Lights Out - 2004 Calarts Student Film by Jennifer Hager

This was my 3rd year, junior film at Calarts from 2004. I wanted to tell some kind of story with stuffed animals come to life. I remember doodling all kinds of random ideas in my cubicle when the idea of a stuffed toy defending his owner from a monster popped in my head. My favorite toy when I was a kid was a stuffed dog. I based the main character off of that stuffed dog! I had soooo much fun designing the monster. I looked up every scary thing I could think of on the internet for reference. After a bunch of exploration I ended up with this pitbull-hyena-rat looking thing. Making a film with the intention of scaring people is super fun! When this screened in the end of year Calarts student showcase, The Open Show, people were screaming and getting startled. Haha it was so rewarding! I hope you enjoy it! :)