Our works > FILM | STOP MOTION
If/When
A Queer Stop-Motion Love Story
Festival Release 2025
A surreal, time-bending exploration of love, fate, and what it means to hold on when everything is slipping away.
Ollie Quatch didn’t experience time like everyone else. Untethered from a linear reality, they drifted through moments out of order, glimpsing futures that may or may not come to pass. But when they saw a future without Az—the one person who made them feel grounded—Ollie refused to accept fate as final.
With stunning visuals and a deeply emotional core, If/When is a story about defying the universe for love—if and when you can.
The Animation & Production
If/When was brought to life through meticulously crafted stop-motion animation, shot entirely inside Knuckles Animation Studio in Redfern at Woodburn Creatives. Every frame was carefully composed, capturing the tactile beauty of physical materials while enhancing the film’s dreamlike quality. The film embraced a mixed-media aesthetic, featuring paper textures, detailed miniature sets, and fluid character movement to reflect Ollie’s fragmented relationship with time.
At Knuckles Animation Studio, we have always been passionate about pushing the boundaries of stop-motion storytelling. Our team worked extensively with an assortment of handcrafted puppets, practical lighting techniques, and digital rig removal and compositing methods to create a world that felt both intimate and expansive. Every detail—from the way light fell on a miniature set to the subtle imperfections in hand-painted textures—added to the film’s emotional weight.
By blending traditional stop-motion techniques with digital compositing, If/When achieved a visual style that felt raw, immersive, and deeply personal.
A Collaborative Vision
If/When is a film by ARACOURT studio and a Knuckles Animation Production.
This film was made possible by a passionate and skilled team of trainees, who worked across every department, learning and contributing to the intricate craft of stop-motion animation. Their hard work and fresh perspectives helped shape the film into what it became, demonstrating the power of collaboration in independent animation.
If/When was supported by Creative Partnerships Australia through the Australian Cultural Fund, making it possible to bring this ambitious story to life.
client
ARACOURT
time
9:40
Director: Courtney Westbrook | Writer: Richie Black | Executive Producer: Courtney Westbrook | Producers: Anna Dvorak, Jasmine Hair, Chris Shapones, Courtney Westbrook | Associate Producer: Emma Vranjes | Animation Producer: Chris Shapones | Post-Production Producer: Chris Shapones | Voice of Ollie: Tal Davida | Voice of Az: Almitra Mavalvala | Production Designers: Ara Nuri Steel, Courtney Westbrook | Cinematographers: Mia Schirmer, Anna McGirr | Editors: Julia Sniatynskyj, Susie Shapones | Composer: Chrysoulla Markoulli | Animation & VFX Supervisor: Susie Shapones | Animators: Luka Yates, Susie Shapones | Lead Compositor: Ren Davies Script Editor: Courtney Westbrook | Animatic Editor: Julia Sniatynskyj | Colourist: Mia Schirmer | Sound Designer: Chrysoulla Markoulli | Sound | Recordist: Chrysoulla Markoulli | Sound Mixer: Weronika Razna | Assistant to the Director: Bianca Sappey | Director Mentor: Isabella Andronos Production Design Assistants: Alexandra Olguin, and Jacqueline Chapman | Draftsperson: Ravyna Jassani Art Trainees: Kian Taylor, Josephina Hua, Spark Sanders Robinson, Elena Hale, Molly Hanrahan, Luka Yates, Eugene Chung, Adela-Maria Nicula, Paddy O'Brien, Salome Lines-Morison, Amira Stanbouli | Animation Trainees: Jacqueline Chapman, Josephina Hua, Kim Le, Charlie Bajorek, Eugene Chung, Jessie Wang, Adela-Maria Nicula, Paddy O'Brien, Salome Lines-Morison, Kian Taylor | Camera Trainee: Tashi Folque Galanti | VFX Trainees: Jacqueline Chapman, Charlie Bajorek, Jessie Wang, Kian Taylor, Chanel Bocman, Nathalie Feodora | Sound Trainee: Sarah “Atlas” Donnelly Voice over recorded at Pleb City Studios Inc., Catering provided by Greens Supermarket, Key Art by Barlow Agency
