Please tell us about the projects you worked on before making ‘24 Karrot Co. (W.I.P.)’. How did you start, and how did you learn to make films?
Most of my projects, including “24 Karrot Co.”, were student projects I created while studying animation at the Kansas City Art Institute. I learned how to hone my frame-by-frame animation skills at college with help from my talented colleagues and amazing teachers. Many of my films were my experiments at portraying the characters I had floating around in my head. I’m enamored with character design and creating characters with fully developed backstories and personalities.
Tell us about ‘24 Karrot Co. (W.I.P.)’. How do you describe it?
“24 Karrot Co.” was my attempt to take these two bunny characters I created and apply them in a narrative story where they interact with each other. It's a story about Punsy, a rejected police detective running a tiny bar as its owner and bartender, and his suspicions about his wealthy and snarky patron, Nathaniel Kent, being involved in a crime regarding a missing museum artifact. Punsy has to find clues to prove that Nate committed the crime and a surprising slip up from him might have given Punsy all the proof he needs.
Please tell us about your favorite filmmakers.
Satoshi Kon and Hayao Miyazaki were influential to me to an extent for their characters and stories. I would also include John Musker and Ron Clements for the movie “Treasure Planet”; it deserves more credit for its beautiful animation.
If you were given a good budget, what would be your ideal project?
I’d love to create a series for a group of characters I’ve made that represent various literary devices and how their representing device plays into the tale. The seinen-type story would start as a slice of life series and evolve into something much deeper, darker, and tragic. I would like for it to be a series that people can connect with and talk about with topics that are less discussed.
Describe how you would ensure that production is on schedule. What steps would you take?
I would start by setting deadlines for each segment of production based on available budget and adding extra time for possible re-works. I would also take into account the skillset of the team, days off, holidays, and possible sick days. If any drastic changes during production need to be adjusted, I would discuss among the team and then reach out to the budget provider to discuss the situation and the possibility for an extension for the final deadline. I would keep consistent updates on production status with the provider.
What was the hardest part of making ‘24 Karrot Co. (W.I.P.)’.
The hardest part of creating “24 Karrot Co.” was working on it alone. I was stubborn in my senior year of college and wanted to make sure my characters were animated in a way that represented my style. I made things difficult by choosing to do character animation with lip-sync. I had a year to complete this film for graduation and fell short of the deadline. The most heartbreaking part was being told that my teachers loved it, but due to it being just a bit too incomplete, they couldn’t show it with my peers’ animations. I was saddened, but inspired to finish it. I had lost motivation after college, however, as I had to survive as an adult. I kept drawing to keep creative, but the last time I touched this film was in November 2022.
If possible, tell us about your next work. What plans do you have for your future work?
Currently, I have no plans for any future work. My main objective is to finish “24 Karrot Co.” so I can have a finished film that I can be truly proud of.
Comments