PROVO, Utah – A silent with a light-hearted piano soundtrack starring two clay characters developed by a middle school freshman – one who makes financially savvy choices and one who spends without restraint – won the Utah Community CU BeMoneySmart film contest.
The savvy character saves his earnings and is able to purchase something worth the wait.
Ruth Everett, a freshman at Mapleton Junior High, won the $1,000 prize for her short, “Be Money Smart.” The credit union presented Mapleton Jr. High with a check for $1,000 as well, a dual prize for the winner of the competition and her school.
Each clay character was formed of sculpting clay, positioned, photographed, re-positioned, and photographed again, until the story line took shape, a technique called clay animation and stop motion. Even though her film was under three minutes long, a requirement of the competition, she spent close to 15 hours in production.
Although the credit union opened up the videos for the public to vote on their favorite, the final decision was made by credit union judges.
