My guest, Tomer Eshed, directed three of the funniest animated shorts I’ve seen:
Our Wonderful Nature, which is about the water shrew’s secret mating habits:
https://vimeo.com/26632368
Flamingo Pride, which is about the only hetrosexual flamingo in a flamingo pride parade:
https://vimeo.com/62085792
And The Common Chameleon - which is about a chameleon with an insatiable appetite.
https://vimeo.com/167910027
Tomer’s currently directing his first feature length animated film in Germany, DRAGON RIDER, produced by Constantine films. Our conversation covered a wide range of topics, including:
- Why go for realistic CG animation, and how his stories could only be told that way.
- How he uses technical challenges to motivate his crew.
- How he went from releasing his thesis film into being offered to direct a feature film.
- The unique opportunities Germany offers to short film directors.
- Working in a distributed production structure.
- How overlapping stages (story and animation) can be bad but also good to a project.
- Why it is okay to cry from time to time.
The title image for this episode is from The Common Chameleon by Tomer Eshed.
Opening and closing song: "14 Days" by Akın Sevgör.
@akinsevgor
Next week I'll be back with Episode 4 featuring Aaron Nee, who along with his brother Adam, is attached to direct Sony Picture’s new “MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE” franchise reboot, as well as write Warner Brother’s MINECRAFT.
