Maxwell Sørensen
Directing Reel
Joshua Radin "Streetlight" [Mom + Pop]
  • Info
    • Stop-motion jigsaw puzzle replacement animation. A series of photographs of the artist were transferred onto puzzles and cut out on a scroll saw. Animation was accomplished by replacing puzzle pieces frame by frame. While some compositing and tracking was done in post, many shots were accomplished in-camera.
these united states "Everything touches everything" [United Interests]
  • Info
    • A combination of stop motion animation and live action puppetry. Two sets of the main characters were built--8inch stop-motion puppets and full size hand puppets for the live action sequences. The tornado was 7 feet tall and suspended via a wire line pulley system. This music video premiered as an official selection of the 2010 SXSW film festival.
The Whigs "Kill Me Carolyne" [ATO]
  • Info
    • Customized model airplanes were flown on rods and combined with hand-painted back drops and polyester clouds. The band was photographed against green screen in a film studio. The planes and clouds were photographed at a different location against blue screen. The propellers were spun with an air gun. Featured on MTV2's Subterranean.
freelance whales "Generator 2nd Floor" [French Kiss/Mom + Pop]
  • Info
    • The band traveled to rural Pennsylvania where they donned traditional Mexican Day of the Dead masks. Trees were animated in reverse stop motion and then added to the footage in After Effects.
an horse "postcards" [Mom + Pop]
  • Info
    • A combination of live action cut-out rod puppets and stop-motion animation. Puppets were shot both outdoors and against a green screen. The additional elements were shot as stop-motion animation and then added as a composite layer.
middle distance runner "The Unbeliever" [Engine Room]
  • Info
    • Traditional claymation inspired by the work of Will Vinton and Bruce Bickford. Full reference footage of the band performing the song was used to transpose the band’s movements onto the models frame by frame. This film was featured on MTVU and FUSE TV. Official selection of the World Music and Independent Film Festival 2010 in Washington DC.
Alex Cohen "Monkey Dreams"
  • Info
    • A cinematic interpretation of the oil painting, "Airfoil" by Pennsylvania artist Alex Cohen. It was made by Alex Cohen and Maxwell Sørensen to compliment the painting and to further explore the depicted scenario. Both the painting and the video consider a link between the fear of falling and the aspiration for flight.
The Vita Ruins "Seven Suns" [Self-Released]
  • Info
    • In-camera cutout stop-motion animation. Cutouts were photographed on a glass multi-plane rig with a movable background for tracking shots.
Let's French "Your Name Here" [Self Released]
  • Info
    • Max’s first film, shot on Super 8mm on his apartment floor in the summer of 2007. The collage was created from old children’s books and photographs. Many paper cuts and power outages were suffered.
Maxwell Sørensen is a Philadelphia based director and animator specializing in stop-motion animation, puppetry, and a handmade aesthetic. By combining traditional techniques with extensive digital post production, Max’s work is a unique blend of the modern and the retro, the digital and the analog.

Max’s work has been featured on MTV2, MTVU, FUSE, and as an official selection at the South by Southwest Film Festival 2010.
Please direct all enquiries to: contact.maxwellsorensen@gmail.com.

© Maxwell Sorensen 2010

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