Interviews
YAIR LANDAU: 7 Questions
I spoke with Yair Landau (former president of Sony Pictures Digital) on November 14th, 2008 at 3:45 about his latest project. Yair will produce and direct, along with sponsorship from Intel and Aniboom, a short animated film called, “Live Music”, which is inspired by Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and early Pixar shorts. The most innovative element of the project is that the theatrical elements will be created by Facebook members who upload pre-made models and sets using Maya (60 day free trial version is available) and submit the animated results on www.facebook.com/massanimation. Submissions are open through Jan. 30, 2009. Animators, regardless of experience, may begin work immediately, and community voting will open Nov. 24. The final work promises to be “the first collaborative, worldwide effort to produce a computer-generated animated short film for theatrical release.” The final release of the short is expected to be between summer and fall of 2009.
Aniboom is a virtual production studio that leverages the web to identify and qualify global talent for creating animated content for distribution across film, TV, mobile, online and gaming platforms. Aniboom is behind the worldwide contest earlier this year to create Radiohead’s new animated music video which received more than 1000 entries, representing more than 150 cities, 40 countries and 5 continents.
AWD: Where did the idea of this project come from?
YAIR LANDAU: I had been noticing the growing power of Wikis and discussed their use on Facebook with a friend there. I thought it could be very powerful to bring a crowd together to tell a story.
AWD: It is quite a departure on how you have worked in the past. Is this collaborative process something you will continue?
YAIR LANDAU: I had actually started a user generated audio and video site for SONY in 2001 called Screenblast. I was born on a socialist farm (a "kibbutz") so I have long been a fan of collaborative approaches.
AWD: What excites you most about this idea?
YAIR LANDAU:I am excited to tell a story and involve thousands of people in bringing it to life.
AWD: What are the advantages of creating content in this way?
YAIR LANDAU: This is a truly global approach, we have fans on our Facebook page from Peoria and Pakistan. It also allows for more creative input from a more diverse group. Most importantly, there are a large group of people who feel a part of our story and characters.
AWD: How does this idea fit in with the future of generating media content?
YAIR LANDAU: I believe this is going to be an important step in the continuing democratization of creativity. It is now possible to create animation on your desktop that it used to take teams of people.
AWD: How will the final animation be released?
YAIR LANDAU:We are in negotiations for theatrical release next summer/fall with several studios.
AWD: Are there any projects you still dream of producing?
YAIR LANDAU:There are several other stories that I am excited about and am currently developing.
