Read the Aug. 28, 2008 interview in The Desert Sun.
Director Jim Goodall may be looking out from inside the fish bowl, but the water is fine.
His latest short, "The Interior Monologue of Gill the Goldfish," melds live action and animation from the point of view of the titular fish. The evolution of both mediums is only natural, as the filmmaker's previous efforts have included live action, stop motion and animation.
"The final format really depends on the kind of story and the mood the story is trying to convey," Goodall explained to The Desert Sun via e-mail. "I started making live action short films, but my background in the fine arts kept creeping into my ideas which resulted in me writing stories that required worlds which needed to be created from scratch."
"Gill" required a unique setting, limited to the fish's vision but challenging in its execution. "From the time I wrote the script I began developing the concept artwork. I wanted it to have a cartoony look with a live action texture." Goodall emphasized, "I wanted it to look like nothing I'd seen before."
The filmmaker stresses that a film solely using the medium of either animation or live action is always easier then blending the two formats. "This was by far our biggest challenge because it normally requires boat loads of money, and we had neither boat nor money," Goodall said.
In order to provide the most fitting personality for the lead fish, Goodall had to cast just the right actor. "The voice of Gill needed to sound funny, pathetic and aggressive all at once," he explained. "I styled a lot of the production design after the 1950s, so I thought the voice should sound a bit like a 1950s New York sailor. In the end we were lucky to have Sean Cullen come aboard."
Goodall is attending the Palm Springs Festival of Short Films for the first time and appreciates the opportunity such a gathering provides.
"Since shorts are not commercially driven they tend to set trends, be more experimental and push the boundaries," he said. "Festivals are a great way to celebrate the achievements of the filmmakers and a great way to present to the public otherwise unseen and untold stories."