Pottichoottu

Many stories go untold - buried under the sands of time. "Pottichoottu" is our small attempt at reviving a story that one of us heard a long time ago.

#animation #horror #fireball #flipbook

It was almost Halloween- the perfect time for a new, spooky Original. After an all-consuming client project, Najeeb was keenly looking forward to a change of pace. He knew he wanted to do something completely different. Something exciting. A genre that he was familiar with and loved deeply. As a long-time fan of horror stories and their ability to expose primal human emotions, the answer wasn’t far away for him.

Produced by

LastBench

Written by

Najeeb Thottungal

Anna Joe

Featuring

Rini Kottukkal

Aswathi Sunil

Art and Animation

Najeeb Thottungal

Shruti Motta

Music and Sound

Niranjan Kotukkal

Managing Producer

Anna Joe

The Comic

Typically for an animated video there would be a round of prep - you figure out what the characters look like, how the story would flow, what the dialogues are etc. However, as Pottichoottu was based on a story from Najeeb's childhood the visuals came instantaneously as soon as he put pen to paper (or tablet).

The visual style was heavily influenced by Hayao Miyazaki, the celebrated Japanese animator who made classics such as ‘Spirited Away’ and ‘My Neighbour Totoro’. His work was whimsical, bright and wondrous.

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Najeeb has been a long time fan of his - and this was the first time he could actually play around with that style. You can see similar elements from Miyazaki’s work in Pottichoottu - from the bright, jewel-toned colours used to the use of lighting to give it a touch of whimsy.  

The visual style was heavily influenced by Hayao Miyazaki, the celebrated Japanese animator who made classics such as ‘Spirited Away’ and ‘My Neighbour Totoro’. His work was whimsical, bright and wondrous.

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The visual style was heavily influenced by Hayao Miyazaki, the celebrated Japanese animator who made classics such as ‘Spirited Away’ and ‘My Neighbour Totoro’. His work was whimsical, bright and wondrous.

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The visual style was heavily influenced by Hayao Miyazaki, the celebrated Japanese animator who made classics such as ‘Spirited Away’ and ‘My Neighbour Totoro’. His work was whimsical, bright and wondrous.

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The visual style was heavily influenced by Hayao Miyazaki, the celebrated Japanese animator who made classics such as ‘Spirited Away’ and ‘My Neighbour Totoro’. His work was whimsical, bright and wondrous.

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The characters and settings were all inspired by his childhood - from the traditional “Naalukettu” style home from Kerala to the attire of his grandmother that is commonly donned by older Muslim women.  The dialogue was also written in his mothertongue Malayalam as well, especially with the vernacular slang of the area.

The team at LB loved the comic strip so much that it pushed Najeeb to try making it into a film as well.

The Film

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When Pottichoottu switched mediums from comic to film, there are certain things that needed to be adapted. For one, the pacing for static stories and animated ones are completely different. What typically takes a panel or two in a comic version will need much more time visually in a film to make the experience immersive.

For example, the starting external shot was extended to spend some time getting used to the world - instead of jumping right into the conversation.

The Film

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For example, the starting external shot was extended to spend some time getting used to the world - instead of jumping right into the conversation.

The Film

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For example, the starting external shot was extended to spend some time getting used to the world - instead of jumping right into the conversation.

The Film

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For example, the starting external shot was extended to spend some time getting used to the world - instead of jumping right into the conversation.

The Film

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For example, the starting external shot was extended to spend some time getting used to the world - instead of jumping right into the conversation.

The composition of the film was designed to create a cinematic atmosphere and increase dramatic impact, so the rule of thirds was frequently utilized. The chase scene was particularly challenging to conceptualize, as it needed to convey a sense of energy and movement to captivate the audience.

Involving the team

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The human eye is powerful in picking up when lights and shadows don’t move correctly. They are also important in making the film visually engaging - especially considering most of it was happening at night. So we had to make sure that each movement of the light was perfectly shaded. Najeeb roped in our Creative Associate, Shruti Motta, for this and together they worked on making sure each frame was lit properly (yes, that is as arduous as it sounds).

Involving the team

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Involving the team

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Involving the team

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Involving the team

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Casting the right voice for a small boy and an old lady with a specific accent of Malayalam proved quite a challenge. The team searched high and low for the right fit, until we found a woman in her late twenties with quite a young-sounding voice. So she recorded a sample, which we then altered slightly…and it worked! Cue sighs of relief all around.

As for the grandmother, our Senior Motion Graphic Artist and Lead, Sound Design & Music, Niranjan, came through. He recorded a sample where his mother acted like the grandmother - accent and all - and it fit perfectly.

Then it was the matter of adding sound effects, mixing in music, fixing the audio; and the sound design was also completed. While it started as one person's story, it ended up being a team work in the end.

That's the beauty of LB Originals. Everyone gets invested in chipping in as much as they can, believing in your story as much as you do.

After 3 months of work, the animated short was done.

That's the beauty of LB Originals. Everyone gets invested in chipping in as much as they can, believing in your story as much as you do.

After 3 months of work, the animated short was done.

That's the beauty of LB Originals. Everyone gets invested in chipping in as much as they can, believing in your story as much as you do.

After 3 months of work, the animated short was done.

That's the beauty of LB Originals. Everyone gets invested in chipping in as much as they can, believing in your story as much as you do.

After 3 months of work, the animated short was done.

That's the beauty of LB Originals. Everyone gets invested in chipping in as much as they can, believing in your story as much as you do.

After 3 months of work, the animated short was done.

Release and Reception

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We worked on some spooky trailers for the release, hoping to grab attention. To build hype, the LB Instagram handle was used to engage with followers about ghosts from their local folklore, and was also used to share illustrations of some popular local ghosts.

When the film was finally released, the influx of love and support was overwhelming. People shared their childhood ghost stories or how they encountered the supernatural themselves.

Release and Reception

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When the film was finally released, the influx of love and support was overwhelming. People shared their childhood ghost stories or how they encountered the supernatural themselves.

Release and Reception

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When the film was finally released, the influx of love and support was overwhelming. People shared their childhood ghost stories or how they encountered the supernatural themselves.

Release and Reception

‍

When the film was finally released, the influx of love and support was overwhelming. People shared their childhood ghost stories or how they encountered the supernatural themselves.

Release and Reception

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When the film was finally released, the influx of love and support was overwhelming. People shared their childhood ghost stories or how they encountered the supernatural themselves.

There's something about ghost stories that take us back to when we were younger - back when the world was the great unknown, and safety was guaranteed in the solace of a grandmother's smile. This is the chord Pottichoottu seemed to have struck with many, as they fondly reminisced about their most memorable childhood ghost story.