Today we’d like to introduce you to Jill Cefalo-Sanders.
Hi Jill, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was finishing up my Animation BFA degree at the Cleveland Institute of Art in 2021. Around this time, I was questioning my place in this world as an animator… I felt called to use experimental animation to tell stories that were previously repressed and underrepresented. The status quo wasn’t serving me as an animator or as a queer person. As I was finishing my senior thesis, I was doing what any Gen Z college kid was doing during the pandemic: distracting myself between schoolwork and classes by mindlessly scrolling on TikTok. Every once in a while, a very excited and passionate Sarah Kambe Holland would pop up, enthusiastically explaining her quirky, gay coming-of-age movie, Egghead & Twinkie. I felt invested in Sarah’s story immediately, thinking “I just really hope she does it… I hope she gets to accomplish this project.” Weeks later, she pops up again on TikTok, this time calling for animators. I remember her describing each ask for the project, and I physically nodded my head like “Yeah, I could do that.” Live-action fusing with animation became my obsession in college, and seeing a live-action, animated film about queer joy felt too perfect. Pessimism crept in anyway. I had the second leg of my BFA thesis to complete. My grandpa had just passed away… one of my CIA professors, Jordan Charlton, too. I was in a state of emotional burnout. I may be queer, but I’m not sunshine-y, coming-of-age, positivity queer. I’m like a Midwest emo queer. The TikTok video got something like 50k+ hits, and the chances were really slim. Regardless, I pulled together an email and crossed my fingers.
A few months later, I graduated with my BFA in Animation at CIA and landed my first “big boy” full-time job with a marketing agency remote to Portland, Oregon. I got my first email that Sarah was considering me. Before I knew it, we were chatting over our laptops in our apartments, hundreds of miles from each other. It confirmed my suspicions that Sarah was just as brilliant as she seemed in her earnest and energetic TikToks.
Together, Sarah and I developed a vision for Egghead & Twinkie’s animation. My first large assignment was making Twinkie’s sketchbook, an important prop in the story. I laid it out on my hardwood floor, mapping out the multi-page comic that told Egghead and Twinkie’s road trip story. I really wanted it to feel authentic; like Twinkie actually spent the time drawing and redrawing things inspired by the anime she grew up with. When Sarah sent me the first picture from the set of Egghead (Louis Tomeo) holding the prop, I needed a second to really connect the dots in my mind. It was wild.
When I finished the physical, paper, hand-drawn props, it felt like I was halfway through the game when in reality, that was basically the tutorial. Animation production was a whole other level of thinking deeply about these characters and making sure the story was being told to the best of our ability. After every scene finished, I craved more time to sit and tweak it and see it in context with the live action. But realistically, I needed to trust Sarah when she said it was done. Over time, that trust in each other’s shared vision grew stronger and really became the best part of the production. We would talk about the Red Bull cans, the late nights, the perfectionism, the imposter syndrome, the passion, the determination, the need to just do it. We’re storytellers. It was pure joy collaborating with someone who oozed care and enthusiasm for the story the way I did. Things were coming together, and I felt the electricity of holding something this wonderful in my hands.
Near the end of production, we realized that I needed help. I had scenes that needed to color, I had a massive rotoscoped sequence to start. I had animation in just about every 4 minutes of the 90ish minute film, not including the longer, fully animated sequences. At one point, Sarah placed the overlay animation- the hearts, words, and other little additions- over the live action and realized it was disproportionately front-loaded: the first half would have twice the amount of animated moments. I needed to focus my attention on fixing it. It was a final turning point, where I didn’t want to jeopardize all the hard work over lack of consistency. I recommended my partner and best friend, Dust Wisch to finish some of the heavier lifts. Working together on animation was a regular deal throughout our time at CIA. I trust them to tell me the truth-truth. If it feels bad, we aren’t doing it. As much as it offered me more space, I felt the pressure increase… I needed to make sure I wasn’t setting them up for failure. Dust’s work on the movie ultimately pushed us over the finish line and I’m beyond thankful for their contribution.
