The Animation Options Blog

Here is excerpt #3 from my presentation on independent film business planning at Griffith University in Brisbane.

In this clip I touch upon test screenings and the greenlight process.

Excerpt #2 from my presentation on indie film business planning at Griffith University in Brisbane.

In this segment, I riff on development funding & business plans, development teams & advisory team and investor presentations.

BTW, the document that I refer to in this presentation is the Animation Options “Independent Animated Feature Film Development & Production Plan”, which is freely available on the AO “Resources” page.

The AO Channel on YouTube now features excerpt #1 from my informal presentation on independent film business planning, delivered at the Griffith University Film School in Brisbane this past May, at the behest of my friend and colleague Craig Caldwell.

As you can see, the kangaroo burger I had for lunch was not doing me any favors.

A swift kick in the @ss from the legendary Ralph Bakshi, at ComicCon 2008.

Just DO it!!!

(Thanks to Stephen Worth at ASIFA-Hollywood for the question and the video.)

Marjane Satrapi’s Oscar-nominated animated feature “Persepolis“ is an unlikely and remarkable film. Imagine trying to pitch the story of a young Iranian girl growing up during the 1979 Islamic Revolution to a roomful of Burbank animation executives: descriptions of torture, animated executions, a punk & heavy metal soundtrack, and no wacky sidekicks (save for God as a comic foil). Oh, and by the way… it’ll be 2D and in black & white. You can just hear the minds (and wallets) snapping shut.

Yet with her life and graphic novel as source material, Satrapi has (for 10% the cost of the average Hollywood gag fest) created an enlightening work of truly “adult” animation: an arresting, tragicomic view of a world gone mad as seen through the eyes of a young girl and woman-to-be. And while Muslim fundamentalists have predictably been up in arms about the film, the reception throughout Europe and the United States has been phenomenal. Although ultimately nominated in the Academy’s Animated Feature Category, “Persepolis” was selected as France’s official submission in the Foreign-Language Feature Category, and had racked up numerous other nominations & awards prior to its U.S. release last Christmas by Sony Pictures Classics.

At the heart of Marjane Satrapi’s achievement is the very sort of personal filmmaking that I advocated to an audience of filmmakers & government officials in Beijing last December. By conveying an extremely political story in the most accessibly personal way, Satrapi “unveils” universal truths about the best and worst of human nature. As the director herself observes: “What is interesting to me is that anywhere we show the movie, the reaction is the same. I’ve always said that my story is humanistic. It goes beyond Iran. Even people who don’t live in repressed societies relate to the story of one family. It’s about celebrating things that we all have in common.”

Truly inspirational filmmaking in a year of surfing penguins and rodent fry cooks.