Have you had formal training or are you self-taught ?

I went to school in Texas where I studied Art History, Illustration, and focused on Graphic Design, and Photography. I have been lucky because I have always known I wanted to be an animator since I was a child watching Peter Pan, and other Disney movies. I took an immediate interest in CG FX after seeing Jurassic Park, and spend every minute of every day learning how to do that. I later built my own Animation Desk because I couldn’t afford a “new” one, and went started learning the principles of animation.

What gave you the idea for “DAY OFF The Dead” ?

I had always been a fan of Lee’s previous shorts, and have been in contact with him via email on and off for a couple of years. When I was at a point I was ready to do a short film, I contacted Lee and asked if he would be interested in a joint venture. I pitched several concepts that would be good to base a short film around, and The Day of the dead theme just stuck out! It was unique and quirky enough to fit our off-center tastes, while being recognizable enough for a broad appeal. From there we just started writing the jokes and ideas that would later make it into the short.

What software/tools did you use for this project ?

This was a difficult choice. With all the packages on the market it basically became of a choice of cost for quality.. Alias Wavefront’s Maya offered tools Lee and I were familiar with and had used on a daily basis. However, it was out of the price range of this production. I had a great history and relationship with the guys at Hash and used their software, Animation Master often. I convinced Lee that we could achieve any look and have the same quality if we went with Animation Master. Since it is such an easy package to learn, Lee went to learning it and picked it up in just a week or so. We also use Adobe’s Photoshop, and After Effects.

Where did you get the inspiration for the characters or the models ?

Having lived in Texas for the last ten years it’s impossible to ignore the huge Mexican influences that is everywhere. Salsa is more popular than ketchup! Los Dias De Los Muertos is such a unique holiday to the Latin culture that I don’t know of any other culture that celebrates death in such a outlandish way. The idea that one day of the year your dead relatives come back to enjoy your company is horrifying and great at the same time! Everyone has seen these paper mache skeletons and recognizes them for what they are. So having that resource to draw from allowed us to keep a consistency of look, while maintaining the freedom of design Lee and I both required.

Who is doing the sound and composing the score ?

Juniper Music and Design. These guys are amazing! They have donated their time and studio for the project, and will be composing a unique score as well as doing the final mix. You can also hear their musical stylings on the DAY OFF The Dead website. These guys both studied under John Williams while attending Juillard, and are among the commercial industries leading music composers and designers. We are really lucky to have them. As for how it has been working so far, Lee who has done all the music on his previous shorts will block in the sound design, and this will be used to hand off to Juniper.

How did you afford funding for such an ambitious project ?

Lee and I have fronted all the cost of production out of pocket. Fortunately, the up-front cost was minimal. The software didn’t break us, and the only other expenses were domain hosting. We have been extremely fortunate to find a pool of animators who have donated their time and talents to this project. The talent pool was somewhat limited because of the software solution we chose. However, the talent we did attract are professional, amazingly talented guys and gals.. The fact that they donated their time is what made this project so successful.

What is the end-goal for “DAY OFF The Dead” ?

“DAY OFF The Dead” is my first and Lee’s third short animated film. The main goal is to showcase it at Sundance, Siggraph, Annency and other film festivals. I think orignially I just wanted to prove to myself that I have what it takes to generate something this ambitious, as well as gain exposure as a filmmaker. We have gotten nothing but positive responses from the industry and I hope that viewers will enjoy the short too! In the end I would say the goal is to tell a funny story in a unique way that others will enjoy!

© Jeffrey Dates

Meet Some of the cast .......

“DAY OFF The Dead” Set Stills

Teaser trailers

“DAY OFF The Dead" Homepage

Artists Homepage