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3. What is a Pica and how would you describe the evolution of the
Pica characters from
JoJo in the Stars to the Pica Towers series?
Picas originated as part of a pitch for channel 4 here in the
uk. The channel wanted something a little edgy to run late on Friday
nights, so I proposed these tiny tv sets that would 'appear' whenever
there was a break in transmission. They would be aggressive, paranoid
little characters, constantly committing acts of gratuitous violence.
The idea wasn't pursued (go figure), so we took the characters and
created the world you see in the Pica towers films. Given that there
was no longer any reason for them to be tv sets, I modified them
for JoJo, replacing their aerials with rabbit ears.
4. There seems to be a fine line between darkness and beauty
in the films' imagery, which I find truly compelling. Why do
you thingk people are drwan towards this contrast?
I've no idea. I've been surprised to find so many people like
the same thing I like! I suppose contrast is the key - too much
of one or the other and it wouldn't have the same effect. Hopefully
there's a nice balance in JoJo. The lack of any pretence towards
realism also helps. The lighting in the film is very theatrical,
(in many scenes JoJo as the object of desire is the only light source),
and people respond to that on an emotional level.
5. Will JoJo
in the Stars be available to view online?
We've no plans to put the entire film online. It will however
shortly be available to buy on dvd.
6. Congratulations on the
BAFTA award; What do Film Festivals mean to you as an artist?
Thank you. Winning the BAFTA has certainly generated a lot of
interest in the film. Any cynicism I held towards these type of
awards has gone out the window now that I've seen what winning one
can do. So far JoJo's played in a handful of festivals, but the
feedback from those has been very positive. Without access to these
I'm not sure just how we'd get people to see the film.
7. What guided you towards CG?
Coming from a 2d background, I was first drawn to it just for the
assistance it could give me in creating things that otherwise would
be impossible to realise in 2d. Then as the technology advanced
and the animation packages became more sophisticated it became my
preferred medium. It offers such an amazing array of tools. Let
me state at this point that I have only ever animated one scene
in cg. I really don't understand any of the technical aspects. It
suits me to keep a distance as I find cg a very seductive medium,
and one that is quite hard to use creatively. I think if I was in
there getting my hands dirty I might find it harder to be discerning
in my decision making. (Of course that could simply be another way
of admitting I'm too lazy to learn any new tricks, which would probably
be closer to the truth).
8. Which 3D application do you primarily use and which renderer
do you prefer?
So here's the proof of my ignorance. I know we used XSI. But
I've had to check with one of the team to find out the renderer…which
apparently is MentalRay (????)
9. I am curious, was the title "JoJo" derived in any
way from studioaka's
designer Jo Billingham?
Thanks to this question the whole studio is now under the impression
I'm harbouring lustful thoughts towards Jo, who whilst being a very
attractive woman, was not the inspiration for the title. Can't remember
quite when that name occurred to me, but I do remember I was panicking
because the film was drawing to a close and I still didn't have
a title, and once JoJo popped into my head I clung onto it.
10. And as a final question, what was the last great book you
have read?
I really enjoyed Middlesex
by Jeffrey Eugenides |
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