Kade Masterson's GIRAF18 Signal Film (2022)

On the last Monday before GIRAF18, it had me (Theresa here!) scour through the old archives of Monday shorts to see which film could possibly encompass the festival properly. How do you pick something when the festival itself is so unique? What could be something that could summarize "GIRAF" this year that isn't just a cheesy nod to something already talked about?

I think you know the answer. We had to write our own Monday Short post eventually, and not constantly hide behind the already-written expertise of Peter. So, I'm happy to share this week's Monday Short: The GIRAF18 Signal Film by Spotlight Artist Kade Masterson, written by the Quickdraw Crew!

Kade is an LGBTQ+ illustrator, animator and storyteller from the Alberta Prairies looking to share his excitement about creepy crawlies, weird creatures, and funky characters with the world. His work is largely based on nature, speculative zoology, biological and medical anomalies, insects, and LGBTQ+ identity. After recently graduating AUArts with a degree in Character Design and Animation, he's been spending more time contributing to and exploring the local Calgary Art and Animation scene. Ultimately, he wants to focus on creature animation and go into 2D studio animation and directing for cartoons and animated feature films.

Kade did an amazing job for this year’s GIRAF 18 festival promo and trailer video. His concept was executed with perfection as he wanted to create fantastical characters inspired by Albertan mammals. In the trailer the characters are being beckoned by loud mysterious sounds – sounds that are eventually revealed as originating from large creepy crawly insects! We especially loved how he manipulated scale to tell this story. The Mammals start large in the frame but are tiny in comparison to the towering insect mounds that spell out the festival’s acronym and edition: “GIRAF 18”. Kade’s take on describing that mystery, excitement, and bizarre undertones are just so fitting for our beloved festival of independent animation.

Thank you again to CAOS for sponsoring Kade as our Signal Film Artist, and thank you Kade for bringing such a fascinating concept to life.

Music by Matthew Cardinal

Sound Design and mix by Brock Geiger