Some wrestle with how to tell stories in a world of multiple platforms.
Some simply do it.
My own theory is that those who struggle are thinking backwards, assessing what the market might want first, measuring the profit margins of the available platforms, risk averse to any content that can’t be exploited universally and determining what might be worth pursuing and what will make cost recovery harder.
Abhorring any loss, they then crunch numbers, calculate who needs to partner with whom, lobby for tax credits or regional incentives, compromising every step of the way in order to cobble together a strategy that might succeed…
The ones who simply do it, usually just start with a story.
They figure out what they want to say and how they want to say it. In the process, the appropriate platform reveals itself. It’s a trait some call “having a confident aesthetic”.
In the wilds of Southern Australia --- okay, downtown Adelaide --- there exists a company called “The People’s Republic of Animation”. As their name implies, they produce animation and have since the day three of its principals got hold of an 8mm camera at the age of 14.
They produce animation for movies, television, commercials, games and pretty much anything else that might be able to support a story told through moving graphics. And their aesthetic is very confident indeed.
Some of their work is light and funny. Some has a sponsored purpose. And some works, like “The Cat Piano”, are simply achingly beautiful to experience and striking examples of craft.
After a couple of weeks of observing the growing pessimism at the future of storytelling in this country, it’s nice to find proof that it not only survives but thrives elsewhere.
Feel Hope restored by “The Cat Piano” – best enjoyed in its full screen format.
And then enjoy your Sunday.
