Title sequence for Cassie Shao’s "This Is a Story Without a Plan" screening at Annecy International Animation Film Festival

The title sequence I designed for Cassie Shao’s This Is a Story Without a Plan will be screening in the Perspectives Short Films competition at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, one of the world’s leading events in animation. I was honored to contribute to Shao’s inimitable process, which integrates cel drawings and acrylic paint with 3D environments. I’m so proud of her artistry being recognized at an such an esteemed, international level.

This Is a Story Without a Plan (2023) Dir. Cassie Shao

"Shave" on Directors Notes

Directors Notes reviewed my film Shave alongside several of my earlier documentary works, recognizing narrative threads that connect these stories about my family & I: “Christensen’s films could technically be described as documentaries, but he employs a contemplative, first person narrative style, both in his narration and the visuals, which transform them into sinless confessionals from a front row seat with an unimpeded mind’s eye view.”

2023 SVA Film & Media Festival - Poster Design

It was a joy creating this year’s poster for the Society for Visual Anthropology Film & Media Festival alongside my former USC MVA professor Jenny Cool. Together we created this and other marketing materials for the 2023 American Anthropological Association/Canadian Anthropology Society (AAA/CASCA) yearly meeting in Toronto.

This poster features still images from these 2023 SVA Film & Media Festival films: (Top) Sama in the Forest - directed by Carlos G. Gomez and winner of the “Best Feature” award; (Bottom) Addresses (Direcciones) - directed by Maria Luisa Santos & Carlo Nasisse and winner of the “Best Short - Honorable Mention” award.

In conversation with McKenzie Stubbert

I had the great pleasure to lead a post-concert Q&A with Emmy Award-nominated composer McKenzie Stubbert at the album release/listening party for his latest LP, Waiting Room. On August 28th, the audience gathered in the Community Room at the South Pasadena Public Library for a live performance of selected tracks from the album, with Stubbert on piano accompanied by harpist Jackie Urlik. In the words of the composer: “I hope incorporating developing technologies into our work continues to be as human-centric as possible and that recordings and live performances reflect that, conveying it to an audience in a manner that helps them feel it on such a deep level they value it more.”

Waiting Room was released by Curious Music on August 18th and is available to stream anywhere, as well as on 180-gram vinyl and CD.

The Moveable Fest Interview: Sean David Christensen on "What I Had to Leave Behind"

Stephen Saito of The Moveable Fest interviewed me about my collaborative creative process making What I Had to Leave Behind. I was flattered to describe the production hurdles I had to overcome with my team, once again reminded how grateful I am to work alongside such amazing people. It was enlightening to hear his perspective watching my film for the first time, and I hope you'll enjoy the discussion!

"People Person" by Taylor Thompson

Writer/Director Taylor Thompson & I found an extra evening while making his latest, People Person, to take a series of medium format photos at his home studio in Los Angeles. My mane of unkempt hair accompanied by a thick mustache were decisions I made for my character in the film, Clark. I’m looking forward seeing him on the big screen.

“People Person” Dir: Taylor Thompson (2023)

Vimeo On Demand: "Ghost Tape #10"

I'm grateful for every teacher and student who invited Ghost Tape #10 into their classroom or onto their laptop these past several years. I learned so much about my methods and practices as a documentary filmmaker through the dialogues we shared. Now available exclusively through Vimeo On Demand, I hope that my film can help educate those following the footprints of war, and where those secret paths lead.

Special thanks to Ca Dao "Cookie" Duong, the Nguyễn Family and the guidance of my USC MVA mentors & professors Jenny Cool & Janet Hoskins.

Ghost Tape #10 from Sean David Christensen on Vimeo.

About the film: Created by the U.S. Army during the American War in Vietnam, "Ghost Tape #10" was one of many audio tapes engineered to psychologically terrify the North Vietnamese Army in its depiction of wandering souls lost in the Buddhist afterlife. By re-examining this weaponization of religious belief, reflections on this artifact of American propaganda lead to meditations on relationships between the living and the dead, asking what truths, if any, still echo within this recording.

Lauded as "...a haunting portrayal of U.S. militarism" by General Anthropology, this award-winning documentary by Sean David Christensen excavates these disturbing secrets of war through a dreamlike narrative that author David Biggs calls "Fascinating...considers elegiac currents through which people in Vietnam continue to reckon with war's ghosts."

"What I Had to Leave Behind" Official Selection at 2022 Los Angeles Animation Festival

What I Had to Leave Behind will screen at the 2022 Los Angeles Animation Festival on December 10th. Founded in 2007, LAAF is the city’s only international film festival and symposium.

Earlier this week, Maggie Dave - Old You, the official music video animated by Cassie Shao for Christensen’s pop music project with Mark Christopher, was awarded Honorable Mention at LAAF. This honor is given "to work of an exceptionally high standard and worthy of festival praise." Shao is an alum of the festival, earning a nomination for her film There Were Four of Us as Best Student Experimental Short in 2019.

