In Devin Scott’s short film, The Craftsman, our narrator tells a story inspired by the life of his great-grandfather, Felix Landis, a San Diego woodworker and violin maker. In his 60s, Felix set out to build his opus: four violins, each crafted from four different kinds of wood. With World War II in full force, the supply of wood, such as spruce and maple, was scarce. Felix searched salvage yards and found old doors. Inspired by the stories of those who once lived behind those doors, he began shaping them into four distinct violins.
Felix gave each violin a name: The Songbird, The Darkness, The Gambler, and The Strawberry Blonde. He then documented what he thought were the stories behind each one. The film shows how, through creativity and perseverance, Felix transformed discarded wood into violins that carried the tone and memory of the lives once connected to those doors, finding beauty and meaning in unexpected places.
The Craftsman tells a wonderful and touching story of the love and skill craftsmen put into their work compared to the soulless machines that reproduce instruments with carbon-copy details. The story alone is worth a watch for filmmaker Devin Scott’s work.
Felix Landis holds one of his handcrafted violins in The Craftsman.
“Felix set out to build his opus: four violins, each crafted from four different kinds of wood.”
We need to discuss the AI used in the film’s animation. I’m assuming that Devin is not an animator by trade, but he is a storyteller. By using AI, Devin was able to finally bring his great-grandfather’s story to life. He says the technology allowed him to merge historical family memory with animated storytelling in ways that traditional methods couldn’t easily achieve.
What’s clear to me after watching The Craftsman is that Scott’s use of AI wasn’t about taking shortcuts, but to create an animated piece that could rival traditional style. I’m still convinced AI is not there yet, but Scott put a great deal of effort into producing a high-quality film rather than just letting AI run amok. The final piece looks like a blend of 3D animation and stop motion animation. The sets resemble stop-motion models, and from a distance, the characters appear to be puppets. As we zoom into the characters, we see more texture and detail, and this is especially true when the film focuses on wood and the violins. The detail and the wood’s grain are incredible. The only negative is the lack of consistency from scene to scene and model to model that AI has yet to figure out.
In the end, The Craftsman is both a tribute to Felix Landis’s artistry and a showcase of Devin Scott’s determination to preserve that legacy. By blending traditional storytelling with AI innovation, Scott ensures that the story of one man’s devotion to his craft will continue to inspire future generations.
"…Scott’s determination to preserve that legacy."
