FILMMAKER Q&A – Matt Bolin – Director

GS: What was the inspiration for your film?

MB: I would probably have to say my biggest inspiration was the animations I remember growing up with as a child from Nickelodeon, Looney tunes but also from a humour perspective some of the adult cartoons I’ve now taken accustom to South Park eg and Adult swims fine selection. Animation is something I’ve always had high admiration for and it’s these classics plus a couple of Animations made in Australia when I was young that inspired me to develop my own footprint.

GS: When did you conceive the idea for your film and how long did it take before it was realized?

MB: I actually had the idea of creating an adult comedy of The Three little Pig’s a while before producing that version but was unable to find the right format which would give it integrity it deserved. I thought of multiple angles of producing it from Live action Pig and wolf costumes in front of a green screen, Filming it out in a country field and constructing the house set’s with the crew etc but it still didn’t feel right, So I figured it would be interesting to try it as an animation short and the rest is history.

GS: What was the most challenging aspect of working in a short film format?

MB: It wasn’t so much it being a short film that was challenging especially since from an animation point of view the longer the film is the more expensive and labour intense it becomes, The biggest challenge for me is my prior experience and work as a film maker was producing Live action narratives and documentaries so experimenting with an animation concept was a new experience for me, I understood the fundamentals of animation but soon found out just how complex the development of it really is. Fortunately I managed to find a college of mine who was a University Student to jump on board and be my animator so my vision could be fulfilled.    

GS: What was the most challenging aspect of your production?

MB: I would say it was producing the animation as an emerging artist in Australia. Although we have extremely talented animators in Australia due to the size of the country it can be hard to find somebody that is specifically right for your particular production. As you have to remember the bigger the population the more diverse your options are. I am very grateful I managed to find my animator because not only did he match what I was looking for but it also showed many others that it doesn’t matter where you are based if your passionate enough and persistent you are capable of amazing outcomes.  

GS: Do you have any advice for first-time filmmakers?

MB: Believe in yourself and follow your heart, People will sometimes be skeptical of your ambitions but if you have a go and pull it off you’ll make not only yourself happy but so many other’s happy somebody was brave enough to take a risk and leave a footprint in the film industry.