NY Times article on Paul Fierlinger

[D.T. Nethery]

Here is an article about Paul and Sandra Fierlinger and their film "My Dog Tulip" , by Karl Cohen . Written for the ASIFA-San Francisco newsletter. Posted with permission by Michael Sporn on his blog:

http://www.michaelspornanimation.com/splog/?p=2370

TVPaint is mentioned, but no link given. I suggest someone from TVP (I'm looking at you Madam Pinky!) may want to participate in the comments and drop a link to the TVP website.

[artfx]

Looks liek TVpaint is more than mentioned. They talk a bit about its history and developent. Great article. I hope the traction does build to a wider and wider relase for the film. Just looking at the images makes me want to create something.

[Paul Fierlinger]

I was just reading this story about the difficulties for anybody getting an indie film distributed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/10/movie ... xGB5AfN3gA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[artfx]

I wonder if that's because he made a real film. Maybe if he had some superheroes and a lot of explosions it would be an easy sale.

[Paul Fierlinger]

I was shocked to hear that The River Runs Through It was so difficult to sell... these distributors seem to know absolutely nothing about the public's taste.

I am now working full steam ahead towards the Internet as our future venue; the hell with theatrical release (even thogh we're beeing told that Tulip's ticket sales are rising). And I tell you, it's a lot of fun coming up with new ways to tell a story through combining animation with illustrations (non animated stills) and text (both on top of the imagery or as separate cards). The level of liberalization I feel during this process is so exhilarating; I can forge ahead with no thoughts of how our work will play in front of audiences (because my work feels more like writing a book than ever before) I write the dialogue directly on screen with no thoughts of actors (but I do have concerns about getting right the duration of reading scenes) and I have no one but the two of us to evaluate to what degree we are on the right track (we know we are and I know that there is no need to defend ourselves to anyone).

[artfx]

I'm very interested to hear how this develops. I have always liked the idea of being able to work in animation but more like a novelist in creating whatever story I wanted to. I never much cared for the rigid formats of TV or features. As you mention, a combination of text, illustration and animation with internet distribution could open this door. I think even presenting animation with a single narrator and music could work. Or perhaps something like a Patrick Stewart one person show. The sky really is the limit.

[Elodie]

TVPaint is mentioned, but no link given. I suggest someone from TVP (I'm looking at you Madam Pinky!) may want to participate in the comments and drop a link to the TVP website.

Ok, done ^^

Thanks for the link btw =3

[Paul Fierlinger]

I'm very interested to hear how this develops. I have always liked the idea of being able to work in animation but more like a novelist in creating whatever story I wanted to. I never much cared for the rigid formats of TV or features. As you mention, a combination of text, illustration and animation with internet distribution could open this door. I think even presenting animation with a single narrator and music could work. Or perhaps something like a Patrick Stewart one person show. The sky really is the limit.

This is exactly what we are working on now because Tulip won't make it in theaters in spite of excellent revues. It's tough to get an audience flow going for independent movies, and it’s tough not so much for the slow economy (which traditionally should enhance ticket sales) but because of the overload of entertainment venues; hundreds of cable stations (most people pick their dozen and stay with those) and the low variety of quality movies (only Hollywood blockbusters which are getting thinner). Add to that the lowered world view of populations that produce fewer and fewer people with refined tastes and you have a picture of what we have now. Once all entertainment will become consolidated to the computer and home entertainment center (within 3 to 5 years) things will start looking up again

In my view this should happen because films will be available over the net to billions of people all at once, so a film like Tulip (which has a large but very spread out target market) will hit it’s target within a couple of days. This should happen because Google will find all the dog people within seconds and flood the paths of dog people with information even if they aren’t looking for a movie but a restaurant or a Laundromat. Google knows who has a dog. It’ll cost the producers some money but nothing in comparison to running movie ads on dozens of TV outlets. Social networks will be doing a huge favor as well. It’s amazing how the word about Tulip is spreading over face book but the movie doesn’t exist in other places than NY right now, plus most people won’t just get up and go to a movie anyway. But if they can download it in the spur of the enthusiastic moment for a buck, many will do that.

This is why I’m sticking to Slocum as an e-book story and not a movie anymore, even though we get such great reviews. Making features has become a waste of time; the thing to do now is to learn how to write and draw and animate for the e-book.

[Peter Wassink]

TVPaint is mentioned, but no link given. I suggest someone from TVP (I'm looking at you Madam Pinky!) may want to participate in the comments and drop a link to the TVP website.

Ok, done ^^

Thanks for the link btw =3

it seems the link was edited out?

[Elodie]

When you click on my name, you are linked to the TVPaint website =)

[Peter Wassink]

When you click on my name, you are linked to the TVPaint website =)

oh... you are so subtle, madam pinky

[D.T. Nethery]

When you click on my name, you are linked to the TVPaint website =)

oh... you are so subtle, madam pinky

Ok, and I just posted there too (on Michael Sporn's blog ) ... and I'm not subtle.


-DN

http://paperless-animation-blogspot.com

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[Fabrice]

Paul, just suggestion : you should have your own wikipedia page.

[slowtiger]

Already there: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Fierlinger

[Paul Fierlinger]

Yeah, that appeared on Wiki quite awhile ago and I have no idea who put it there. Isn't there a rule that prevents people from starting a Wiki item about themselves? It's easy to imagine where that could lead to!