Fiddler Crab Shelton Becomes an Unwitting Accomplice in Psyop Studios Short ‘Bottle Cap’

Creative Content Studio, Psyop, has announced the world premiere of its most-recent short film, ‘BOTTLE CAP’ from Directors Marie Hyon and Marco Spier, at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. The animated short film follows a fiddler crab named Shelton, who becomes an unwitting accomplice in the business of extinction as his dreams of being ‘average’ are co-opted by new dreams of power and destiny. 

"Psyop takes great pride in supporting creators, and bringing their unique voices to life. We are thrilled to see the curtain raised on Marie and Marco’s vision for ‘BOTTLE CAP’ at Clermont-Ferrand International Film Festival — their unique creative voices, and this vitally important story belong with a global audience,” said Neysa Horsburgh, Psyop chief strategy officer. 

Marie and Marco, who first were inspired to create Shelton’s journey when they travelled thousands of miles to a remote island off the coast of Brazil, only to be met by a bottle cap being washed up onto the beach. The two were moved to action, doing what they do best – tell stories in the hopes that the narrative might create and inspire change. 

"It has been a passion of ours to tell the tale of our little fiddler crab, Shelton, for a very long time," said Marie and Marco. “To do so at Clermont-Ferrand, at the world’s preeminent short film festival, is indeed a thrill and we especially look forward to the response of their renowned audience. We believe stories have the power to change behaviour — we are excited and hopeful that in sharing our film, we can shine a light on real world problems and inspire all of us to become leaders for a better world."  

Produced out of the award-winning animation studio, Psyop (co-founded by the two directors along with Todd Mueller, Kylie Matulick, and Eben Mears), ‘BOTTLE CAP’ was the recipient of the Epic MegaGrant. The ‘dream team’ of animators, artists and technicians soon brought Shelton to life in 3-D, and created Shelton’s seaside world.

“BOTTLE CAP was truly a labour of love for everyone involved. We were able to assemble the perfect team for the project----all long-time collaborators of the two directors. It really was a family affair at the end of the day, and everyone poured heart and soul into every frame of the film,” added Andrew Linsk, producer / executive producer. 

“BOTTLE CAP” is the first title of the 2022 short film slate for Psyop, who will soon announce further selections at Festivals throughout Europe and the US.