The film combines multiple visual styles. Was that challenging to pull off?
You run into issues when you’re trying to problem-solve by throwing stuff at the wall, but this was always designed to be a mix of styles. We’ve got 8-bit animation that our friend Gabriel Koenig did, straight VFX we did in Photoshop, and, at the climax, there’s this incredible 3D animation. Every technique serves the story and because we planned for this variety from the start, we could be really intentional about when and how we used each style.
We won an award through American Film Festival’s US in Progress program: VFX work from XANF, a VFX and animation studio in Poland. We sent them a Dropbox link full of reference photos. With VFX, you’re constantly sending stills showing where effects should come in. It was really streamlined—they could see our references for each shot, whether we wanted fairies added or characters glowing. At one point, we needed fully 3D-rendered characters of Albert for a crucial scene. Having everything in one place made that complex process much smoother.
A film has many moving parts—contracts, licenses, crew agreements. How do you keep a complex production organized with a small team?
Dropbox is the only thing I’ve consistently used for the last 10 years of doing this job. My entire life is organized there—from accounting workflows to tax-credit deliveries.
On a normal film, I might have 200 people accessing my Dropbox, but with OBEX it was just three of us, which made our system even more crucial. When you’re dealing with multiple animation styles, vintage elements, plus all our VFX work, you need one central hub. For me, it’s really my job to keep things organized, and that’s where everything lives.
Dropbox Sign also made it simple. When I’m dealing with crew deal memos or licensing agreements or getting someone to sign their W-9s, it’s easier to just send a Sign link rather than expecting people to figure out anything complicated. Anything I can do to get fewer questions is good. When you’re working with a small team and limited resources, anything that reduces questions and streamlines the process is essential.
What’s been the most surprising or rewarding part of bringing this unique story to life?
It’s helped grow and solidify my collaboration with Albert. Working with such a small team is really valuable. For us to be able to make something that had so much freedom and flexibility and ways for us to explore different stories and ways of making things was really important to both of us.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.