Hey all!!
I have been inspired by a few recent emails! I, honestly, didn't think anyone visited this site, but I am so happy to hear it has been helpful for a few. I will try my best to stay more present and try to put helpful content on the site. I wanted to jump backwards in time by like 4 months with this post...
Disney+ has finally released a collection of short films from Disney Animation called "Short Circuit!" Shot Circuit is an experimental film program within Walt Disney Animation Studios. Anyone in the company can pitch an idea. If selected, they are given 4 months (1 of pre-production and 3 of production) to create their film with limited resources within the building. I was lucky enough to be a part of the first quite experimental wave of films back in 2016. I was pitching "Puddles" as a theatrical short at the time that the program was created and it was selected as a good option for Short Circuit. We had a BLAST making it and some three years later... you can watch it!!! It was great getting to finally share it with my family after all those years! Check it out if you have Disney+
I learned so much from this short. Directing is hard. Story is hard. However, I absolutely love it. Animation is such an amazing collaborative art form. The director might be steering the ship, but it is really their job to set a clear goal and to support the artists on the team to reach that goal. Like any leadership role, it is an incredibly tricky balance of supporting artists new ideas that they bring to the film and making sure the film stays true to its intention. I am incredibly proud of the team that made Puddles. We moved very very fast and we tried a few new/weird things, but it really payed off. I am proud of the message of the film, and I hope it allows audience members to dip into a magical world, but also be reminded of the magic in the world that surrounds them all the time. To me, that is what Disney animation is all about.
I am happy to talk more about it in the future, if anyone reading this is interested. At this moment in time with Covid-19 and the momentum of Black Lives Matter building, there are certainly more important topics than self promotion. Please stay safe out there.
ZAP!