on the verge of being cancelled, but I refused to let it go without a fight. With a small but dedicated team, we pushed through, fixing storyboards while other films had already begun animating. Production started before character designs were complete - we were laying out the tracks in front of us as the train was moving forward. Thanks to our hardworking team, we finished our film without sacrificing quality. 

The Eldritch Kid: Juggernaut is a surreal action adventure that mixes influences such as Clint Eastwood and H.P. Lovecraft into something completely unique. The design and aesthetic of the film blends seamlessly with its comic book source material while also being wonderfully original and filled with otherworldly designs.” - Xena Achilleos, Director

Premiered at the GFS Animation showcase, Nov 2018

Release date: 2020

Duration: 3:06 sec

2D Animation 1920 x 1080 Widescreen

Rated PG, English. 

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Featured as part of the Student Showcase at the Melbourne International Animation Festival 2019, ACMI: https://www.acmi.net.au/collection/works/eldritch-kid-juggernaught/

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