THE PINK BUTTERFLY plays as part of the online London Independent Film Festival 2021.
Tickets available at: www.liff.org
Film-maker John-Paul Conway reflects on a very personal experience through his short animated film THE PINK BUTTERFLY.
Film And TV Now spoke with the film-maker about his short and his experience making it.
FILM AND TV NOW: The film is dedicated to Maria Conway (2002 – 2015). Tell us more about her.
JOHN-PAUL CONWAY: Maria was my little sister and she sadly passed away in 2015 after a two-year-long battle with leukaemia.
She was twelve years old when she died and her family and friends miss her greatly every day. She was the sort of girl who was always looking for ways that she could help out. I remember that she would always offer to make my food even though I was her big brother and that she was sick. She knew I didn’t like cooking and she loved it!
She was a passionate singer and dancer and had aspirations of achieving stardom one day, I wish that I had the chance to put her into a film – I suppose, in a way, I have now. I think her cancer diagnosis made her wise beyond her years because she was forced to grow up and face her mortality at such a young age.
She was never angry about her diagnosis, she was always full of life and seemed happy about the time that she did get to spend with her family and friends. The day before she passed, she went to a music festival with her friends and had mostly a great day!
Unfortunately, she felt sick when she got home and then had to go to the hospital and never returned. My last memory of her was actually of her crying in pain whilst waiting for the ambulance to arrive and there was nothing I could do to help her but I wanted to find a way to make sure her memory lives on beyond the people that knew her.
FTVN: Was the short based on source material or is it an original story?
JPC: The film is based on my mother’s tattoo of two foxes surrounded by butterflies. The tattoo symbolises our family but it made me wonder what a story about two foxes raising butterflies would like so I got to work on the idea which ended up growing into this film.
FTVN: Tell us about D.C. Douglas, who narrates the film.
JPC: D.C is a professional voice actor who is known for his work in the Resident Evil franchise where he plays the main villain of the series. He has also worked on numerous other projects such as TRANSFORMERS and Z NATION.
I met him in 2015, a few months after the death of my sister, at a local comic book convention and asked him how I would go about working with him one day. He told me to send him a message either via email or Instagram if I ever had a project for him.
A few years later I was working on the pre-production for THE PINK BUTTERFLY and was looking for a narrator. DC, despite being known for playing some despicable characters, is utterly charming and has such a pleasant voice to listen to that I thought he’d be great for the film. I sent him a message on Instagram and he said he’d be up for it.
So, almost four years to the day after meeting him, I had achieved my goal of working with him. He was my first and only choice for the narration and I couldn’t be more pleased with his performance in the film.
FTVN: Tell us about your production team.
JPC: We had a very small team working on this film.
Three crew members including myself. Sara Aretino, my animator, came to me when I put out a job listing for the project. She read my synopsis and then read my script and loved the idea. She even sent some early character sketches along with her portfolio and I could tell right away that she and I were on the same wavelength when it came to the art style of the film.
She had the skills and talent required for this movie and was able to such an amazing job on the small budget that I had access to. My composer, James Hammond, is a childhood friend. The two of us met on a school field trip back in 2010. We’ve been close friends ever since and have worked on pretty much every project together.
The two of us are now studying at film school and living together as well. James has a serious talent for music and I wanted to give him a chance to show that talent off with the world. The music of this film has been complimented by everyone who has seen it and even won an award for the music alone! I think I will be sticking with James for the rest of my career if I’m lucky!
FTVN: What were your artistic and filmic influences when conceiving the short?
JPC: The film that kind of inspired me to get to work on this film is actually A MONSTER CALLS – but more specifically the animated story sections of that movie.
My film has a very different art style but I was inspired by the idea of having what seems like a fairy-tale or children’s story and subverting the expectations of the audience by touching upon something very real and hard to talk about. I was also inspired by movies such as THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR and wanted to have a go at making my own animated short film for children.