"What I Had to Leave Behind" at DOC NYC

What I Had to Leave Behind will be screening at DOC NYC, America’s largest documentary festival. Now celebrating its 13th season, this year celebrates new talent, feature film premieres and compelling stories from artists of all backgrounds, cultures, ages, abilities and identities.

I’m honored to share the screen with my colleagues in the “New York, New York” shorts block. Tickets are now on sale for both in-person and streaming.

Photographed by Taylor Thompson

Photo by Taylor Thompson; Los Angeles - Sept. 22, 2022.

"What I Had to Leave Behind" at 2022 HollyShorts Film Festival

The Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival hosted a screening of What I Had to Leave Behind at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, CA on August 18th, 2022. It was a fun night sharing the evening with my friends and collaborators from the film: cinematographer Wenting Deng Fisher and animator Cassie Shao. Our mighty sound mixer Jackie! Zhou had three films in the shorts block we played in, including our own!

Post-screening Q&A after the “Docs II” shorts block at the 2022 HollyShorts Film Festival in Hollywood, CA - August 18th, 2022. (Photo by Shengwei Zhou)

Joe Berry - Motions

Designed titles & lettering for Joe Berry’s two-volume debut album "Motions," to be released later this year.

28th Palm Springs International ShortFest - June 24th, 2022

I was honored to share the screen with so many brilliant creatives at this year’s Palm Springs International ShortFest. I feel the journey of a film isn’t complete until an audience experiences it together. With that, What I Had to Leave Behind was embraced in a way that was completely unexpected and so gratifying for me & the crew who attended. Special thanks to Getty Images & David Crotty for capturing on the red carpet how I felt that entire week: grateful and proud of whatever comes next.

Animating memories with Charlotte Arene

Charlotte Arene is a filmmaker & animator specializing in stop motion and After Effects. Having long been a fan of her intricate work visualizing memoirs, monologues and dreams, I commissioned her to direct the music video for “I Miss the Old You.” Our collaborative process took place over email and international Zoom calls, each of us exchanging reflections on the song’s themes of loss and regret. My aim as a producer was to build a sandbox with enough fertile ground to support Charlotte’s process with the trust that’s essential for a creative partnership. She describes her instincts creating something that resonates with the lyrics & melody just as strongly as with her philosophy as an artist: 

La mer à boire (2020) by Charlotte Arene.

“Five months prior to Sean offering me the visualizer for ‘I Miss the Old You,’ I’d taken a deep dive into the huge boxes of photographs and negatives stored in my parent’s basement. I was looking for childhood pictures of my older sister to animate them into a short film. It was to be my wedding gift for her and her fiancé.”

“As an animator, the experience was exhilarating. As a sister, it was extremely moving. What I felt as I went through these hundreds of photographs was surprisingly akin to sorrow, and it was still lingering at the back of my mind when I first listened to Sean’s song and imagined how I could respond to it.”

Concept art & animation notes by Charlotte Arene. (Photo courtesy of the artist.)

Sean’s sister flies a kite at a family picnic, circa 1990. (Photo courtesy of Christensen family archive.)

“I knew I wanted to work with photographs again, and Sean was very open and generous when I asked if I could work with some of his childhood pictures. We exchanged via email, made a selection, and discussed how I could stage them. Early on, I was fixated on the idea of a force of some kind, pulling those photographs away from a desk or a wall…a physical representation of that tug I felt when I listened to the song. It started off as a gravitational pull, then evolved into a surfing motion. Finally, it settled on a strong wind. It’s funny, in retrospect, how the idea got lighter.”

“The minute this image took root, I saw something in three pictures of his sister I hadn’t noticed before: she was holding onto a string, so fine I had missed it at first. The string led to something upwards and out of frame. Then it hit me. She was holding a kite. The image just fell into place and I knew this would be the perfect photograph to animate. I’m glad it resonated with Sean and I’m very grateful to him and his sister for allowing me to use it.”

Miniature VHS necklace

Tara Edwards (The Tissues, Coleco Club) models one of my "VHS Sleepover Necklaces," handcrafted miniature videocassette pendants inspired by films that help us recognize ourselves and give voice to our dreams and desires. "It kinda reminds me of being in high school,” says Tara. “Secretly renting and watching wlw (women loving women) movies with a girl I liked late at night. It’s also unabashedly camp, punk, DIY, in-your-face and femme, which embodies queerness to me and reminds me of the queer icons I looked up to then. I think it makes me feel nostalgic and comfortable."

I hope to make more of these. I’m touched when one of my pieces can resonate so deeply with someone.

Designing titles for "George Ezra - Anyone For You"

I adore the feeling of handwriting on screen for a film’s title sequence. Whenever I’m asked to contribute mine for a music video, I slow my process down and start on paper. Listening to the song on headphones, I practice the shape of each letter, pouring a lot of consideration into how my design blends with the lyrics and the melody. I embraced this opportunity to collaborate with director Andrew Donoho again, after we’d worked together on “Find My Way” with Paul McCartney & Beck. It’s my hope that my lettering leaves behind a soulful impression on the visual accompaniment to each song I’m a part of, creating memorable experiences for the viewer.

