All images © 2002–2011 Drew Needham, except where otherwise indicated.
The Kestrel
2009, Animated short by Greg Needham
Character Designs, drawings, title cards by Drew Needham
I was waiting to show this until we had a little more to show from its source material, but rather than let it sit for too long, I figured I’d share it with you now...
The Kestrel was a pulp hero created by Lester Holt in 1932. He was featured in a series of pulp novels by the same name that were released prior to World War II. The Kestrel stories were adapted to radio play format and had some moderate success alongside other pulp radio shows such as The Shadow.
This stop-animation short was conceived, animated, written, edited, shot, and directed by my brother, Greg Needham. He adapted the Kestrel story “Terror Over New York” for this piece, which is animated primarily by puppets.
In collaboration with Greg, I designed the look of the Kestrel characters as they were adapted for the short film. I created illustrations of the characters, vehicles, and locations which also feature in sequences of the animation. I designed the title card to look as if the short originally aired in the 1930’s. I also sculpted the Kestrel’s head. I think it all looks pretty nice for our first foray into animation. You can watch the short below.
You will be hearing more from The Kestrel, Lester Holt, and their origins–which are part of a much bigger story–very soon...
So, stay tuned...!
The Kestrel © 2009 Greg Needham
