Hi Paul,
Well, what it drives me to do a feature film it's that I have something to tell, an idea, that burns inside of me, and needs to get out.......I don't wanna do a movie for the fame and the glamor (it is a shame but most of the directors I know are driven by this shallow goals, plus a expectation of getting a lot of money).
I don't care to be famous I just want to tell something through what I love....animation.
I just want to do a movie that I'll love to see!
I've been working professionally in the animation business from quite a while now, 15 years already.......wow times pass by really fast! I've worked in a lot of feature films, all produced by quite big companies more or less.
I know what you mean about distribution, I experience it myself in all those feature films I worked on.......believe me that if I tell you all what we went through in those movies regarding producers and distribution.....well you wont sleep again due to the nightmares you can get from hearing those stories!!!
I'll just tell you one without names of companies
Once we had a big deal with a mayor distribution company.....yeaaaaaaaa!!! we all scream!!!!!! you know what the final plan of the distributors were?!!!
They buy the project so they hide it in the shadows so it wouldn't compete with other projects they were distributing at the same time........sad but true.....result, no posters on the streets, no publicity......people didn't knew that the movie was in the theaters.......a big disaster....it makes a big studio close their doors........
But regardless to all I know about this media.....I mean all the bad things.......I keep my spirit and my energy to do something that I want to do.
But I guess Paul, it was the same since the movies became a industry......there was no better around the years where mister Warner was alive, and all the big Hollywood moguls you know......people running with the cans of movie on the middle of the night , so the studio wouldn't cut the ending of it or similar stuff.
Walt Disney itself had to loose everything to make snow white, to show everybody that animation could make a fine movie.
I thought that the old times were better too, but believe me, there it was always the same, the war between producers and directors it's an ancient one.......because one seeks the profit, the other seeks to communicate, and what happens when what you have to communicate it wasn't communicated before? well, producers gets cold feet about it......they love to stick with the "thing that works".
Take a look to this book, it's really cool, and it will make you feel like you're not alone.......I mean, you'll see that this thing was happening even before we were born
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex-drugs-and Rock 'n' Roll Generation Changed Hollywood by Peter Biskind
I tasted many offers from producers, sore ones........propositions to make the script more "commercial", to add "funny" animals to the story.....to shoot everything in live action with some sidekick CG character.....well the usual you know....."the producers recipe for success".
A few years ago and still today they're asking if you can turn the story a little bit more "schreky" you know.
So when I get this kind of proposals I just remember what i want to do and HOW I want to do it......so I stick to my believes.
I prefer not to do this project than to do it wrong.
Regarding personal effort.....well I've been working in my free time since 2003 in this project, I'm working every bit of time I can spare to it!
but it is not enough.......even like you say, having a strict self discipline it's difficult......you know, I have to work to get food on the table and this breaks every concentration and discipline that I can have.....so some times I spend weeks in my project.....and I have to switch back to some payed animation job that will grant me to spend a few more weeks in the future......so......it's difficult.
producing independently? well that may be a solution, but not for me.
Why not a solution to produce without producer or without external money?
Because a high quality feature film involves a lot of artists, and they need to get payed........if I have to choose between doing my feature film based on favors of artists friends and not being able to pay them for their effort, well.....again I prefer not to do it.
Well about what my film it's all about, I don't want to reveal too much in forums (hope you understand
) but although I can say that it is not intended for a child audience, more like teens to adults.
the idea and the message that I wanted to tell, it's disguised in a form of a sci-fi adventure movie.......well it's not exactly that but close to it.
I know it is difficult, but there are producers out there that are willing to bet in something different.....and that's the producers I'm trying to find.
Because "different" it's the key........not copying, because the last box office success at one point was different, clouded latter by all the impersonation of that project made by "the recipe of success" we were talking about before.
I'm happy that you could make a movie in this modern-yet-all-same conditions, knowing all that we have to fight to get it done right, I applaud you!!!
Internet seems like a growing media to self distribute and stuff, but maybe I'm too old school......I don't know.......I like to see the movies in a big room with a big screen, surrounded by people who are there to believe what they are seeing, just like me.
I don't know if I answered right what you was asking......excuse me if I didn't it's just that when I talk about animation I can't help it to get carried away!
All the best!!!!
Cheers!
Pablo Navarro
