GO TO CLICKONDETROIT.COM.
WE HAVE INVITED OUR MOVIE
CRITIC GREG RUSSELL WHO IS
HERE NOW TO JOIN US BECAUSE
WE HAVE TWO SPECIAL GUESTS
HERE TODAY FROM HOLLYWOOD
WHO'S MOVIE WAS JUST
NOMINATED THIS VERY MORNING
FOR AN ACADEMY AWARD.
CHARLIE KAUFMAN ACADEMY
AWARD-WINNING SCREENWRITER
WROTE CRITICALLY ACCLAIM
FILMS SUCH AS BEING JOHN
MALKOVICH.
AND DIRECTOR AND WRITER
AND PRODUCER THEY ARE
CO-DIRECTORS OF THE FILM
WHICH WAS JUST NOMINATED
THIS MORNING FOR ANIMATION.
CONGRATULATIONS.
GUYS.
HOW DID WE GET NUT
BUILDING THE MORNING.
WE SAID WE HAVE TO BE IN
DETROIT.
SERIOUSLY, YOU'RE MAKING
YOUR WAY ACROSS THE COUNTRY
HERE YOU ARE.
WHAT A BLESSING WE GOT YOU
THIS MORNING.
SUPEREXCITING.
WHEN YOU SEE THAT YOU'RE
GETTING CLOSER WHAT'S THIS
FEELING THAT COMES TO YOU OR
DO YOU EVEN HAVE ANY FEELING
LIKE YOU'RE IN THE HUNT FOR
THIS NOMINATION?
ANY FEELING -- DID YOU
HAVE A GUT FEELING LIKE MAN
I COULD BE IN IT?
WE THOUGHT WE COULD BE IN
IT WE'RE VERY HAPPY THAT WE
ARE.
NO COMPLAINTS.
SO THE FILM IS NOT ONLY
FOR ITS SOUL SEARCHINGS A
EXCEPT OF ITDY GET A CHANCE
TO SEE IT BUT ALSO FOR ITS
PRESENTATION.
I WAS TRYING TO NOT BE SO
INTO THE TECHNOLOGY OR HOW
YOU GUYS PULLED IT OFF, BE
DISTRACTED FROM THE STORY
BUT HOW DID YOU PULL IT OFF?
VERY SLOWLY.
[LAUGHTER]
YEAH.
IT'S ONE STATIC FRAME AT
A TIME.
THEY POSE THE PUPPETS AND
THEY TAKE A PICTURE THEN
THEY POSE THEM AGAIN THEY
TAKE A PICTURE IT'S VERY
SLOW AND OVER THE SEQUENCE
OF MANY FRAMPS IT CREATES
THE ILLUSION.
TWO YEARS OF PRODUCTION.
TWO YEARS.
LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THE
TRAIL SORRY EVERYBODY
UNDERSTANDS WHAT WE'RE
TALKING ABOUT HOW DIFFERENT
THIS IS.
WHAT IS IT TO BE HUMAN?
WHAT IS IT TO ACHE?
WHAT IS IT TO BE ALIVE?
SO THE FILM STARS THE
VOICE OF JENNIFER JASON
LEIGH, AND TOM NOONAN.
SO WHEN WE'RE WATCHING THIS
OVER TIME WE ALL SORT OF
UNDERSTAND THIS IDEA OF
MARIONETTES IN FILMS GOING
BACK TO RUDOLPH.
THINGS THAT WE'VE SEEN
GROWING UP AS KIDS.
THESE ARE ACTUAL PUPPETS
THOUGH, RIGHT?
YES, PUP THAT'S THE ARE
POSEABLE.
Tati: VERY COOL.
THE MAIN CHARACTER IS
DESCRIBED AS PURPLE BY THE
MUNDANE I'M PROBABLY NOT
SAYING THAT RIGHT CHARLIE
CAN YOU ELABORATE AND TELL
US WHERE YOU GET THE
INSPIRATION FOR THE MOVIE
BECAUSE I GOT IT.
I WROTE IT ORIGINALLY AS
A RADIO PLAY AND I WAS
READING ABOUT SOMETHING
CALLED THE FORGOLLY DELUSION
THE BELIEF EVERYBODY THAT
ELSE IN THE WORLD IS THE
SAME PERSON.
I THOUGHT METAPHORICALLY
THAT WAS AN INTERESTING WAY
TO EXPLORE THIS GUY'S
DISCONNECTION FROM OTHER
PEOPLE.
SO THAT'S WHERE THE IDEA
CAME FROM.
INTERESTING.
YOU DID THAT --
WELL, NOT TO GIVE IT AWAY.
SO GREG, HAVE YOU SEEN
IT?
YES, I HAVE.
YESRY HAVE.
I WAS GOING TO SAY THAT THE
MAIN CHARACTER MOVES BETTER
THAN I DO.
THERE ARE A LOT OF FELLAS
WHO DON'T KNOW WHAT
STOP-MOTION ANIMATION IS AND
WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO GO
THROUGH TO MAKE IT WORK.
WELL, IT LITERALLY UNLIKE
OTHER TYPES OF ANIMATION
THAT MIGHT BE DRAWN OR DONE
ON COMPUTERS, EVERYTHING
THAT YOU SEE EXISTS IN REAL
THREE DIMENSIONAL SPACE.
