{"id":780,"date":"2011-05-31T11:29:54","date_gmt":"2011-05-31T11:29:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skwigly.co.uk\/?p=780"},"modified":"2017-03-06T23:37:16","modified_gmt":"2017-03-06T23:37:16","slug":"interview-dave-prosser-talks-his-new-film-matter-fisher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skwigly.co.uk\/interview-dave-prosser-talks-his-new-film-matter-fisher\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview: Dave Prosser Talks His New Film ‘Matter Fisher’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Upon first watching Matter Fisher<\/em> I am reminded of classic poems like The Rime of the Ancient Mariner<\/em>.\u00a0 The kind of tale that elderly fishermen tell passers-by in port taverns, folklore that attempts to explain the disappearance of a local seafaring merchant \u2018some years back\u2019.\u00a0 Unlike the Ancient Mariner\u2019s Rime<\/em> though, Matter Fisher<\/em> is devoid of words, a script or even a clear conclusion.\u00a0 You are forced to come up with your own tale to pass on, a Chinese whisper of interpretations over what happened to the nameless fisherman on that strange morning.\u00a0 For that reason I won\u2019t indulge you with my view, instead relying on you to watch it for yourself (video at the bottom of the page<\/em>).\u00a0 You won\u2019t be disappointed.<\/p>\n

The visual style of the animation is incredible, combining multiple techniques and effects encouraging you to peel back the various layers to explore how it was made.\u00a0 A purely black and white palette is often used in animation but rarely executed with this kind of quality, which lends itself to many beautiful textures.\u00a0 Another point that I can\u2019t stress enough is the amazing sounds used in the piece.\u00a0 The work of sound designer Joe Tate<\/em> brings an amazing level of depth to the often minimalist visuals.\u00a0 Never before have I felt that the sound effects of an animation were as paramount to a piece as they were to Matter Fisher.\u00a0 Truly this was a marriage between audio and visuals made in Heaven.<\/p>\n

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David Prosser\u2019s<\/em> 2010 graduation masterpiece has toured around the world in numerous festivals and screenings and it is easy to see why he is represented as a director and designer by one of the most influential British animation companies: Studio AKA<\/em>.\u00a0 It\u2019s impossible not to be taken back by the amazing body of work that they produce and it can only get better now that David Prosser<\/em> is involved.<\/p>\n

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David Prosser<\/p><\/div>\n

You have a very distinctive art style.\u00a0 Who were your biggest influences and inspirations in shaping your style?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was raised on family holidays spent in a quaint seaside town named St Ives in Cornwall and the dramatic Cornish landscape has always been a huge inspiration.\u00a0 I guess Matter Fisher<\/em> is my homage to this.<\/p>\n

A resident of St Ives, Alfred Wallis, was an outsider artist at this time and opened the door of na\u00efve\/folk art to me in my youth and immediately I began to appreciate instinctive quirks within drawing and painting which translated into my work.\u00a0 Like many a child, I was nurtured on vast amounts of Roald Dahl tales and as a result of this Quentin Blake became an influence which echoed through my youth into my adulthood.<\/p>\n

I stumbled across a fantastic German Illustrator called Martin Tom Dieck and was lured into his world of illustrated storybooks, particularly a story named Hundert Ansichten der Speicherstadt, <\/em>in which tells a strange story of a town flooding.\u00a0 Lately animators, such as Igor Kovalyov, are a huge inspiration to me and to many others I expect.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There is a phenomenal amount of textured layers and effects on each shot.\u00a0 How much of these were experiments and how much were pre-planned?<\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s actually probably not as many as you think.\u00a0 I used a variety of home-brewed Photoshop brushes to create the various layers of texture.\u00a0 The process of creating these textures was very fluid and organic, so was the process of applying them in a relatively haphazard unstructured manner.\u00a0 I originally studied illustration as an undergraduate and as a result of this process based work, making mistakes was a necessary ingredient for my work.\u00a0 I feel that anything that is over planned\/overworked loses a particular emotional attachment that I respond to and I try to retain this in my work via spontaneity.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\"\"\n

