Q&A with Filmmaker Ashley Sengstaken

Sep 21

Ashley Sengstaken

Ashley Sengstaken is a multimedia animator and artist based in Los Angeles, blending analog and digital techniques to explore the intersection of the girly and the grotesque. Her work has appeared in The People's Joker, FX’s ATLANTA, The Eric Andre Show, The Victoria's Secret Tour, Vans ads, and Hellavision.

She developed a Pepper’s Ghost animation and diorama technique during the IKEA Artist Residency, later expanding it for Ember Knight’s Dark Ride. Sengstaken has lectured on experimental animation and puppetry at the New York Film Academy and the Ojai Playwrights Conference. Her short film Girls Night Out is screening at Bushwick Film Festival this year.

This Q&A is part of the Bushwick Film Fest Filmmaker Q&A series

What inspired you to create this film, and how did the initial idea come to you?

I wanted to execute a very simple story with a very chaotic visual style. I thought the most accessible hero's journey with a beginning-middle-end structure is a night of binge drinking.

What was the biggest inspiration behind this film?

I wanted to convey the casual body horror that occurs when getting dressed. In my experience, it's always a battle between me and my dysmorphia, and I always find myself wishing I could take certain body parts and replace them with someone else's. I thought it would be interesting to have that come to fruition, but the ideal "hourglass" figure of the character is realized only by having a Frankenstein'd jumble of flesh in all the wrong places.

Were there any films or directors that influenced your approach to this project?

Not a filmmaker, but the visual artist Michaela Stark was a big influence. She's a designer/model/photographer.

What role does technology play in your filmmaking process, and how has it evolved over the years?

This is a digital animated film. A lot of my work is dedicated to replicating analog practices with digital tools (to save money!). This film was made in After Effects, Photoshop, and Adobe Animate. I did the initial digital collage pass of the character/background design, scouring the internet for editorials and stock images and Instagram posts to get the mish-mash texture right. Then, I painted/animated the shadows, highlights, and general lighting in a traditional 2D, cell-by-cell style. All of this was done with just me and my computer over the course of a year. But NO AI!!!

If you weren’t a filmmaker, what would you be doing?

I'd be a marionette puppeteer.

What’s the last film you watched?

So I Married an Axe Murderer

What three things do you always have in your refrigerator?

Hot & Zesty Pickles, frozen hashbrowns, beer

This Q&A is part of the Bushwick Film Fest Filmmaker Q&A series

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