Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In April of 2024 I made a small piece of animation that was the seed of the idea: frames of animation built up on a rotating platform. I was interested in the dynamic between the growing sculptural form of accumulating frames and the more two dimensional experience of the interior animation. The sculpture becomes the carcass of the film's expired animated life, and by reconciling the needs of the sculpture with the needs of the animation, both end up taking on unexpected organic qualities, suggesting further growth.
When the song was sent to me, I had instantly began started envisioning a Babel-like construction on the rotating platform, reinterpreting Bruegel's paintings of the famous tower. "Tender" - with its themes of accumulation, consumption and decay, seemed like the perfect opportunity. The artist told me that the single's leading image was in fact the Tower of Babel, and it felt like I had to do it.
The final video is the product of 130 days of work.
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Tender by James Siewert
https://jamessiewert.biz/
"Larry’s one requirement was that a natural disaster of some kind happen to conclude the video. Fire was of course, the most exciting to all of us. I think most successful music videos are essentially 3 or 4 act compositions and that in the best ones the final rug pull slightly zags, taking a savvy viewer a bit by surprise. The fire I think keeps things fresh just at the moment that novelty of that the ‘growing tower’ concept for the video has worn off. Figuring out how to incorporate the live action fire into the otherwise stop-motion video was another moment in which the reconciliation of different artistic impulses creates a more interesting experience."
🎙️ Dive deeper into the making of Tender with our exclusive interview with writer/director James Siewert
directorsnotes.com/2026/04/07/james-siewert-tender
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// Credits //
From the album "Curtains"
Director - James Park Siewert
Cinematographer - James Siewert
Producers - James Siewert, Walker White, Larry Fessenden
Animators - James Siewert, Walker White, Ewan Creed, Ruth Lichtman, Lily Rand, Auden Lincoln Vogel
Motor Programming - Oz Hewett
Art Department - James Siewert, Walker White, Ewan Creed, Lily Rand, Jacqueline Brockel, Emma Bautista, Amelia Thompson, Trey Scantlen, Minna Brackett, Madaline Hartl, Isaac
Woon, Owen Campbell, Auden Lincoln Vogel, Larry Fessenden, Beck Underwood, Brent Green
Special Thanks - Natalie Hoffman, Jason Sondock, Rebecca Park, Laurence Tobey
ABOUT DIRECTORS NOTES
Since 2006 Directors Notes has curated the world's best independent films alongside exclusive daily deep dive interviews which provide behind the scenes insights into the inspirations and production stories of the most talented filmmakers on the planet.
#JustDesserts #towerofbabel #stopmotion #animation #consumption #musicvideo
In April of 2024 I made a small piece of animation that was the seed of the idea: frames of animation built up on a rotating platform. I was interested in the dynamic between the growing sculptural form of accumulating frames and the more two dimensional experience of the interior animation. The sculpture becomes the carcass of the film's expired animated life, and by reconciling the needs of the sculpture with the needs of the animation, both end up taking on unexpected organic qualities, suggesting further growth.
When the song was sent to me, I had instantly began started envisioning a Babel-like construction on the rotating platform, reinterpreting Bruegel's paintings of the famous tower. "Tender" - with its themes of accumulation, consumption and decay, seemed like the perfect opportunity. The artist told me that the single's leading image was in fact the Tower of Babel, and it felt like I had to do it.
The final video is the product of 130 days of work.
🔔 Love indie films? SUBSCRIBE to Directors Notes for more trailblazing shorts: youtube.com/c/directorsnotes
🎥 Want to see your film here? Submit your work to Directors Notes: directorsnotes.com/submit
Tender by James Siewert
https://jamessiewert.biz/
"Larry’s one requirement was that a natural disaster of some kind happen to conclude the video. Fire was of course, the most exciting to all of us. I think most successful music videos are essentially 3 or 4 act compositions and that in the best ones the final rug pull slightly zags, taking a savvy viewer a bit by surprise. The fire I think keeps things fresh just at the moment that novelty of that the ‘growing tower’ concept for the video has worn off. Figuring out how to incorporate the live action fire into the otherwise stop-motion video was another moment in which the reconciliation of different artistic impulses creates a more interesting experience."
🎙️ Dive deeper into the making of Tender with our exclusive interview with writer/director James Siewert
directorsnotes.com/2026/04/07/james-siewert-tender
👉 Follow Us for More Short Film Greatness:
Newsletter: directorsnotes.beehiiv.com/subscribe
Instagram: instagram.com/directorsnotes
Podcast: pod.link/192507317
// Credits //
From the album "Curtains"
Director - James Park Siewert
Cinematographer - James Siewert
Producers - James Siewert, Walker White, Larry Fessenden
Animators - James Siewert, Walker White, Ewan Creed, Ruth Lichtman, Lily Rand, Auden Lincoln Vogel
Motor Programming - Oz Hewett
Art Department - James Siewert, Walker White, Ewan Creed, Lily Rand, Jacqueline Brockel, Emma Bautista, Amelia Thompson, Trey Scantlen, Minna Brackett, Madaline Hartl, Isaac
Woon, Owen Campbell, Auden Lincoln Vogel, Larry Fessenden, Beck Underwood, Brent Green
Special Thanks - Natalie Hoffman, Jason Sondock, Rebecca Park, Laurence Tobey
ABOUT DIRECTORS NOTES
Since 2006 Directors Notes has curated the world's best independent films alongside exclusive daily deep dive interviews which provide behind the scenes insights into the inspirations and production stories of the most talented filmmakers on the planet.
#JustDesserts #towerofbabel #stopmotion #animation #consumption #musicvideo
