Lost Boy Found
Grand Prize winner of the Silver Sound Showdown, Lost Boy Found is a handcrafted hybrid music film blending live action performance with illustrated fantasy environments. Inspired by shadow puppet theatre, woodcut printmaking, and ink illustration, the piece follows a lonely ghost navigating a mythic world to protect the woman he loves. Designed as a cinematic short rather than a traditional music video, the project marked an early exploration of narrative-driven visual storytelling at scale.
Born in the dark
Developed through extensive storyboarding and visual research, the film’s world was constructed from layered ink textures, hand-drawn illustration, and stylized silhouette performance. Practical prop builds and distressed costume treatments grounded the fantasy in tactile realism, allowing digital environments to feel bespoke, lived-in, and emotionally resonant.
Performed in light
Shot on a soundstage over a single day with a traditional film crew, performances were precisely choreographed to the music to enable seamless integration with animated environments. Strategic previsualization and physical set elements provided actors with spatial anchors, simplifying post-production compositing while preserving expressive movement and performance nuance.
Bridging worlds
The film was developed as a study in integrating live action with a graphic visual language. A hybrid approach that combined performance, design, and compositing into a single system. Preparation played a central role, allowing complex visual sequences to be executed with clarity and intention in post-production.
A light carried through
Designed to function as a narrative piece as much as a music video, Lost Boy Found reflects an interest in character-driven storytelling within stylized visual worlds. The project established a creative approach centered on performance, atmosphere, and visual cohesion - principles that continue to inform later film and brand work.
What was lost returns
Lost Boy Found went on to win Grand Prize at the Silver Sound Showdown in New York City, earning additional recognition for direction and music video craft. The project’s reception opened the door to new directing commissions and marked an early step in building a body of cinematic, design-led work.
Credits
Director & Animator - Nick Snyder Music & Lyrics - MK Jackson Producer - Winsor Yuan Associate Producer & Choreographer - Brett Newton Cinematographer - Kai Saul Production Designer - Nikita Maxwell Costume Designer - Mae Evangeline Starring - Shaun Brown Starring - Hartleigh Buwick