- So, wanted to talk to you about telling the story
what it's like to tell a story through animation
as opposed to writing something
that real actors will do
um
why you chose animation
and also what kinds of direction
you know
what kind of visual cues did you give
to the artists that you collaborated with
to come up with, and how many passes did you have
before you came up with this look and this feel?
- Okay
Um..
Yeah, I mean, you know
the main reason why we wanted to do animation was
you know, and I joke with people about this all the time
I say, you know if, "Hair Love," the exact same story
shot the exact same way with live action
I don't think it would've had anywhere near the impact
that the animated version of it had
And I think that's because a lot of times
when you think about it, animation tends
to be one of the most universal forms of filmmaking
You know?
Like when you talk to people and you say
"What is your favorite movie from back in the day,"
You know, nine times out of 10 you're gonna get
a "Lion King" in there, a "Beauty and the Beast," a "Dumbo."
You know
you're gonna get one of the classic Disney movies
or Pixar films, kind of in that lexicon
And Karen said something when we won, in her speech
she said, you know
"Animation is the first form of filmmaking"
"that kids are exposed to."
And I think with that being said
you know
there's just something about the medium
that makes it universal
Like the reason why "Moana," and "Coco,"
and "Into the Spiderverse" did as well as they did
again, you know
black films come out all the time
and a lot of times they don't do
hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office
but animation, it's more of a family thing
and I think it just kind of makes people relax a little bit
when they're watching a story that doesn't focus
on them, 'cause they're used to seeing animals
and allegories that are told through
all different types of kinda inanimate objects, right?
And so for us, you know the look of "Hair Love,"
you know
obviously there's been a big debate
about like the current style of animation
and people really wanting that old 2D style back
For us, because also we didn't have a lot of money
we had to be very creative
and we thought that you know 2D would be
a more cost-effective way to get the story done
Because hair was such a big part of the story
2D was just better for us
in terms of being able to manipulate it
and make it look the way we needed it to look
and move the way we needed it to move
You know
a lot of these big 3D you know animated features
I mean like "Moana," for example
you're talking like whole teams that are just on the hair
Millions of dollars are put just
into making the hair look right
and we just didn't have those resources
and um..
You know, I think for us in terms of the direction
you just pull from like a lot of real-world examples, you know
a lot of times, like our other directors
like Bruce Everett--
I mean, Bruce Smith and Everett Downing
you know, would physically record themselves
acting out different parts of the scenes
and then we would send those to the animators for reference
so that they would know, okay
this is how when somebody says this line
his hand goes up and then it comes down
and then, you know the eyebrows move a certain way
So it's like very technical in terms
of making sure that the emotions
come across in a certain way
And as you guys know black life is even more specific
- And so, when you're dealing - Yeah, yeah
with animators who may not even be
of that particular race
you know, it's very important to really have a team of people
that just stay on top of it so it looks authentic
- Just switching gears for my final question
a couple of years ago, it seems like
a moment was starting, with "Moonlight,"
"Get Out," "Sorry to Bother You,"
these brilliant black films that are coming out
critical acclaim, and people actually loved them
and spent money to go see these movies and talk about 'em
I feel like "Hair Love" winning an Oscar
is part of that moment, and I wonder from your perspective
what has to happen for us to sustain that moment?
- You know, I think, um..
It's like..
It's funny because
you know, I'm sure this question has come up so many times
throughout the history of black film
You know, like you have the Blaxploitation era
you had, you know the early 90s
when, you know, Spike Lee
and Ernest Dickerson and Reggie Hudlin
and Mati Diop and everybody came through
You know, I think..
I don't know, I think at the end of the day
like there's never been a time where we've had more outlets
to get our work out there
You know, I just think we have to all support
our young, black voices you know what I mean?
Every time somebody sends me a link to their reel
or they send me a link to their Kickstarter campaign
I always try to support it and back it
just because you just never know
And I know, you know back when I was more on the come up
You know, I would've loved to have that same support too
and so I just think all we can really do
is just support our filmmakers
You know, I think when people do get that foot in the door
we have to pull people in behind us
That's why I think why things like what Ava DuVernay does
where she literally reaches back
to people who have done their first indie film
or have done a music video, whatever
and gives them opportunities to work in television
you know, TV directing is extremely hard to break into
and I can probably count 30 different people
who got their first TV directing opportunity from Ava
who've gone on to do many more episodes
of television directing
So, you know, I think it's gonna take people like that
that are very specific in their intention
of bringing people up behind them
to really keep this thing going
- Fantastic
Well, I have no other questions, how about you Mike?
- I mean, I think that's a lot to chew on
and process, and it feels great
to talk about this, especially with you
because of the energy that you've been able to bring
And I can attest to the fact
like watching you on social media
that like what you just answered
in terms of bringing people forward
paying it forward, making sure we're raising the platform
and shining a light on all the black creators--
Like, you live that every day
And so it's great to hear you say that
that's the important thing to do
because you demonstrate it all the time
and inspire us to do it as well
- Nah, man
I really appreciate you brothers for having me on
You know, Chicago represent
- Yes sir!
(laughs)
- You know
(laughs)
- Of course - I really love
what you guys are doing, seriously
- Thank you, man - I appreciate that
Thank you very much, Matthew Cherry
He is @MatthewACherry on Twitter
Of course his Oscar-winning film "Hair Love" is out there
Go see it if you have not
It is a beautiful piece of cinema