What is the film about?

Shotopop has created a love letter to exercise with a new animated short.

Workout Demon follows Jordan, who arrives home after a crappy day and looks set to stew on it all evening. A class notification on their watch poses a question: will they commit to the workout? Reluctantly, they start to ride. Then everything changes.

A little background information...

The idea came from Creative Directors (and Peloton fans) Carin Standford and Casper Franken, who reflected on how an ordinary ride changed their day.

“We turned that experience into a fun little film that captures the raw emotional shift that happens while on the bike sweating it out. Born of our genuine affection (and a bunch of sweat), cinematic and heartfelt, we dug deep to share the emotional core of how a good workout can impact our day-to-day,” they said.

With limited dialogue in the film, their aim was for Jordan to carry the emotion through their movement and expressions. “We wanted to make sure we feel that they were having a bad day, and that we clearly convey the change in their mood as we progress.”

How was the film made?

In development since January 2022, the project was completed in bursts of activity between client projects and involved every member of the team.

Softwares used include the Adobe Suite, Blender, and Toon Boom Harmony. We also made use of documentary footage of Carin and Casper on the Peloton, along with an air drumming reference video kindly provided by our excellent music and sound design partners on the project, Zelig.

Along with the film itself, we’ve made available on our website a trove of early design and development work audiences wouldn’t usually have opportunity to see. Motion tests, early 3D apartment builds, and character designs for protagonist Jordan sit alongside sketches for their cat (the real-life inspirations for whom are noted as ‘Reference Cats’ in the film’s credits).