PALM SPRINGS SHORTFEST - The Sea Is Blue
An origin story of how the ocean got its color.
Length: 7:00
Director: Vincent Peone
Producer: Mike Healey, Josh Ruben, Garrett Fennelly, Alexander Schepsman, David Kornfield
Writer: Vincent Peone
Director/Writer Bio: One of the founding members of CollegeHumor video, Vincent continues to write and direct narrative as well as direct commercials with his duo, Josh + Vince.
Producer/Animation Director bio: Mike Healey is the founder of //kneeon Studios. Based in NYC, //kneeon creates stop-motion and 2D commercials and narrative work.
Congratulations! Why did you make your film? "The Sea is Blue" has a deeply personal origin - it was written at one of the hardest times of my life. Ten years ago my family was thrust into turmoil when a fire tore through my childhood home. My sister Dina was very badly injured, being air lifted to a nearby hospital. My family sat at Dina's bedside while she fought through a drug-induced coma, having sustained third degree burns to nearly seventy percent of her body.
To make painfully slow minutes go by, I wrote a story. I imagined Dina was off on a profound adventure, struggling to make her way home. After three harrowing months, Dina finally woke up. Many years later, I decided to share the story I wrote at Dina's bedside.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film? I wanted to make a film with heart, to tell my story in an untraditional and fantastical way that's fun for viewers and not so heavy handed. Stop motion has always been a dream of mine and it felt like a perfect fit.
I set out to make a film that touched on the lessons I learned from a tragic experience, but with a positive message. It's a story about new beginnings and appreciation. Plus, it's stop motion.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film? I learned a lot of lessons as a result of my family's tragedy, the greatest of which was to appreciate what I have. The film is an extension of that; seeing positivity and a hopefulness in new beginnings.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production? Prior to this film, stop motion was merely a pipe dream for me. I had worked as a staff director at CollegeHumor.com for seven years where I literally made thousands of videos. This process was a little bit different, haha.
I would occasionally stop what I was doing and realize I had a whole day to plan a single shot. On a script level, it also meant there was a bit of a learning curve for what would translate well to stop motion and what wouldn't. Fortunately I had the expertise of Mike Healey and kneeon studios to help steer the ship.
What type of feedback have you received so far? 'm overwhelmed by the positive response. People often don't realize the backstory, but find commonality in their own experiences to the theme. I think that's the best compliment.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view? I'm always pleasantly surprised when people can relate to any of my work. For years it felt very impersonal, making content for the masses and only getting a glimmer of a reaction when you weed through the comments. It's tremendously validating to hear when people make a connection.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com? I'm thrilled to share the short with the community of professionals We Are Moving Stories attracts. It's an honor to be recognized among the other awesomely curated work, we're blushing!
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message? The team is interested in discussing next projects, as well as a long form version of "The Sea is Blue." We'd also be interested in being submitted for the Academy Awards.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have? We would love for the film to be screened in as many places as possible. Perhaps even a partnership where the film plays before a feature length film.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film? What was the animation process like?
Would you like to add anything else Worth mentioning, the voice of the lead character, Bean, is also the voice of Ash on Pokemon.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now? We are gearing up to work on another short film, currently in development of a television show, as well as a live action feature.
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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