Behind the Scenes of “Playing God” — A 7-Year Stop-Motion Odyssey
In the world of independent stop-motion animation, few projects capture the imagination quite like Playing God — a nine-minute short film born from seven years of persistence, experimentation, and artistry. Now, with the release of the official Making Of video, the creative team is offering a rare and intimate window into the studio, the challenges and the craft that shaped this ambitious work.
Opening the Window
“After more than a year of traveling around the world through film festivals, we’d like to open a small window into how the short film #playinggod was made. 7 years in the making for 9 minutes of #stopmotion animation, one of the biggest and most meaningful challenges in the history of our independent animation studio,” the video voice-over begins.
With this project, the makers state, they aimed “to push beyond our limits, experimenting with the stop-motion medium without compromises, blending art, technique, and passion into a single vision.” In the backstage feature we’ll “reveal our secrets … how we built this film and the challenges we faced to bring it to life.”
This is more than a simple “making-of” reel; it is a celebration of craft, dedication and the unseen hours behind what appears on screen.
Highlights of the Film’s Journey
Directed by Matteo Burani and co-written with Gianmarco Valentino, the film is a co-production between Studio Croma Animation (Italy) and Autour de Minuit (France), supported by the Emilia-Romagna Film Commission, the Italian Ministry of Culture (MiC) and the CNC – Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée. blog.autourdeminuit.com+2sicvenezia.it+2
The film’s story: a sculptor, consumed by the search for perfection, brings a clay form to life only to find that the creature is surrounded by his malformed copies, abandoned and inert. The sculptor, blinded by obsession, rejects his creation — and what remains is a haunting meditation on creation, failure, and abandonment. CEE+2Stop Motion Magazine+2
Festival-wise, the short has already made serious waves. It screened at the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia in 2025. shortshorts.org+1
What the Making-Of Video Reveals
In this latest video (linked above), viewers are taken behind the sets, into the puppet-workshop, into the stop-motion pits where every frame was crafted by hand. Key crew members are credited in the video’s excerpt: Arianna Gheller (animation), Guglielmo Trautvetter (director of photography), Sole Piccininno (puppet making), Chiara Ziveri (SFX make-up), music by Pier Danio Forni.
While the excerpt thanks the many behind-the-scenes artists who don’t appear on screen, it highlights the studio’s decision: “one day, we’ll tell the full story.” That promise adds an extra layer of intrigue for stop-motion fans.
Why This Matters
For readers of Stop Motion Magazine — many of whom are animators, puppet-makers, and independent studio workers — this is a rare case of an indie stop-motion short delivering both high craft and a transparent studio process. Over seven years, this kind of dedication is unusual, especially when combined with an international co-production footprint.
The behind-the-scenes video offers not just inspiration but technical and creative insights: the complexity of puppet-making, lighting for stop-motion, set-design choices, and how a singular vision can drive a long-haul project. In short: the “how” behind the “what.”
Closing Thoughts
The release of this Making Of video marks a milestone for this film and for the stop-motion community. It underscores that even in a world dominated by CGI and streaming-scale budgets, hand-crafted puppet animation remains alive and deeply resonant. For those who have followed the trajectory of “Playing God,” this is the moment where the curtain lifts.
We encourage you to watch the video, reflect on your own craft, and mark the January issue when we’ll go full-feature. Below is the excerpt again for your reference:
“After more than a year of traveling around the world through Film Festivals, we’d like to open a small window into how the short film #playinggod was made. 7 years in the making for 9 minutes of #stopmotion animation, one of the biggest and most meaningful challenges in the history of our independent animation studio… With this project, we wanted to push beyond our limits, experimenting with the stop-motion medium without compromises, blending art, technique, and passion into a single vision… In this #backstage, we’ll reveal our secrets and how we built this film and the challenges we faced to bring it to life.”
Sources
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“Playing God — a haunting stop-motion meditation on creation and abandonment,” Stop Motion Magazine. Stop Motion Magazine
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Production details from Autour de Minuit blog. blog.autourdeminuit.com+1
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Festival listing Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia. shortshorts.org
