Make Do
Make Do is a stop-motion short film created as my thesis project during my master's studies at the BAU College of Arts and Design in 2021. Alongside co-directors Leah Blem and Fred Stanton, we wrote, directed, and animated the film over the course of six months. The story follows a child who goes fishing for the first time without their parent, facing the challenges of living independently which may prove to be overwhelming.
Mountains, mirrors, and motion
Working with soap on mirrors for animation was challenging but rewarding. Finding a functional soap, preventing leaks, and maintaining aesthetics required trial and error. Soap created natural, water-like motions, enhanced by time-lapse composites and innovative techniques like reverse animation for effects such as flooding.

For the mountain backdrop, limited space led to using layered cardboard cutouts refined into laser-cut contour designs. A modular system with wooden poles and a custom table allowed flexible positioning, while gradients of pink, purple, and blue gave the mountains a seamless, dynamic look. Together, these creative solutions produced visually striking animations.
Credits
Direction & Animation: Jelle Janssen, Leah Blem, Fred Stanton
Music & Sound Design: Bronwyn Nel
Selections
Ciné Motion, France (2021)
T-Short, Online (2022)
Living Skies Student Film Festival, Canada (2022)
Mecal International Short Film Festival of Barcelona, Spain (2022)
TimeLine Film Festival, Italy (2022)
ICONA, Greece (2022)
Student World Impact Film Festival, USA (2023)
Cartoon Club International Festival of Animation Cinema, Italy (2023)
Trikfilm, Czech Republic (2023)
Animafest Gdansk, Poland (2023)