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Pinoy artist in Hwood animated film Open Season
(Philippine Daily Inquirer Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) LOS ANGELESFILIPINO-AMERICAN artist John Butiu is excited about his work in Open Season, the animated movie where Ashton Kutcher does voice-acting for the one-horned mule deer Elliot.
I briefly worked on Open Season as a senior modeler working on various props and environment sets, Butiu told Inquirer Entertainment in an exclusive interview. Some of these are Boog's (the 900-pound bear voiced by Martin Lawrence) backpack, hunter rifles, miscellaneous appliances and props, and the characters homes. After only a few weeks on Open Season, I was immediately given my next movie assignment, Surf's Up, which is scheduled for release in the summer of 2007.
Asked what challenges he encountered while working on the CG-animated Sony Pictures movie, Butiu said it was getting the exact look of the character and props to match the artists designs.
We would sit side by side with the artist/designer as I worked interactively with the artist next to me, he said. [But] I also had some creative freedom in designing some of the sets and props.
Two other Pinoys
Directed by Roger Allers (The Lion King) and Jill Culton (Monsters, Inc., Toy Story 2), with co-director Anthony Stacchi (Antz), the movie had two other Filipino-Americans in the production staff.
Patrick Ramos was associate production manager of the animation department and Kevin Noel was production office coordinator.
Ramos was born in Manila but migrated to the US with his parents (Ramon and Reylindha) when he was two. He studied art and graphic design at the Art Institute of Seattle. I enjoy my job here at Sony supervising 60 animators and working with directors, seeing things develop and grow from scratch, he said.
Noel was born in California and raised there by his parents Teresita and Clyde. Married to Natalie Kimberlind, who is half-Filipino, half-Hawaiian, Noel graduated from the San Francisco State University where he studied film production.
Paquiao fan
The most challenging part of my job is being a jack-of-all-trades. Since I work with everybody from producers to directors to animators, they all come to me with questions. If I do not know the answer, I make sure I find someone who does. Our department is new, so we are all like guinea pigs and that is the most exciting thing, he pointed out.
Both Pinoys are excited to be a part of this first CGI feature film of SPA and are looking forward to being a part of a Filipino-inspired movie in the future.
I see myself as producing a Manny Pacquiao movie or documentary. He is my idol, Noel confessed.
Based on the humor of cartoonist Steve Moore (In the Bleachers), Open Season is about animals coming together to survive in the wilderness and protect themselves from hunters and domestication.
The movie is about a 900-pound bear named Boog who is adopted and domesticated by a park ranger (Debra Messing). Boogs life changes when he meets the one-horned mule deer Elliot (Ashton Kutcher) who tempts him to go out into the wilderness. Unfortunately, when they escape the comfort of Boogs adopted home, it is only three days before the start of the open or hunting seasonand the arrival of the bully paranoid uber-hunter Shaw (Gary Sinise).
First time
Sandra Rabins and Penney Finkelman Cox, executive vice presidents of Sony Pictures Animation (SPA), are responsible for the development and production of all CG-animated films for Sony Pictures Entertainment. The two executives have recruited an impressive team of directors to work on the companys inaugural film.
Cox said it was the first time for Kutcher, Sinise, Messing and Lawrence do voice acting for animation.
We were not sure that Ashton would say yes and so we were excited when he did, Cox said. He came in, read the script and then said, Yeah, I could do this. He has been a pleasure to work with and he is so funny and active. Animators like active voices and lots of emotion because they get inspiration from them. These are busy actors so we give them schedules that work for themtwo or three hours a day. We are flexible. There are no sets. They just come ineven in their pajamas.
At present, Sony has 45 to 60 animators, with at least 25 of them strictly working on the film, from hand drawn to digital.
To inspire the animators, Sony bosses brought them to the wilderness, up to Northern Californias redwoods.
No to pirates
Yair Landau, vice chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment and president of Sony Pictures Digital, said that to avoid piracy, the movie will be released much closer to the US release date.
We will also try to encourage people to go out to the theater and watch it with a group and have fun instead of watching a poorly done pirated copy by yourself, Landau added. We should all battle this piracy problem because we will not be able to make films if the rate of piracy continues. We will do all that we can to eliminate it. It is indeed scary that it has already become worldwide.
Landau formed Sony Pictures Digital in 1999, bringing together all the digital artists and software engineers from Sony Pictures Imageworks, Sony Online Entertainment and Columbia Tristar Interactive (now sonypictures.com) into one division. He said animated films usually do well in the box-office. Last year, he noted, three such features made a combined $800 million.
We want people to laugh, love and care, Cox said. Humor always comes out of conflict, from two disparate characters with different goals and different needs and that is all that we do in our daily lives. We solve conflicts to go into a better place in our lives.
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