I’ve got a great short film for you to watch today titled Steel Cut Oats, with is a pulpy stop-motion/live-action hybrid retelling of the classic Golem folktale.
In this version of the story, “a washed-up boxer builds a giant monster out of oatmeal to protect himself from the mobsters who betrayed him!”
The movie comes from writer and director Harry Chaskin. This short is shared in collaboration with the FilmQuest Film Festival, where we are looking to expose some of the radical indie genre films and shorts that filmmakers are creating.
I also included an interview with the director that you can read below!
Without spoilers, tell us what your film is about, its characters, and its themes. Is it a proof of concept, or a standalone story?
We open on a diner as former featherweight champ ‘Miracle Kid’ Carraway relays his life story to a sympathetic waitress: How he rose to the top, how the mob broke his leg for refusing to take a dive, and how he created a nuclear powered oatmeal monster to protect himself.
What he didn’t count on was raising the creature as a son. They form a strong father-son bond and Carraway ends up teaching ‘Oats’ how to fight, which culminates in a title match against a steam-powered robot owned by the mobster who destroyed Carraway’s career. Who’s going to win the fight, and at what cost?
Thematically, the film pulls from Jewish folklore, film noir, 50’s monster movies, and nuclear paranoia. It is primarily inspired by the legend of the Golem, a creature built from clay and brought to life through ritual.
From there, it asks the questions: What would happen if the creator loved his Golem and raised it like a son? How does the idea of legacy impact self-expression? Can we avoid molding our children to follow in our footsteps, intentionally or not?
Aesthetically, the film combines live action with traditional techniques like stop-motion animation, matte painting, miniatures, and hand-drawn optical effects to create a memorable aesthetic that looks toward the future while paying homage to the past.
What was the inspiration for your film? How did you come up with the idea?
Honestly, years ago I was shopping in the grocery store and came across a tin of steel cut oats. I had a fleeting thought that it sounded like an ‘old timey’ boxing nickname, and the idea developed from there.
Tell us about yourself. What is your background? How long have you been a filmmaker?
I have been working as a director, writer, and animator for the last 15 years. I’ve been fortunate to work on movies, tv shows, and commercials.
What inspires you to work within genre cinema and tell these kind of stories?
I’ve always been obsessed with world building, transporting the audience to strange and unique places. I also feel genre is excellent for tackling heavier themes and topics without becoming didactic.
What was your favorite part of the filmmaking process for this project?
Working with the cast and crew. So much of my career has been spent alone animating behind dark curtains, so collaborating with this incredible team and seeing the individual creativity each person brought to the project was super inspiring.
What are you most proud of with this film?
The way we blended stop-motion with live action. From the beginning, I wanted to shoot this like a live action movie and not be hampered by the logistics of compositing our animated characters. The idea was to be free with camera movement and lighting, and push the envelope for how stop-motion can be integrated cinematically.
What is a favorite story or moment from the making of the film you’d like to share?
We had so much leftover oatmeal, I ended up donating several bags to a local stable. Seeing the horses enjoy it was honestly a great experience!
What was your most challenging moment or experience you had while making your film?
By far, our biggest ticket budget item was the boxing ring rental, and on the day we were set to shoot with it, it unfortunately didn’t show up on time. So I had to throw out my shot list and schedule and completely improvise for a good 6 hours while we waited for it to arrive. Luckily our amazing team rose to the occasion and we were able to wrap on time and get everything we needed.
If it did, how did your film change or differ from its original concept during pre-production, production, and/or post-production? How has this changed how you’ll approach future projects as a result?
Given how much of the film was animated, we had to storyboard and plan extensively, so the final film is pretty darn close to what we set out to make. There were definitely some happy accidents on set shooting the live action, but we stayed very close to what was initially envisioned overall. If anything, this has only incentivized me to continue carefully planning. Even if you have to throw your plan out the window, it’s always better to have a place to start from.
Who were some of your collaborators and actors on the film? How did you start working with each other?
Much of the cast are close friends from the UCB Theatre, who I’ve gotten to know over years of hanging out there and attending shows. I met Rachel Bloom when we worked together on Robot Chicken, and a few others were cast via audition. I sought out Brian George through a producer friend after years of being a fan of his as a character actor and he was kind enough to paritcipate.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received as a filmmaker and what would you like to say to new filmmakers?
Shoot the middle first so you have a chance to ramp up creatively before the beginning and end (the parts most people will remember). For beginning filmmakers, I think the most important thing is to finish projects and get them out into the world. You’ll learn more from releasing a so-so finished short than you will from trying to perfect something for years.
What are your plans for your career and what do you hope this film does for it? What kind of stories would you like to tell moving forward?
I’ve been doing more work in live action lately, but always trying to find ways to incorporate old school techniques like stop-motion, matte paintings, and miniatures. I have a couple horror features in the works that I’d like to produce soon! I also have a series pitch that takes place in the world of Steel Cut Oats.
What is your next project and when can we expect to see it?
I’m currently involved with an animated feature that is currently in financing, and in early stages on a new short about fish mafia. Hopefully early next year!
Where can we find more of your work and where can interested parties contact you? Do you have a website or YouTube/Vimeo channel? Social media handles?
You can check out my work at Harrychaskin.com and/or on Instagram @Hchaskin
Bonus Question #1: What is your all-time favorite film?
2001: A Space Odyssey
Bonus Question #2: What is the film that most inspired you to become a filmmaker and/or had the most influence on your work?
2001: A Space Odyssey and Ray Harryhausen’s Mysterious Island