I wanted a movie that deals with childhood cancer and the idea of facing death but was still suitable for children. Maybe children who are suffering from cancer – or any sickness – will be able to take comfort in knowing that they aren’t alone.
FTVN: What do you feel is the power of animation over live action story-telling?
JPC: Animation, more so than live-action, is only limited by the scope of your imagination.
I knew that animation was the right way to go for this film because I wanted it to look and feel like a children’s storybook come to life. I think the simplicity of the visuals in this film work in its favour – the background are mostly empty besides a single colour. There is nothing to distract you and you can focus solely on what is important on the screen. Had this film been live-action, I would have needed to CGI the foxes and the butterflies and I don’t think it would have had the same impact.
I also feel as though the moment in this film with the most “realistic” imagery is the moment where we see the bloodstream because it is animated in a different style and the blood cells look very real which makes that moment feel grown up and sort of scary. The world is bright, colourful and vibrant because this is how the child and the butterfly see the world but this changes when the girl is given her cancer diagnosis because she is forced to grow up.
I also think people have an understanding that “cartoons are for kids” and so I wanted to use that to catch people off guard with the cancer storyline much like my family felt when my sister was given her diagnosis.
FTVN: What subjects and themes are you keen to explore in future works?
JPC: I have an idea for another animated film that is set to explore domestic and animal abuse through the eyes of a dog. The movie is currently in pre-production as I seek funding but I am hoping the success of The Pink Butterfly will help out with that.
Other than that, I hope to make an animated film that simplifies the idea of evolution for both children and adults as I think it is a fascinating and completely misunderstood topic.
FTVN: Do you see yourself as a live-action film-maker as well as an animated one?
JPC: Yes, I worked in live-action before animation and have two live-action scripts that are getting some interest.
I hope to start the preproduction on a movie called The Ninth Hour which explores themes of religion, sexuality and suicide through the eyes of a suicidal priest and a suicidal teenager. I hope to film in Ireland but am waiting for the covid situation to pass before committing to live-action projects.
FTVN: How long did it take to complete?
JPC: This film took just over one year to be completed. The preproduction was quite short only taking one month. The animation took eight months and then the music and finishing touches were done over the three months.
FTVN: How did you raise finance for the short?
JPC: I self-funded the film. I worked two jobs to raise the money. I had a job at a SEND school as a teaching assistant and then also worked at Tesco. The money from the Tesco job was all put toward the film. I was working long shifts and taking every chance I could to get more money for the film.
FTVN: Are there plans to expand it into a feature-length version?
JPC: Initially, I did not have any plans to develop it into a feature film. However, due to the success of the project and since I have more to say on the topic, I would like to develop it into a feature at some point.
I think that the short film didn’t get to explore certain ideas, such as the strains on relationships that sickness can have, so I would like to expand the story and delve further into the issue.
FTVN: How important is a festival like the London Independent to a film like your own?
JPC: I think they’re great!
Especially, London Independent as they have arranged press evenings and interviews for us. I think they are essential to get your film out there and connect with fellow film-makers.
THE PINK BUTTERFLY has currently won three awards and has been nominated for five more so it is taking off in a way that I didn’t expect and already I have started to see the benefits of submitting to festivals. I have had people message me on Instagram to let me know that they love the film and can’t wait for what I am doing next.
So, now I have to make more movies!
FTVN: How has the global pandemic affected your development and evolution as a film-maker?
JPC: It has pushed me to find new and creative ways of making films. I have worked on a few live-action shorts during the pandemic and have started film school so have been learning how to navigate all of the restrictions that covid has imposed.
I think this is a great time to get into the film industry! Limitations breed creativity and there have never been more limitations so, hopefully, we’ll see a huge influx in creativity!
FTVN: Finally, what are you most proud of about this short film?
JPC: I am just proud that I managed to bring it together and to assemble a great cast and crew. The film is being praised by everyone who watches it and I feel as though I have done my sister proud.
So, I feel as though I have managed to achieve my goal of giving my sister a chance to achieve her dream of being a movie star even if it is only a drawing of her.
