Lachlan Pendragon

It wasn’t an ostrich that told Lachlan Pendragon he was going to the Oscars, but fortunately, he did believe it.

The stop motion filmmaker and Griffith Film School alumnus slotted right in among some of Hollywood’s biggest names at the 95th Academy Awards earlier this year after his short film, An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake and I Think I Believe It was nominated.

After graduating with the Bachelor of Animation in 2016, Lachlan continued his Griffith journey with Honours and is currently completing his Doctorate.

Creating the multi-award-winning film for his PhD through COVID lockdowns, Lachlan made it happen by building the set in his mum’s living room, making thousands of tiny adjustments over a 10-month period.

He said he adores the process of stop motion animation and has been thrilled to work in the craft to produce a film that resonates with so many people, but it hasn’t come without its challenges.

“Stop motion is a very fiddly, risky medium where if you so much as bump the camera you might spoil the shot, or if you have to leave the set and come back the next day, the temperature change in the room can make the set shrink or expand ever so slightly, so it requires a lot of patience,” he said.

'Ostrich', as it is affectionally called among those at Griffith, blurs the lines between the viewing experience and the filmmaking process, all while observing a telemarketer who starts questioning his reality when he runs into a talking ostrich.

“I wanted the audience to be very conscious that the film was made by hand and that it was completely fabricated, but also have a very focused story that people could follow,” Lachlan said.

“I did a lot of research into the meta, existential kind of themes, how they are related to animation and breaking down the ‘fourth wall’ to really invite the audience to look over the animator’s shoulder and enjoy the story from that perspective.”

Lachlan’s earlier works showcase his connection with Brisbane and Griffith, including Bush Turkeys of QCAD (2015), Elevator Madness (2015), The Toll (2017), and Beethoven: Live at Roma Street Parkland (2019).

In addition to his dedication to the craft, he pursues meaning through the art form by attempting to break stereotypes, provide a platform for ideas that make a difference, and inspire the next generation of storytellers.

His graduate piece from his Bachelor's degree, The Toll, explored boredom, loneliness, and the impact of isolation on social skills, and also gained recognition as a finalist in the Brisbane International Film Festival Centurion Short Film Awards in 2017.

It was a slow burn for Ostrich as it rose to prominence gaining praise and acclaim from some of the world’s top film and animation festivals.

In one of the film’s earlier award nominations, Peter Lord of Aardman Animation (best known as the creator of Chicken Run and Wallace and Gromit) described Lachlan’s work as being made with “immense flair and inventiveness”.

While he was starstruck by the interaction at the time, Lachlan has now become the star himself, visiting university and high school animation departments to talk with students about his animation process; inspiring them to take action that makes a difference, pursue their dreams, and advance their purpose. “I've been to festivals where they might have a junior category and met these younger filmmakers and I really see myself in them,” he said.

“They’ve been coming up to talk with me about my projects or theirs and I remember when that was me - going up to filmmakers who would give me feedback, so it does feel very full circle and I’ve been very happy to give back and encourage the next wave of filmmakers.”

Lachlan’s films have been screened at prestigious events such as the Annecy Animation Festival and the Melbourne International Film Festival.  Lachlan gives back to the industry broadly too. He was invited to Seattle as a juror at the largest youth film festival in the world, NFFTY; has presented awards at SIPfest on the Gold Coast; and participates as a panellist in various Q&A sessions including one for AACTA.

Director of Griffith Film School, Herman Van Eyken has seen Lachlan’s journey from undergraduate through to Doctorate and describes him as “incredibly clever, yet incredibly humble and grounded”.

The nomination for the Academy Award has brought significant attention to the screen industry in Brisbane, Griffith University and Griffith Film School, with Lachlan always mentioning and remaining an active advocate for the Film School.

He hopes his experience sets fire to the spark in other creative minds to realise that an indie project that starts small can become such a success.

“It's nice to be acknowledged with the recognition of the Outstanding Alumni Award and to shine a light on what is possible when you study at university,” he said.

“One of the nicest parts of this experience has been hearing from people who have seen my story or who have shown me pictures of themselves sculpting things out of plasticine – that recognition when people look up to me and think, ‘Oh wow, I didn't think that was possible,’ or, ‘I didn't know that was something you could learn at university.’”

“I definitely didn't know what was possible, so it’s been really nice being able to share that.”