A five minute waterfall of automatic cadence about how we, as humans, argue and negotiate with ourselves every morning over the simple task of getting out of bed…and what massive consequences that seemingly small decision has over our lives.

Every morning, we engage in an internal tug-of-war—a battle between comfort and responsibility, hesitation and momentum. TOAST, an experimental animated short by Douglas Riggs, distills this universal experience into a mesmerizing five-minute cascade of thoughts, emotions, and subconscious negotiations. Starring Elisha and Renee Herbert and voiced by Ella Purnell (Fallout, Yellowjackets), the film captures the mental gymnastics we perform as we debate the simple yet monumental act of rising from bed, a decision that ripples through the course of our lives in unexpected ways.

Blurring the lines between fantasy and introspection, TOAST transforms an everyday struggle into a visually and sonically immersive journey. With its surreal animation style and hypnotic pacing, the film invites viewers to confront their own daily hesitations and the profound impact of seemingly insignificant choices. Riggs crafts an experience that is both deeply personal and universally relatable, proving that even the smallest moments in life hold immense power.

Toast has a dreamlike, automatic flow—almost like a stream of consciousness. How did you approach crafting this rhythm in both animation and narration?

The origin of the project is the written poem and is in fact stream of consciousness. It’s ironic that something so effortless in the beginning, compounded into pulling in all my usual commercial production suspects for something much larger and complex. But I think that’s why it’s special. One morning, I had that phenomenon of witnessing my own thoughts as a third party. The mind goes and you simply stand present to it. Like sitting by a flowing river. Maybe you see some fish in that river and you’re compelled to catch them. The rhythm was not a deliberate thought, it just happened to come out that way when I looked up from scribbling. The cadence was naturally flowing from my brain to my pen and it took all of 5 minutes or so. At the risk of sounding self-important, that’s why I went to the trouble of creating visuals for it. I believed it to be a form of pure expression, free of my frontal lobe getting in the way to critique or edit. I caught a fish in the river of my thoughts.

The shot list both for live-action and animation were crafted in a similar spirit albeit with a less powerful strike if lightning. Jason Carpenter and I played word association over the phone, giving a mishmash of words and items for him to jog the brain. If I caught myself zoning out in front of my open refrigerator door with an image in my head for a line, I’d write it down.

Much to the precision of a usual Carlos Mason production, once the images were creatively set, we storyboarded every shot and then painstaking timed the corresponding verbal delivery of each line. I believe that is how we shot the entire live action part in two days.

The film turns a seemingly simple morning routine into something profound. What inspired you to explore this inner negotiation we all go through?

I think I witnessed my mind express themes that have shaped me. I read a lot of Albert Camus and have always been a big fan of Andy Warhol and Salvador Dali. Life is inherently absurd and I’d venture to say that living in this reality is surreal. Finding the courage to get out of bed and take action, in what seems to be an increasingly absurd world, can be many things for many people. I believe that I can interchange existential dread and self-sabotage as the counter argument too. But in this piece, the reason is not some validating sense of achievement or movement, it’s the basic feeling of hunger, for toast. And we toast to that. Cheers.

Ella Purnell’s voice performance plays a huge role in setting the film’s tone. How did you work with her to capture the right emotional cadence?

We were very lucky to have had Ella’s interest for this project and I believe she knocked it out in under four hours in the booth. She easily grasped the overall concept of duality, the subtext and got right to it, line by line, giving us different takes and ideas while my editor, Eric Medina, and I deliberated. One of my favorite lines, that she brought incredible nuance to, is the line “for my sleep still lingers.” The “lingers” is coy and self-aware, giving a sense, playfully, all this effort it is vain. Working with top talent like Ella, they know what they’re doing.

The animation style is unique and evocative. Can you talk about your collaboration with Jason Carpenter and what visual influences shaped Toast?

Jason had come recommended by my good friend, Derek Doneen. And if Derek gives you a glowing review, that’s enough for me. After extensive communication on what the piece actually was, we played a word association game that was relevant to the written prose and Jason took it from there, taking the liberty to decide what fit best. We both understood it should bright and absurd. I love the most how he crafted the looks of Elisha & Renee in his animation.

Since the film is experimental, was there a script, or did the animation and narration evolve organically together?

The written prose is the pillar of the project. Everything evolved around the poem. Nothing was more important than keeping the integrity of words.

Toast taps into something deeply human—our daily internal battles. Do you see the film as a metaphor for something larger?

As I say in the poem “Life Won’t Wait”. Which is also a great album by the band Rancid. The larger picture is asking what quality of experiences does one want before it’s all over. Life is a succession of experiences before the black drape. Some might be content cozy in bed and relishing in comfort and predictability. Some may want to stretch themselves to see how far they can go. I desire the latter but sometimes it’s nice to lower expectations and enjoy.

There’s a mix of fantasy and reality in the way the morning struggle is portrayed. How did you balance the surreal with the relatable?

I did not try to balance anything. The images were simply derived from the same place the words came from. Though not as strongly.

The short runtime delivers a powerful impact. How did you decide on five minutes as the right length for this piece?

Simply, that is when the words ran their course.

Was there a particular moment in the film that was the most challenging to get right, either in terms of animation or narration?

Carlos Mason, who also shot it, has this incredible oner. The single take of Elisha moving through a crowd to be greeted with flowers. He was wearing the Armor-Man 2 with the camera on a Ronin-1. It was definitely a workout for him while I laid on the fresh cut grass with my monitor.

What are the books, podcasts or even YouTube Channel that you recommend young filmmakers to get their hands on?

Maybe you can tell that I’m a commercial producer, with all the gloss that TOAST has. Two books that really influenced me, not in any technical sense but in the lore of Hollywood. Read “The Kid Stays in the Picture” by Robert Evans. Then watch the documentary. Read “High Concept: Don Simpson and the Hollywood Cultures of Excess” by Charles Fleming.

Can you share with us some of your favorite short films you’ve seen lately?

Yes! I was at the Edmonton Internation Film Festival, in support of this short film I did with Brendan Beachman “A Wedding Day” (Watch it on FS), and this short by Will Suen had me laughing uncontrollably. That’s rare for me. Rare! I could not stop laughing. It hurt so good. I had never EVER seen anything like it. It’s called “Sweet Juices“. Oh my god, the first time viewing that short is seared into my mind. I had never met him before and I DM’d him immediately with praise.

Also R.J. Sanchez, who I did “Shut Up & Fish” with (watch that too on Nowness), has something new doing the festival circuit called “Freak”. Absolutely incredible.