A shy girl comes out of her shell and recognises her own value.

Interview with Writer Amanda Miha and Director/Animator: René Chandler

Watch Butterfly Hands on YouTube

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

This is a story about a young girl finding her voice and recognising her self worth. We think this is a universal story that will resonate with a lot of people. But it is intended for a kindergarten to young primary school age audience. It could be a helpful tool for parents and teachers to discuss with young kids that struggle with being shy.

Why did you make Butterfly Hands?

Butterfly Hands is simple screenshots of an animated ebook René and I created. We wanted to get our ebook out there in as many ways as we could. And seeing as we have a background in film we thought filming the ebook would be the way to go. It was relatively fast and cheap to do.

What led you to this story?

My mother told me stories about how shy she was as a kid. She was at school when a teacher asked her name but she was too shy to answer. This is what I based the initial idea on. But I also drew from the experience that I struggled talking as a teenager. When I was 16 I had an art teacher that encouraged me to find my own voice through art.

Although I still experience being shy on a regular basis, I believe finding your voice and being true to yourself is one of the most important things in life and in the arts. It’s a lesson I carry with me in every situation not just the arts. It’s something I always encourage in other people. You have to be true to yourself.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

For the ebook we have received great feedback from parents about the story’s message and the beautiful illustrations. At least one parent has had to read it over and over at the request of their toddler, and the children love the moving images on the iBook. We’ve been told the story moved parents and/or children to tears with the uplifting ending.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

Not yet but this will be the first time the filmed version of the ebook goes public so we can’t wait to hear what people have to say.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on this platform?

This film is simply a way to promote the ebook found at the Amazon Kindle store or the iBook store -

https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/butterfly-hands/id1076133220?mt=11

Ideally we would like to be picked up by a publisher and have hardcopies published, or funding so we can adapt the book into an animation.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

Ideally we would like publishers to come on board and have the book published. Also people who are able to get the book out into the wider community and amongst kindergarten and early primary school children.

What type of impact would you like this film to have?

I would like this film and the ebook to inspire or help children that struggle with being shy and to encourage anyone to stand up for who they are and find their own self worth.

What next for you?

We are working on our next animated ebook. It involves dogs and their dreams.

Interview: May 2016

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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

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Butterfly Hands

A shy girl comes out of her shell and recognises her own value.

Length: 3 minutes

Director/Animator: René Chandler

Writer: Amanda Miha

Producer: Matt Schlichter

Sound: Colin Palmer

About the director and writer:

Amanda Miha - I’m a writer for stage and screen based in Melbourne, Australia. This is the second project René and I have created together.

René Chandler - I’m an artist living in Brooklyn, New York. I make stop motion and illustrated animation. I am most inspired by the mentality of people and their conditions.

Looking for: A publisher to turn it in to a hard copy picture book or funding to adapt the story into an animation.