Birds of a Feather
A talkative parrot attempts to befriend a boy with Tourette's Syndrome. A 2D animated capstone short film.
About this film
For my capstone, my first goal was to create a film that has an appealing story that reflects who I am as a writer. The most engaging stories to me all have a focus on character growth and development, so I wanted to create a story that showcases the changing relationship between two characters, for better or worse, as they meet and interact with each other.
Additionally, I have Tourette’s Syndrome and struggle to find positive representation in media, specifically animation. With this film, I want to contribute something that reflects what I want to see in the world in regards to this condition. My main focus has been authenticity when crafting the story and character of Damien, striving to showcase a realistic portrayal of TS while also leaving room to have play with the concept and make people laugh without punching down.
This film is a collaborative project. I am the story artist and animator. The backgrounds are created by Shine Xing, and the composition was created by my brother, Ethan Cobos
Trailer
Festival Run
Chicago Film Frenzy
Official Selection
March 29th - FACETS Theater, Chicago, Il
Albany Film Festival
Official Selection
March 29th - UAlbany Campus Center, Albany, NY
Bloomington International Film Festival
Official Selection
April 4th - The Bishop Bar, Bloomington, IN
Yale Student Film Festival
Official Selection
April 5th - Yale University, New Haven, CT
Minneapolis St Paul International Film Festival
Official Selection
April 8th - The Main Cinema, Minneapolis, MN
New Bedford Film Festival
April 12th - Steeple Playhouse, New Bedford, MA
Official Selection
Toronto Animation Arts Festival International
Official Selection
April 11th - Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, Toronto, Canada
Spark Micro Short Film Festival
Official Selection
April 19th - BECPL Central Library, Buffalo, NY
Rochester International Film Festival
Official Selection
May 1st - Dryden Theater, Rochester, NY
BAMkids Film Festival
Official Selection
Finger Lakes Film Festival
Official Selection
Art Without Limit Film Festival
Official Selection
Buffalo International Film Festival
Winner Best Animated Film
Syracuse International Film Festival
Official Selection
New York Animation Film Awards
Best Student Animation - Finalist
Feedback Under 5 Minute Film Festival
Winner Best Student Film
The Reel Good, Feel Good Film Festival
Official Selection
Reflection of Disability in Art Festival
Official Selection
Indie-Lincs International Film Festival
Official Selection
Providence Children's Film Festival
Emerging Filmmaker Award
Raleigh Film & Art Festival
Official Selection
Wine Dark Short Film Festival
Official Selection
Mt Gretna International Film Festival
Vita Maxima Award, Best Comedy, Best Sound Design
Rare by Design: The Film Festival
Official Selection
The Dove Block Project
Official Selection
Alternative Film Festival
Fall 2024 - Best USA Animation
The French Duck Film Festival
Harlequin Duck Edition - Finalist
Over the Rhine International Film Festival
Official Selection
Official Selection
Green Mountain Film Festival
Artist Statement
My experience with Tourette's wasn’t the only factor behind the making of this film. From my first year at RIT, I wanted my education to focus on character animation and story boarding. Therefore, I crafted a capstone that relied on these artistic aspects in order to create a piece that reflected my strengths as an animator. Because of the significant lack of dialogue outside of tics and parroting, I focused my energy on my choice of shots and animating body language to convey the emotional journey I intended for my audience. To ensure I gave myself enough time to focus on those elements, I recruited a background artist to help me with layouts and painting the backdrop of this film. While I created all of the characters and animation, my friend and recent RIT alumni, Shine Xing, created the backdrop of this film. Working with her on this project was incredibly rewarding both as an artist and for the film as a whole, and reminded me again that animation is a collaborative effort, and we as artists have everything to gain when we work with each other
A year ago, when I started conceptualizing my capstone, my first goal was to tell a story that featured Tourette’s syndrome in some way. Tourette’s is a neurological disorder that causes someone to make repetitive movements or sounds that are outside of their control and is something I was diagnosed with when I was 16. As a writer and animator, I use fiction and art to navigate my life and make sense of the world around me. Because of this, I wanted my film to reflect not only my experiences with Tourette’s but also tell a story that contributes to the world the type of representation I want to see, specifically a story that centers itself around fun and creative situations as opposed to overcoming adversity.
Overall, creating my capstone over the past year has been one of the most valuable experiences of my life, and I’m so excited to continue to tell meaningful stories and create authentic representation as I transition from student to professional. Thank you again to everyone who has supported me and this film, it means the world to me to finally share this story with you all today.