The day we finished animation production, I stood out on my porch and stared out at the trees, realizing what I think many animators and editors realize after production wraps… you haven’t been outside enough. My friends threw me a “movie’s over” party. I cried a lot that month. The movie was like a time vampire, but like a cool, sexy time vampire. I think I just like keeping busy. And I missed my director.
Egghead & Twinkie went on to be in a great number of film festivals: Seattle International Film Festival, Frameline in LA, BFI Flare, TIFF New Wave, Florida Film Festival, and my local film fest, CIFF. More is to come as well. I’m beyond proud of the work of everyone on the film. Every time I watch it, I still laugh at the gags and tear up at the emotional moments. I think back to that silent prayer I thought when watching Sarah on TikTok years ago… I’m so thankful I got to help accomplish Egghead & Twinkie.
I’ve since deleted TikTok.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I really struggle with imposter syndrome, just like most artists I know. When you’re a Gen Z artist in 2023, you follow incredible artists on social media and see a nonstop flow of the highest quality of work from your favorite people. At first, it seems inspiring, but eventually, your eye for quality is sitting at a level that isn’t possible for you to hit every day, and you’re aiming for someone else’s best. While working on Egghead & Twinkie, I was pushed to develop an art style not just inspired by Japanese manga but amateurish Japanese manga… mixed with cartoons. It was out of my comfort zone. I had many miniature meltdowns working on the movie, where I would flop on my bed and announce to my partner that I didn’t know what I was doing and I should just give up. But every time, I would go take a walk, get something to eat, fill up my water bottle, and then go back to work. I also have a very important mental health rule that both my partner and I use: if you cry that day, you’re done that day. Your only job now is to be a person, get some rest, and try again tomorrow. Keeping up my relationship with myself is key. Being an artist is not easy, and for any adult living in this world, creating on a regular basis is kind of doing the impossible as is. Have patience and surround yourself with people who see you as the finished product, even when you’re still a work in progress.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At my heart, I’m a storyteller. I’m an animator, illustrator, and writer. At this point, a lot of my past work has been experimenting with characters in live-action environments, essentially just pursuing a look that was distinctly different than what is currently out there in the industry. Egghead & Twinkie was a perfect place for me to put what I love about animation to work. I’m still fascinated by that, but lately, I’ve been pouring all my time into writing comics. I’m hoping to release my first big project in the next year. I’ve always been obsessed with sci-fi and things that feel intangible. I realized post-pandemic that too many of our modern sci-fi stories are about highlighting destructive forces out of our control or showcasing the inevitable evil humans possess. I think people deserve something in addition to dark scenarios, “phone bad,” and pondering if AI will kill us all. I love those stories too, but my point of view is just different. Some people may look at how we’re alone in the universe and feel bleak and hopeless, but I see this amazing point in time where we all just happened to be here. We’re the universe experiencing itself. It’s truly beautiful, and I want to make work that makes people realize how special it is to get to be here. A piece of art that really resonated with me the past few years is Porter Robinson’s 2021 album Nurture. It’s about holding optimism in an unstable time and building your relationship with yourself. Though his music is experimental and electronic, it’s filled with nature sounds and encouraging messaging. I love that. I think we all have something to gain from growing out of hopelessness. To pivot back to talking about the movie, I was proud to have worked on an uplifting queer story. Sad gay films are important, but so is finding the energy to go out and live life or make significant changes. Everyone deserves to feel that it’s possible to keep going.
What’s next?
I have a lot of plans! I’m definitely going to release a comic soon and an animated short, hopefully shortly after. As for more full-length movies, I’m always up to animate on another production. I would love to continue to pursue more queer and other underrepresented stories, especially in sci-fi. There are so many interesting stories being told right now, and I want more animation to be part of it. Regardless, I really try not to limit myself to just illustration or just animation or just writing. I just like making stuff.
Contact Info:
- Website: crabub.com
- Instagram: @crabub
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crabub/
- Other: https://eggheadandtwinkie.com/