client
ARACOURT
9:40
Director: Courtney Westbrook | Writer: Richie Black | Executive Producer: Courtney Westbrook | Producers: Anna Dvorak, Jasmine Hair, Chris Shapones, Courtney Westbrook | Associate Producer: Emma Vranjes | Animation Producer: Chris Shapones | Post-Production Producer: Chris Shapones | Voice of Ollie: Tal Davida | Voice of Az: Almitra Mavalvala | Production Designers: Ara Nuri Steel, Courtney Westbrook | Cinematographers: Mia Schirmer, Anna McGirr | Editors: Julia Sniatynskyj, Susie Shapones | Composer: Chrysoulla Markoulli | Animation & VFX Supervisor: Susie Shapones | Animators: Luka Yates, Susie Shapones | Lead Compositor: Ren Davies Script Editor: Courtney Westbrook | Animatic Editor: Julia Sniatynskyj | Colourist: Mia Schirmer | Sound Designer: Chrysoulla Markoulli | Sound | Recordist: Chrysoulla Markoulli | Sound Mixer: Weronika Razna | Assistant to the Director: Bianca Sappey | Director Mentor: Isabella Andronos Production Design Assistants: Alexandra Olguin, and Jacqueline Chapman | Draftsperson: Ravyna Jassani Art Trainees: Kian Taylor, Josephina Hua, Spark Sanders Robinson, Elena Hale, Molly Hanrahan, Luka Yates, Eugene Chung, Adela-Maria Nicula, Paddy O'Brien, Salome Lines-Morison, Amira Stanbouli | Animation Trainees: Jacqueline Chapman, Josephina Hua, Kim Le, Charlie Bajorek, Eugene Chung, Jessie Wang, Adela-Maria Nicula, Paddy O'Brien, Salome Lines-Morison, Kian Taylor | Camera Trainee: Tashi Folque Galanti | VFX Trainees: Jacqueline Chapman, Charlie Bajorek, Jessie Wang, Kian Taylor, Chanel Bocman, Nathalie Feodora | Sound Trainee: Sarah “Atlas” Donnelly Voice over recorded at Pleb City Studios Inc., Catering provided by Greens Supermarket, Key Art by Barlow Agency
A Queer Stop-Motion Love Story
Festival Release 2025
A surreal, time-bending exploration of love, fate, and what it means to hold on when everything is slipping away.
Ollie Quatch didn’t experience time like everyone else. Untethered from a linear reality, they drifted through moments out of order, glimpsing futures that may or may not come to pass. But when they saw a future without Az—the one person who made them feel grounded—Ollie refused to accept fate as final.
With stunning visuals and a deeply emotional core, If/When is a story about defying the universe for love—if and when you can.
The Animation & Production
If/When was brought to life through meticulously crafted stop-motion animation, shot entirely inside Knuckles Animation Studio in Redfern at Woodburn Creatives. Every frame was carefully composed, capturing the tactile beauty of physical materials while enhancing the film’s dreamlike quality. The film embraced a mixed-media aesthetic, featuring paper textures, detailed miniature sets, and fluid character movement to reflect Ollie’s fragmented relationship with time.
At Knuckles Animation Studio, we have always been passionate about pushing the boundaries of stop-motion storytelling. Our team worked extensively with an assortment of handcrafted puppets, practical lighting techniques, and digital rig removal and compositing methods to create a world that felt both intimate and expansive. Every detail—from the way light fell on a miniature set to the subtle imperfections in hand-painted textures—added to the film’s emotional weight.
By blending traditional stop-motion techniques with digital compositing, If/When achieved a visual style that felt raw, immersive, and deeply personal.
A Collaborative Vision
If/When is a film by ARACOURT studio and a Knuckles Animation Production.
This film was made possible by a passionate and skilled team of trainees, who worked across every department, learning and contributing to the intricate craft of stop-motion animation. Their hard work and fresh perspectives helped shape the film into what it became, demonstrating the power of collaboration in independent animation.
If/When was supported by Creative Partnerships Australia through the Australian Cultural Fund, making it possible to bring this ambitious story to life.
