Strange frame
Encyclopedia
Strange Frame is a film by musician Shelley Doty and filmmaker GB Hajim. It began in 1999 when they decided to collaborate on a project using their individual talents and their passion for science fiction
especially that of John Varley
and Shinichiro Watanabe
.
They agreed that some of the protagonists had to be gay
, bisexual, transsexual and omnisexual. All had to be of color because they believed that not too long from now everyone would be of color. They also were clear that the issue of race and sex would be non-issues in the setting of the 29th century.
They began with creating a backstory and television series done in GB's unique cutout animation
style.
With the backstory and pilot episode in hand, they impressed some Hollywood insiders on their pavement pounding through tinseltown, but no pre-sales agreement was secured.
In 2001, MTV
made an offer, but wanted to own all copyrights to the project including ancillary rights.
The following year Shelley and GB sketched out the arc for a tetralogy
and wrote the screenplay that would become the first installment: strange frame: Love & Sax.
, which is one of the most economically depressed parts of the state. He went to the local high schools and colleges to find talented youth to train for this project. From a pool of applicants, he trained 14 artists ages ranging from 13 to 23 in computer art and animation. They recorded the initial dialog at Palm Records
on the island just a month before the sound engineer and owner, Charles Brotman, won a Grammy Award
.
Part of the decision to go with cutout style instead of CG was one of creating a sustainable industry in East Hawaii. CG is being done all over the globe. Most productions do their animation work in Asia. By working in a medium that is fringe and hard to reproduce, "strange frame" has led to a production pipeline that cannot be found anywhere else.
In 2005, pre-production was completed and the animation of the feature began. Each semester, high school students join the team through the Hui'ana Mentorship Program sponsored by the Hawaii State Department of Education. Over 40 interns have trained at the small shack that holds the production facility. GB continues to reach out to the different schools around the state to find talent that would otherwise leave for the mainland or, worse, not find a home for their abilities.
In 2008, Academy Award winning mixer Gary RIzzo of Skywalker Sound
joined the team vowing to create the best surround sound experience ever.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
especially that of John Varley
John Varley (author)
John Herbert Varley is an American science fiction author.-Biography:Varley grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, moved to Port Arthur in 1957, and graduated from Nederland High School. He went to Michigan State University on a National Merit Scholarship because, of the schools that he could afford, it...
and Shinichiro Watanabe
Shinichiro Watanabe
is a Japanese anime filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer. He is known for directing the popular anime series Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo.Watanabe is known for blending together multiple genres in his anime creations...
.
They agreed that some of the protagonists had to be gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, bisexual, transsexual and omnisexual. All had to be of color because they believed that not too long from now everyone would be of color. They also were clear that the issue of race and sex would be non-issues in the setting of the 29th century.
They began with creating a backstory and television series done in GB's unique cutout animation
Cutout animation
Cutout animation is a technique for producing animations using flat characters, props and backgrounds cut from materials such as paper, card, stiff fabric or even photographs...
style.
With the backstory and pilot episode in hand, they impressed some Hollywood insiders on their pavement pounding through tinseltown, but no pre-sales agreement was secured.
In 2001, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
made an offer, but wanted to own all copyrights to the project including ancillary rights.
The following year Shelley and GB sketched out the arc for a tetralogy
Tetralogy
A tetralogy is a compound work that is made up of four distinct works, just as a trilogy is made up of three works....
and wrote the screenplay that would become the first installment: strange frame: Love & Sax.
Production process
In the Fall of 2004, preproduction began. GB had an offer to produce the film overseas, but was committed to enriching life in his local community. GB lives in East HawaiiHawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, which is one of the most economically depressed parts of the state. He went to the local high schools and colleges to find talented youth to train for this project. From a pool of applicants, he trained 14 artists ages ranging from 13 to 23 in computer art and animation. They recorded the initial dialog at Palm Records
Palm Records
Palm Records is a multi-award winning record label based in Kamuela on the Big Island of Hawaii. It is known for its acoustic guitar trio Kohala, its catalog of slack key guitar recordings, and as the first recipient of the Grammy Award for Best Hawaiian Music Album: "Slack Key Guitar Volume 2",...
on the island just a month before the sound engineer and owner, Charles Brotman, won a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
.
Part of the decision to go with cutout style instead of CG was one of creating a sustainable industry in East Hawaii. CG is being done all over the globe. Most productions do their animation work in Asia. By working in a medium that is fringe and hard to reproduce, "strange frame" has led to a production pipeline that cannot be found anywhere else.
In 2005, pre-production was completed and the animation of the feature began. Each semester, high school students join the team through the Hui'ana Mentorship Program sponsored by the Hawaii State Department of Education. Over 40 interns have trained at the small shack that holds the production facility. GB continues to reach out to the different schools around the state to find talent that would otherwise leave for the mainland or, worse, not find a home for their abilities.
In 2008, Academy Award winning mixer Gary RIzzo of Skywalker Sound
Skywalker Sound
Skywalker Sound is the sound effects, sound editing, sound design, sound mixing and music recording division of George Lucas' Lucas Digital motion picture group. Its main facilities are located in Lucas Valley, near Nicasio, California...
joined the team vowing to create the best surround sound experience ever.