DIRECTOR'S NOTES by Michael Attardi
I have recently been informed by the Director’s Guild and the Writers Guild of America, East that we are the first-ever short film to ever use the technology of motion capture, computer-generated (CG) animation with live action backgrounds. The process called for a Boris scope lens made by Panavision and shot with an high definition (HD) camera.
We shot several angles and paned in and out of focus to give each shot a depth of field. This process gave us a chance to place the (CG) characters in the foreground and make it appear to be one and the same. Our live tree with (CG) animation elements gave it a real esthetic look from every angle.
The Christmas village was made out of real stained glass and was lit using several LCD lights that gave off a warm light source. We also included back lighting to give the village a more magical feel.
The castle inside and out was designed by Kit Stolen and constructed by Emmy Award Special Effects winner, Ron Thornton. Ron modeled, constructed and painted all the miniature sets. The live action set was constructed by Emmy Award winner, Lee Stringer and designed by award winning designer, Gentry Akens.
The music was scored, conducted and arranged by Dani Donadi, I wrote the lyrics and melodies and we collaborated on the music. Dani and I recorded Tim Curry in London, England and Jim Belushi in Hollywood.
One of the hardest tasks was securing the voice talents of Jim Belushi and Tim Curry. After they heard the music and read the script, they signed on. Both have agreed to be in our feature film “Snowyville.”
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