Get Up, Pierrot is an existential pastry made by folding layers of identity upon itself with equal parts tears and smiles.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer/Animator/Editor Gurleen Rai and Writer/Producer Anthony Shepherd

Watch Get Up, Pierrot here:

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

GURLEEN: Get Up, Pierrot is an impromptu film. It began as a spontaneous series of drawings of a figure laying in the grass who gets up and walks away. That became the opening sequence of the film. When I made that sequence in August 2017 I was questioning my skills as an animator and whether I was heading in the right direction creatively. Without giving it much thought I grabbed some printer paper, folded it into four quadrants and began drawing in each one. I didn’t plan what I was drawing but six sheets of paper later I had drawn that first scene. Anthony saw some potential in this raw clip of animation and had the idea to create a choose your own adventure on Instagram using this animation technique. So, that’s what we did. After each releasing each episode we’d pose a question through Instagram polls. The results would help create the following episode and I would animate the next episode in about a week. When we finished the season of 12 episodes we pet them all together and that’s how Get Up, Pierrot was made.

So, ultimately I just wanted to get out of my creative rut and make something without being doubtful or negative. I wanted to enjoy the animation process and express myself without self-judgement.

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

ANTHONY: Pierrot is an archetype of a sad, dejected person that I think everyone can identify with at some points in their life. We really delved into that in a personal and surreal way while also allowing the crowd to influence the outcome, much like real life. I find Get Up, Pierrot to be oddly poetic and able to be watched over again because you’ll notice new things upon repeated viewings.

GURLEEN: On the technical end, I think the potential for animation and storytelling is far more vast than what we’re currently seeing. As a choose your own adventure animated series, Get Up, Pierrot is an experiment in what’s possible when you invite the audience to participate. It really injects the story with energy and spontaneity.

I would also hope that watching this film might inspire someone to approach filmmaking or animation in an unconventional way, maybe trying something that breaks down their preconceived notions of how a film should be made.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

GURLEEN: One of the themes in Get Up, Pierrot is resilience but also finding humor in failure, especially as a creative. I frequently remind myself that it’s a privilege to be able to draw and write for a living so I shouldn’t take myself too seriously even when experiencing failure or rejection.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

GURLEEN: As a crowdsourced project we didn’t plan too far ahead. We wanted to honor the spirit of Get Up, Pierrot being a stream of consciousness animation, so writing a script was out of the question. There wasn’t a road map for where it was heading and that’s what made it so exciting and lively.

ANTHONY: Even the dialog was impromptu. After a group critique of the incomplete film, we asked everyone present to provide us with a critique about Pierrot and they came up with these strange, even cryptic comments. They were so funny that we knew we had to use them in the film somehow. They became the only dialogue in the film.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

GURLEEN: When we explain that this started as a choose your own adventure on Instagram, people are genuinely amused and curious. We love that response, it’s always fun to surprise people. But, one of the best responses I received was after our screening at the New Orleans Film Festival when someone asked if this was my first film. I immediately laughed because I can see how someone might think this was my first film. The lines are jittery, the movement is strange and there are times when the story doesn’t make sense. It wasn’t like any of the other films because it kind of looks like a kid drew it, it’s not intimidating. It was a great compliment because I really want people to feel inspired to try something new, not worry about whether it’s good enough; just get up and make something.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

GURLEEN: The feedback so far has been generally positive however, I'm sure there are people who may not appreciate this style of animation. It's surprising that it seems to resonate with so many people. We've had people comment that they can identify what Pierrot which is nice.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

GURLEEN: We’re starting our second season on Instagram and we’d love to get more people participating. We just love to rendezvous with a community of artists and weirdos who can appreciate self-deprecating humor and absurdity.

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

GURLEEN: It would be great to see Get Up, Pierrot screen at more festivals, but we'd also love to see this gain a bigger platform whether it be a website or a network that would host the episodes.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

GURLEEN: I’d love it if people watched this and felt inspired to get creative, maybe try something they’ve wanted to do but have hesitated for whatever reason.

ANTHONY: I think the biggest impact it could have is deconstructing the stiff approach to animated films. We did this with very little planning and it made us more creative in the moment. This was filmed in real time.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

GURLEEN: I think Get Up, Pierrot asks, what is possible within the animation medium, what are some preconceived ideas we have about how to create/design an animation?

Would you like to add anything else?

ANTHONY: We really enjoy telling stories and experimenting with ideas. We have a lot of fun imagining a concept or a viewpoint and really going into it, and mining it for the essence.

But I get to have a lot of fun at the end of each film when I finally get to do the editing and the music to really drive home the feelings we were going for.

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

GURLEEN: As I mentioned, we’re starting Get Up season 2. We’re also developing an animated miniseries set in Orlando Florida, so it’s been serendipitous to be invited to the Florida Film Festival. It’s about an overworked rabbit who leaves the entertainment industry and ends up working as a temp worker at various jobs along the Orange Blossom Trail, but he can’t escape his former life.

Interview: April 2019

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. 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

Get Up, Pierrot

Get Up, Pierrot is an existential pastry made by folding layers of identity upon itself with equal parts tears and smiles.

Length: 6:51

Director: Gurleen Rai

Producer: Anthony Shepherd

Writer: Gurleen Rai, Anthony Shepherd

About the writer, director and producer:

GURLEEN RAI is an animator and occasional human. She believes people like to have fun and laugh, she likes to help them do that.

ANTHONY SHEPHERD is a writer, musician, and cat wrangler.

Looking for: journalists, producers, film festival directors

Instagram: @getuppierrot

Hashtags used: #getup, #pierrot

Website: www.zimteemo.com

Other: Vimeo

Funders: self-funded

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Cinema Club, ArcLight Cinema, Hollywood-July 8, 8pm; Watch/Participate in Season 2 on Instagram @getuppierrot