How did you come up with the idea for the film ?

I had the idea for a long time, probably for 10 years or something. I had this image of a woman who was able to sculpt her face. It was just one of those times when you look in the mirror and you just wonder if you could do something to yourself. I am mainly an animator and I’ve done a lot of clay animation and stop motion stuff. So probably it’s no surprise that I might sometimes wonder how would it be if you were able to sculpt your own face and your own body.

Did you have any particular actor in mind for this role?

No, not at all. It wasn’t a specific woman I had in mind. Even when we wrote the casting document for the actors to look at, I did not want to make a specific statement about size or weight. It was just really important to look at the actress and feel that she was the right person for it. The film is not a statement about having to get fit or anything like that.

There is a lot going on during the seven minutes of Plastic. How long did you work on this film?

It was a year. I started writing the script in the first year of school. I came there with this idea and then started writing it out to a longer format. Courtney Wise, my producer, also helped develop the script. There was a lot of pre-production work because the film has so many visual effects and that’s where all the hard work starts. That took about two months. And then it was only a four-day shoot, which was crazy and hectic because you have limited time. Then the whole post-production process was about eight months. It was a whole learning process, with three other guys doing the visual effect as well as me.

What kind of software did you use?

We used a 3D program called Alias Maya. We modeled the morph with it and animated it. We also used a program called Apple Shake that allows you do the warping and the morphing and put it all together. Basically, this lets you take an image and distort it in a particular way without adding pixelization. It’s an image treatment, you could say.

The end result is like one those distorted mirror images from a funhouse.

No, there were no mirrors. There were no practical bits like that. It was all shot on a blue screen and then manipulated digitally.

The main character in “Plastic” finally makes peace with her natural appearance. Any advice for women obsessing over “perfect” bodies?

I think the film is more of a statement about your inner emotions and accepting yourself from inner perspective rather than from outer perspective. Just try to be yourself and do whatever makes you happy.

What other topics interest you as a filmmaker?

I am interested in films that have fantasy bits in them because you can create something that’s beyond your imagination. Film is a perfect media for that. You can make something that is quite realistic and at the same time, be not part of this world. I am developing a couple of projects that are within this genre. I also am interested in something with human beings put in particular circumstances. Thinking back on what films influenced me as a child, they weren’t necessarily films that had big world-changing messages…

What films influenced you as a child?

There was a film called “Momo.” I just watched it again recently. It is so contemporary, it’s incredible. I think it was done in late 70s. It is a kid’s story. The message behind it is quite strong. It is about people not having time. How people think time is money and how they want to save time but things become more hectic and crazy. I think that is so relevant today.