Main title design for "George Ezra - Anyone For You," directed by Andrew Donoho.

View fullsize

View fullsize

End credit sequence from "George Ezra - Anyone For You," directed by Andrew Donoho.

View fullsize

Black marker on sheets of office paper. Also pictured, my headphones with the song on repeat.

Working in miniatures: Dystopian sci-fi semi-truck

I hadn’t fully comprehended the size of my latest miniature, a five-and-a-half-foot long “land train,” until I sat down behind it for a photoshoot at Dreaming Tree studio in Burbank, my friend Kate from The Daily Mini behind the camera. Transporting it to set on the morning of December 12th, each plastic squeak as it rattled in the back of my Nissan Versa hatchback stirred up memories of cradling school projects, dioramas, in back of my mother’s car, worried that they’d fall apart at the slightest bump in the road. But we made it, all 65 inches of this dystopian sci-fi semi truck painted in battleship grey for the upcoming sci-fi black comedy Animal, directed by Lauren Adams.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Set against the canvas of a collapsed, alternate history America, the film's characters pilot a massive self-driving, windowless ship for the monolithic company "PostHaste." We follow these two women as they cargo tons of freight across a desolate expanse of abandoned cities as they deliver supplies for an ongoing and ambiguous rebuild of the country. Or, so says the company. The ship was modeled from a floor plan of the life-size interior set built for the actors, which was then scaled down to 1:24 to maintain its proportions. I was inspired by the unsympathetic nature of PostHaste and its complete lack of regard for the human pilots' safety in piloting their ship. You may see there are no safety measures on the vehicle: No guard rails or warning labels that you might ordinarily see on massive industrial equipment to protect the manufacturer against litigation from personal injury. In this dystopian future, the ship represents (even from a color standpoint) this massive, grey unsympathetic force that plows through anything, even people, to make more money. The size and heft of this miniature is a pointed commentary on that theme in the script: Packages must be delivered, no matter what the human cost.

The crew of the miniature unit shoot on Animal (from left to right): Miniaturist Sean David Christensen, miniature unit cinematographer Wenting Deng Fisher, director Lauren Adams, set decorator/set PA Manon Crespin & co-writer/producer, Jeff Roberts.

The cockpit of the miniature is a partly deconstructed model kit of two semi trucks designed by AMT Models. These were used to match the life-sized interior of the ship, shot on a soundstage months prior. The other materials I used were wet media board, basswood, wooden dowels and bits of recycled plastic to "bulk out" the form. I handcrafted the shape of the front windshield and side windows to match the life-sized film set, so the edit would be as seamless as possible between the miniature and the actors inside the ship. For the windshield, I used a piece of lighting gel (ND filter) to simulate a tinted window. I didn't want the audience to be able to look inside. There's something sinister about not being able to see what's going on behind the “steel curtain” of this imposing vessel. The completed ship is just over five feet long when fully connected, made up of a cockpit living quarters section and two shipping containers joined together by "mechanical joints" made of basswood. These joints mask the seams in between each car, and create an illusion of this ship being one continuous machine, a force of industrial brutality.

Mixtape: The Wandering Soul

Image by Bryan Ahonen, courtesy of Radiolab & WYNC Studios

Earlier this year, Simon Adler of Radiolab & WYNC Studios reached out to me to discuss my film Ghost Tape #10 and its exploration of the US Army’s PSYOP campaigns waged against the Northern Vietnamese (NVA) during the American War in Vietnam. We both reflected on the cruelty of these “ghost tapes” that were created, weaponizing the fear of wandering souls against the psyches of fatigued Vietnamese soldiers far from home. With this latest entry in his new Radiolab series “Mixtape,” Simon has crafted an intricate piece of storytelling as only his celebrated creative team can, with rich texture and testimony from those who left behind their own “footprints of war” (phrasing courtesy of author David Biggs). Special thanks and continued gratitude to my MVA instructor and faculty mentor at the USC Center for Visual Anthropology, professors Jenny Cool & Janet Hoskins, for their support of my research and the ensuing film created there.

Behind the scenes: "What I Had to Leave Behind"

Here I am dusting the miniature set of What I Had to Leave Behind, my latest film. In my (comparatively massive) hand, I’m wielding the same 1/2 inch acrylic paintbrush I used to paint this dollhouse-scale apartment. I should’ve made a dust pan before I started sweeping, too! Photographed by my director of photography, Wenting Deng Fisher, we wrapped filming in April 2021 with these miniature unit shots to help tell the story of this hybrid live-action/animation diary film. Featuring animation by my friend Cassie Shao, an original jazz score by Branden Brown and sound design by Jackie! Zhou, I’m looking forward to completion this summer and building whatever comes next!

Title design for Moschino "Jungle Red"

Title design and animation for Jungle Red, a short film directed by Jeremy Scott for debuting the Moschino Fall/Winter 2021 Collection. I was brought aboard this project by my dear friend and filmmaker Kimberly Stuckwisch, who produced this cavalcade of high fashion and cheekiness with co-producers Geoff Yim, Ian Blair and Brooke Pace.