Oscar-nominated animator Bill Plympton knew he wanted to be a filmmaker when he was only three years old, watching Daffy Duck cartoons in his hometown of Portland, Oregon. (He credits the rainy climate there for nurturing his drawing skills and imagination.) His latest feature, Hair High, was completed back in January 2004, but it's only making its way into theaters now. Pulse sat down with Bill to talk about his past successes, get the dirt behind the hold up with this new flick, and pump him for advice for today's emerging filmmakers.

You scored a second Oscar nomination for Guard Dog in 2005. How you came up with the concept behind that short?
It was actually inspired by a real dog that I saw walking in this park in Chelsea. It started barking at a bird, and in my head, I made up this whole story about why it was so upset; I decided that the dog thought the bird was trying to kill his master. I think some of my best ideas are spawned by natural phenomena. As a filmmaker, you have to be curious about life. In my movies, I'm trying to explain why people act the way they do.

So, why has it taken you so long to releaseHair High?
Making this movie was a long, tortuous saga. I started out with such high expectations: Martha Plimpton signed on and helped me bring on some big name talent like Sarah Silverman, Dermot Mulroney, and David Carradine. The storyline was one of my most entertaining and funny. But then I ran into debt, and couldn't afford the editing and sound work that it needed—a version of the film that wasn't what I wanted hit the festival circuit. I got a few offers from distributors, but ultimately, I decided to put the movie out on my own. Fast forward to the summer of 2007, when I was finally able to make the changes I wanted for the theatrical release using profits from foreign sales.

So obviously, it doesn't get any easier. What advice do you have for animators who are just starting out?
It's a good time to be a filmmaker—people are hungry for content, whether it's on TV, the Internet or in the theaters. I tell everyone three things: keep it short (under five minutes), cheap (under a thousand dollars a minute) and funny. Then hit the festival circuit. And draw all the time. It's a lot of fun, and it will make you better.

If you live in New York, meet Bill on April 6th or 7th, when he introduces Hair High at two midnight shows at the IFC. The movie opens in Los Angeles at Laemmle's Sunset 5 on April 13th, and at Chicago's Portage Theater May 26th.

RANDOM TANGENT:
Bill will be at New York's IFC Film Center Wednesday at 7 p.m. to show new shorts (including his music videos for Kanye West and Weird Al Yankovic) and to premiere his short film Shut Eye Hotel. Everyone gets a free sketch!

Similar Topics:Animation, Film

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