Of Giants and Windmills...
Where it all began...
Just a little bit more...
It takes a special blend of enthusiasm, ignorance and bloody-mindedness to undertake an independent animated film.
If you’ve experienced the process first-hand, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. Whether it’s frustration at the technical limitations of your tools, or sleep deprivation required to eek out just a few more hours each week, it comes down to just one thing – hard work.
I’ve been an illustrator, designer, photographer and musician, but for the last few years I’ve fostered a growing desire to create a substantial piece of work, for myself, encompassing all my interests without compromise on the final product.
It was a chance viewing of Sylvain Chomet’s Belleville Rendezvous (or, Les Triplettes de Belleville depending on where you are in the world) that proved the catalyst. I was hooked, I had to make a film – it would satisfy my interests of music and art. And what finer subject could there be for animation than Don Quixote? – a book I’ve been fond of for many years.
Browse the dvd extras of any cg or animated film from the last ten years and you’ll uncover a wealth of material exploring the ‘making of’ process.
My eldest daughter calls these ‘the boring bits’ and, to be fair, they’re not to everybody’s taste.
The process, however, fascinates me. The following pages detail that process and look behind the scenes of adapting Cervantes.
Three years is a lot to squeeze in, so these sections will grow over the coming months.
Want to know about a particular aspect of the process? Drop me a line and I’ll be pleased to share.
Separating fact from fiction...
Cervantes describes his work as a translation of an account by (fictional) historian Cide Hamete Benengeli of the life of Don Quixote. And, on a number of occasions, he comments on and criticises the fictitious Benengeli’s work.
Sancho himself even takes the opportunity to poke fun at Benengeli – observing the similarity of his name to “Berenjena”, or eggplant.