The sound feels very important to the design of the animation.\u00a0 How early was Joe Tate involved or was it completed before he received it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Joe and I were good friends before embarking upon a creative partnership together.\u00a0 We lived together throughout the process of making MF so he was there for the initial spark for the film, and actually contributed to some of the writing.\u00a0 As we lived together he therefore saw the process of the animation on a day-by-day basis, a rarity in animation but I believe in an ideal world this is how I would always like my collaborations to work.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Even though the lead has no script he still comes across very likable as a character.\u00a0 How many designs did you go through to get to him?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t necessarily believe that a lead character, or any character whatsoever, has to have a script for them to resonate with an audience.\u00a0 I feel that people can often respond more emotionally to physical characteristics of a character rather than the dialogue.\u00a0 He\u2019s a curious fellow, very much the pacifist who is drawn by peculiar forces.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\"\"\n

A lot of directors choose to not use storyboards.\u00a0 How important do you feel they are? Should story-boarders receive more credit?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think storyboards are imperative to the cognitive process.\u00a0 I don\u2019t really know of many directors that don\u2019t use storyboards and I would only storyboard my own work rather than hire someone to do this.\u00a0 How rigidly you stick to this guide throughout is a different matter.\u00a0 Personally, I allow for some flexibility when boarding.\u00a0 I feel that story board artists should receive maximum props.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What’s your opinion on the British Animation industry as a whole? The government cuts on the Arts? The BBC’s dedication to originality?<\/strong><\/p>\n

As graduating directors\/animators we are entering a world completely alien to even five years ago in the industry.\u00a0 It deeply saddens me to see schemes such as Animate Projects die a death with nothing to follow in its wake, and with the closure of the UK film council<\/em> it would seem the foreseeable future looks bleak for funding for filmmakers.\u00a0 It would seem that this is why many students are reaching out over the Internet by uploading and showcasing their films online in hope of attracting as much attention from all over the world and in hope of finding work or funding.\u00a0 I\u2019m relatively new to the animation industry as I graduated last year and was lucky enough to find full-time work at Studio AKA<\/em> straight away.\u00a0 From my brief time there I would still say commercially it is in relatively good shape.\u00a0 In London the animation crowd seems like a tightly knit community with most directors knowing each other personally, I feel this helps breed healthy competition between friends and associates.\u00a0 That said it is by no means an exclusive group.\u00a0 There also seems to be a large proportion of young skilled French animators filling up the studios from schools such as Supinfocom<\/em> and Gobleins<\/em>.\u00a0 They are fuelling the 3D hungry world of advertising.\u00a0 And of course there are still those young directors with weighty egos\u2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\"\"\n

Your style is very ‘in vogue’ with the graphic design industry.\u00a0 Do you think the line between creative art and functional design is blurring?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Again, I would probably protest over the idea that my style is \u2018in vogue<\/em>\u2019.\u00a0 My voice has formed from my formative years as an illustrator and lots of time spent drawing, observing and throwing ideas away.\u00a0 Stylistically I feel that my work is grounded in solid draftsman skills which will hopefully let my voice transform over time.\u00a0 The look of Matter Fisher was not a conscious choice, it is simply an extension of my previous films and work.\u00a0 I feel more inclined to say that the design industry has taken more interest in this type of \u2018look<\/em>\u2019, rather than the opposite way around.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Are you tempted to take the fisherman to the next level? \u00a0Will we be seeing vinyl toys since the options are now so readily available?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m personally not interested in gimmicky merchandise, besides no one aside from my mum would buy it.\u00a0 Although if approached I would love to commission a 40ft amorphous matter ball made from gloss black wipe clean latex.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\"\"\n

What’s the most influential animation you watched? \u00a0What made you want to be an animator?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Recently, I believe the most inspirational film I\u2019ve seen is Rains <\/em>by David Coquard-Dassault from the NFB.\u00a0 The film is effortlessly tasteful and retains a sophistication that is so easy to loose in animation.\u00a0 It feels classical and magical and stays away from the ironic, gaudy design that seems to be increasingly popular in pockets of London.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I never really wanted to become an animator; I\u2019d much prefer to be an illustrator.<\/p>\n

Studio AKA seems to have a distinctive split with their entertainment projects and their commercial projects.\u00a0 What is the rough ratio and how important is the ‘narrative’ projects (stuck on a Sunday) to their business model?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is important for any company to keep developing their own projects alongside commercial work.\u00a0 I think Studio AKA<\/em> have a healthy balance to keep it from stagnating.\u00a0 If any company could avoid doing commercial work I\u2019m sure they would.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\"\"\n

The Illusionist, A Waltz with Bashir, Persepolis…\u00a0 are we going to be seeing any feature length British animations any time soon?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m positive we will, very soon\u2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n