SO ALL THE SETS ARE BUILT
THEY'RE FABRICATED ALL THE
PROPS AND ALL THE DETAILS.
THE PUPPETS ARE 12 INCHES
TALL AND EVERYTHING IS
PROPORTION IT TO THEM.
THEY'RE LIT JUST LIKE LIVE
ACTION FILM.
THEN THEY'RE POSED.
ONE FRAME AT A TIME.
SO THEN WHAT ABOUT THE
MOUTH LITERALLY THE MOUTH IS
JUST A POSEABLE THAT HAS TO
MOVE TO TRY TO MATCH.
YOU KNOW THE SEAMS THAT
GO ACROSS.
THESE FOREHEADPIECES AND
LOWER PIECES ARE REPLACEABLE
THEY'RE EXCHANGING THE FACES
FOR EVERY FRAME.
THERE'S HUNDREDS.
THERE YOU GO THERE'S
HUNDREDS.
LOOK AT THAT.
HUNDREDS OF DIFFERENT FACES.
WHEN YOU GOT INTO THIS
THE COMMITMENT IS OBVIOUSLY
TO YOUR HEART AND YOU KNOW
WHAT YOU'RE HEADED FOR.
HAVE YOU ALREADY WRITTEN IT.
YOU HAVE THIS VISION WHERE
YOU'RE GOING TO GO.
DID YOU KNOW IT WAS GOING TO
TAKE YOU THIS LONG TO DO IT
POSE THESE LITTLE GUYS OR
DID IT JUST TURN OUT TO BE
PART OF THE DEAL?
WE DIDN'T KNOW.
IT TOOK LONGER THAN THEY
EXPECTED.
WE MIGHT NOT HAVE SIGNED ON
FOR IT.
WE THOUGHT IT WAS SIX MONTHS,
TWO YEARS.
TWO YEARS PRODUCTION,
THREE YEARS ALTOGETHER IT
WAS A LONG TREK.
Tati: LET'S TALK ABOUT
THE CREATIVE WAY THAT YOU
RAISED FUNDS FOR THIS FILM.
KICK STARTER WHY AND HOW DID
IT COME?
KICK STARTER WAS BECAUSE
WE DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO GET
MONEY IF SOMEBODY SUGGESTED
THAT WE TRIED WE RAISED
ABOUT $400,000 AND THAT GOT
US STARTED AND THEN WE
NEEDED TO RAISE MORE MONEY
AND A GUY NAME KEITH CAME IN
AND GIVE US THE OF THE
MONEY.
WE DID THIS ENTIRELY OUT OF
THE SYSTEM.
THERE'S NOBODY OVERSEEING US
WE COILED MAKE THE MOVIE WE
WANTED TO MAKE.
SO WHEN THOSE PEOPLE COME TO
KICK STARTER ANYBODY EVER
HEARS OF THIS AGAIN OR YOU
DO MOVIE NUMBER TWO THIS WAY
THERE'S A RETURN ON THEIR
INVESTMENT AS WELL?
NO, THEY'RE NOT INVESTORS
Chuck: THEY'RE JUST
HELPING YOU KICK START IT.
THEY GIVE MONEY BECAUSE
THEY WANT TO SEE THIS
PROJECT THEY WANT TO SUPPORT
INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING.
THEN THEY GET REWARDS.
THEY GET T-SHIRTS AND SHOES
AND SIGNED SCRIPTS FROM
CHARLIE.
SOME PEOPLE GET PUPPETS.
DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH YOU
GIVE.
Tati: I HAVE A TOUGH
QUESTION FOR YOU IS IT
HARDER TO WORK WITH PUPPETS
OR WITH REAL PEOPLE?
WE THINK BOTH.
WE WORKED WITH ACTORS WHO
DID THE VOICES THEN WE
WORKED WITH THE PUPPETS AND
THE PUPPETS DON'T MOVE
THEMSELVES AND THOSE ARE
ACTORS THEY HAVE TO BE, THEY
HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE
PUPPETS NEED TO DO SO YOU'RE
WORKING WITH THEM AS WELL.
SO YOU DON'T GET THAT OUT OF
ACTORS WHICH, BY THE WAY, I
LIKE ACTORS.
LITTLE PUPPETS DON'T
ALWAYS DO WHAT YOU ASK THEM
TO DO.
Chuck: THE NOMINATION IF
YOU WIN THE AWARD CHANGES
THE GAME MAYBE BUT IS THERE
A PLAN FOR ANOTHER ONE LIKE
THIS?
WE WOULD LOVE TO DO
ANOTHER ONE WE REALLY
ENJOYING THIS DID.
AND WE HAVE OTHER IDEAS FOR
OTHER STOP-MOTION MOVIES.
Chuck: WHEN YOU ARE GOING
INTO TERRITORY YOU DON'T
QUITE UNDERSTAND THEN START
TO GET THESE RAVE REVIEWS.
CONGRATS.
Tati: IT OPENS AT THE
MAIN ART THREATER IN ROYAL
OAK THIS FRIDAY.
GREG WILL BE BACK IN A BIT