Conceived with the help of a Kickstarter campaign, talented animator Keika Lee delves into that age-old relationship between a boy and his pet in the new short ODD DOG.
Film And TV Now spoke with the film-maker about her experience working on the film.
FILM AND TV NOW: ODD DOG focuses on the relationship between human and pet. What fascinates you particularly about dogs and cats individually and in comparison?
KEIKA LEE: I love how dissimilar they are. I have a dog and a cat and it amazes me how they behave differently and react differently. For instance, when I feed a dog they think the world of you and are super grateful. When you feed a cat they think they must be the king of the castle and that you are their servant.
FTVN: The animation in the film is more suggestive of comic strips than movie animation. What were your influences when creating this short animation film?
KL: Besides Disney, I was inspired by Japanese animation and comic strips as I wanted the film to focus more on the characters expressions and less on the animation itself. My favorite Japanese animation is “Inu Yasha” which has a lot of great facial expressions and I was also inspired by one of my favorite comics “Calvin and Hobbes”.
FTVN: You start the film in black and white, but when the boy puts the collar on the animal, the film changes to colour. Was this a deliberate artistic choice?
KL: Yes, I wanted to emphasize the moment the Cat was accepted and the Boy finding his best friend. Both of them had lived their lives in black and white until they found each other and their world became colorful and fulfilling. Friendship and acceptance is a powerful thing.
FTVN: You have a variety of animation artists working to create the overall project. Tell us about the individual teams you had working on ODD DOG.
KL: I had a good sized team working on this 5-minute short, all were remarkably talented artists.
My Editor dealt with the shots in the animatic, temporary sound effects and final cut of the film, my Concepts Artists helped in creating Key Art of the relationship between the Cat and the Boy, the Character Designers developed the look of the Cat and the Boy, the Animators were the artists who drew the performances of the characters, the Clean-up Animators went in and cleaned up the line-work of the Animator’s rough animations, my Background Artist drew all the backgrounds throughout the film, the Composer created the music to establish the mood and feel of the film and the Sound Designer made sure the music and sound effects matched the performance of the film.
Everyone played an important role in the production of “Odd Dog” and none of this could have happened without any one of them.
FTVN: The music is a very playful score. Tell us about your working relationship with your composer.
KL: Jennifer Kes Remington was our composer and she was simply amazing to work with. She has a versatile portfolio of incredible music and I knew she could do something that would fit the film’s mood and feel. Jennifer is crazy talented and professional and was there from the beginning to the end working on the score with me to fit it to the animatic all the way until the final cut.
FTVN: On the credits you acknowledge a Kickstarter campaign. How long did it take to raise the finance for the project and how long did it take to shoot?
KL: First and foremost, I want to say a BIG THANK YOU to the Kickstarter backers. Most of the film was financed through Kickstarter and it was a one and a half month campaign. The rest of the film was funded by myself. The film took 2 years to complete as the crew I hired were all working on it part-time and had full-time jobs. They all were really big believers in the project and wanted to help!
FTVN: Tell us about the sound design of the film.
KL: I didn’t know very much about sound design before I created “Odd Dog” and I still have a lot to learn even now but I have to say I have a lot of respect for the medium. When I heard the first version of the film with sound effects and music I was floored! I couldn’t believe how much life it brought to the film. Tears welled up in my eyes.
FTVN: The film is a loving tribute to your son and a cat. What does your son think of the film?
KL: He loves it! He especially loves that it’s about him and our cat. They have been the best of friends since the day my son was born! The most important part of the whole process of making “Odd Dog” was for my son to watch his mom make this film because I wanted him to see me make something I loved and was passionate about. I want the same for him when he grows up.
FTVN: This is the sort of project that would look great on the front of a Pixar film. Would you consider doing something in a more CGI-based style?
KL: Thank you for the compliment! 2D animation has always been my first love and for now will be what I focus on. In fact I’m working on my next film currently called “Oren’s Way” and it’s again a 2D animated short film. I don’t have anything against CGI animation, it’s just that I believe 2D just brings about a lot of nostalgia and childhood memories for me and many others.
FTVN: How has the pandemic affected your development as a film-maker?
KL: I feel fortunate to say that it actually hasn’t. “Odd Dog” was done completely remotely therefore creating my current film has been moving along like business as usual.
FTVN: Finally, what are you most proud of about ODD DOG?
KL: I am most proud of my crew. I could not have done this without them not only for their work but for their support and energy. They really committed to the project and I will forever be grateful to them. We all made a great team therefore we made a great film that everyone can enjoy and smile about. Thank you all for watching!
