The Blue Umbrella

Blue Umbrella features a score by composer Jon Brion, with vocals by singer/songwriter Sarah Jaffe ("The Body Wins," "Suburban Nature").

The director was listening to Jaffe's music when he began work on the short. "There's such an intimacy to her sound that touches you right at the core," Unseld said. "I always thought hers would be the perfect voice to make people care deeply about a love story between two umbrellas."

Brion, whose credits include Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Punch-Drunk Love, created a score that sublimely supports the wide-ranging emotional undertones of the short.

"You can see how Saschka sees things," said Jaffe. "Everything has this life of its own. Objects in our everyday life are characters too. It's really beautiful."