What I Make

Why I Make It

Hi all and welcome to TriClops Films! TriClops is an Atlanta-based, black-owned stop motion and mixed media animation studio that I hope makes its mark on this magical medium. My work embraces an unpretentious approach that never abandons the human hand within the creative process.

I do my best to imbue every project - whether it be my own original films or a client project - with loving energy and wildly organic decision-making that gives the final product a rich honesty that I feel is painfully lacking in the animation and film industry nowadays. I champion the creativity and resourcefulness that stems from limitations, which I find leads to distinct and inspired choices. Through it all, I hope to create work that evokes a nostalgic sense of mystery, awe, and fear within the viewer, while further exploring what those emotions mean to me.

I hope you can join me in this journey. To learn more about my specific process or find out how to work with me, click here!

 

Mikael Trench (Founder/Me)

While I have been drawing and coming up with stories for as long as I can remember, I truly got bit by the bug in middle school when I started making backyard movies with my friends on weekends using live-action and stop motion. Overtime, animation became an obsession and in 2015 I decided to take it on as a serious profession with the creation of what I consider my first “real” film Of Cat and Creature.

Since then my short films have gone on to screen at multiple worldwide film festivals and win numerous awards. Before starting TriClops in 2022, I worked in Los Angeles for a few years at various studios on commercial stop motion projects and series for brands such as Jurassic Park, Hot Wheels, Bakugan, and American Girl. In 2023, I moved back to Atlanta with the goal of officially establishing my brand.

My work and philosophies are heavily inspired by Ray Harryhausen, Ishiro Honda, Hayao Miyazaki, Jim Henson, Adam Elliott, and Nick Park to name a few. I currently resides with my girlfriend and our two cats, Lady and Jiji. When not working, you can find me writing, binging kaiju movies, cooking, hiking, and dreaming of owning a bearded dragon.

 
 

BECOME A PATRON!

By joining my Patreon for as little as $1, you will not only be supporting my studio’s growth and productions, but also receive early access to special projects and exclusive behind the scenes!

Check it out here!

THANK YOU TO OUR PATRONS:

Brian Daviller, Austin Kimmell, Spencer Vidich