Working with the "young bunch"

Where the heck were YOU when I
needed you?

Being "a certain age" is apparently the kiss of death in the movie business, much less the cartoon biz. Well, I cannot turn back the clock--so I better turn out the goods, right?

As mentioned below, I am working through a site called Artella.com, put up by some ex-Pixar guys. From our facetime meetings, I see they are mostly 20s-30s Most have spent with a long time, relatively, in the trenches of animation, which is crazy complicated--but maybe not so much in screenwriting, plotting, character development, adaptation of property, and other skills.

Anyway, I needed a video pitch of my project on Artella--and this turned into a monster project for me. I screened a number of videographers and concept artists (they do "still" drawings of characters). The videographers were two brothers, originally from Peru. They shot me for 3 hours...and boy did I learn again that acting is hard and I am no actress.

I also spent several days tracking down the rights to a version of the old Troggs hit WILD THING for my music.

I had my old filmmaking partner make a cut of the videotape and that did not turn out (long story). So I paid the brothers to cut it--and had to urge them to be bold, put in wacky touches--since when did young people become so conservative?

Then we tangled over the volume of the music...They wanted to dial it way back to almost an indecipherable tinkle...I wanted it raucous--you know, like in a CARTOON!

You can see the results to the right--it's under two minutes...

Yes, others also said the music was too loud, but I am OK with it and it's my call.

Sooner or later, you have to "auteur" this stuff.

Funny thing (hope) happened on way to the trailer

OK--to catch up. I decided to make a short trailer for my cartoon series CHONIE & BOS--using a collaboration site put up by some ex-Pixar guys.

As I began to learn the VERY complicated ins and outs of animation production, I was told I needed concept art. After some very chaotic interactions with artists on Craigs, I finally settled on a guy who drew a few facial expressions for each of my four  cat characters...whew, that took a lot out of me.

But THEN, I learned from Bobby Beck, the honcho at the collaboration site (Artella.com), that I would do better attracting the various skills to my project if I had a "pitch video."

A pitch video would be me talking about my project.

I would probably get my old filmmaking partner Ross Stansfield to cut it together, but I would need the footage--and I am now 2500 miles away from Ross.

About this time, too, it dawned on me that maybe I could use the pitch video to market the project instead of the animated trailer...So I would want good production values, since it would be going to production companies.

I finally found two brothers on Craigs who are starting a video business here in the Phoenix area--Richard and David Carhuayo.

They came yesterday with all their lights and equipment and we did a 3-hr shoot. I am no actress and proved it at first anyway--although I am hoping I loosened up by the end.

It was crazy fun!! Reminded me so much of an earlier live action film Ross and I made and which won a Telly. Curious? You can see that on YouTube under Star Lawrence.

Anyhow, we have not gotten to the rough cut or final cut or any cut stage on the video--so stay tuned.