"Loss Of Innocence" Stop Motion Film

                                           "Loss Of Innocence" 

Artist Statement: 

    For this project, I created a stop-motion short film titled “Loss of Innocence,” which runs 3 minutes and 55 seconds and was fully animated using Dragonframe. I used a stationary, tripod-mounted camera connected to the software to capture each frame with precision. The entire film takes place on top of an empty elementary school desk, chosen intentionally to represent the quiet, everyday setting where so many childhood memories begin—and eventually fade. I animated familiar childhood objects—cards, dice, a Rubik’s cube, and small toys—to tell a story about how innocence slowly slips away as we grow up. What starts as playful movement turns into chaos, as the toys are pushed, torn, and ultimately destroyed. The destruction is symbolic, representing how external forces—whether it’s the environment, society, or trauma—can change something that once felt safe and joyful.

    One key part of the film is that I left my hands visible in the animation. This wasn’t an accident—it was intentional. I wanted to show that I, too, was once the kid who played with these toys. Leaving my hands in frame was a way to insert myself into the narrative, emphasizing that this loss of innocence isn’t abstract—it’s personal. We’ve all had that moment where things stopped feeling simple.

    I used layered sound design to elevate the emotion without any dialogue. The film features natural sounds like wind, ambient textures, creaks, and distant tones, building a sense of unease and tension as the objects fall apart. The sound is meant to echo the emotional shift from nostalgia to discomfort—without being loud or obvious.“Loss of Innocence” reflects on how something as ordinary as a school desk or a toy can hold heavier meaning. It’s about the moments that change us, even when we don’t realize it in the moment. By the end of the film, the desk is quiet again—but the innocence once attached to it is gone.

    This was my first full-length stop-motion film, and learning how to bring it to life frame by frame in Dragonframe helped me realize how powerful subtle movements and details can be. It’s a piece about memory, childhood, and the invisible transition into something more complicated—and it was important to me that the story came from a place of real experience.

                               Email me to see the full movie: Andrewdimino32@gmail.com