Theyd seen my shorts and we met briefly, socially, when I was in Japan.
But no, they said I should propose a story and style.
Thats how it happened, totally out of the blue.
It was really, really shocking.
That was enough to start, just having that idea, he says.
Having a completely dialogue-free film was not part of the original plan, however.
I felt dialogue was needed for empathy with the characters and some points for clarification of motivation.
In the end, we just dropped the dialogue, and then it became interesting.
It gives the story a slightly more timeless quality, and thats intentional.
Hence, de Wits explanation for getting his animation team up to speed.
To do it together with the collaborators was the obvious choice.
It was never shown publically because it was only a tool.
There was just one artist who created and animated the turtle on the computer.
Short films go to lots of festivals, and Ive attended many, but short films dont make profits.
A feature film is a product.
Theres a different ambience that I totally respect, and its healthy.
In a subtle way, I feel that all the time.
This article previously ran on Feb. 15, 2017.
