SAND

Steps on the Snow is a research-based short animation developed as my master thesis project within the Directing Animation programme. The project explores the possibilities of combining stop-motion salt animation with 2D animation to create a hybrid visual language.

The research focuses on the material qualities of salt as an animation medium, investigating its texture, fragility, and ability to transform through movement. By using stop-motion techniques, the project examines how physical materials can influence storytelling, rhythm, and visual expression. The integration of 2D animation expands the possibilities of the medium, creating a dialogue between handcrafted processes and drawn animation.

Through the metaphor of footsteps appearing and disappearing on snow, the film explores themes of traces, memory, impermanence, and human presence. The project reflects an experimental approach to animation direction, where technique, material research, and narrative development are developed together.