S. Maschwitz

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The Orphanage

Stuart Maschwitz: Computer Animation / Visual Effects Jury Member

After working for ILM you have set up your own FX-firm: the Orphanage, specialized in digital video. Why? Why is DV the medium of choice for you?

Maschwitz: Our VFX department has no particular allegiance to DV - we are currently at work on a couple of feature films that were shot on film. But for our original productions we have run the gamut from consumer miniDV to the Panavision/Sony 24p HD camera. As a company, shooting digitally allows us the most creative control over our work. Personally, I think back to shooting films when I was a kid - while I was growing up, video cameras and computers were evolving at the same time, and by the time I got to high school and then to film school, you could use them together very effectively to create effects not easily achievable on film. The only problem was that the quality wasn't there. Now that problem has been solved, and we are able to extend our DV production methods into large-scale projects such as feature films and music videos.

At last year's Ars Electroncica Symposium you have said: Your goal is nothing less than to 'scare the pants off Hollywood.' The DV technology may change the whole production procedure. But is that enough to achieve this goal? What about the content?

Maschwitz: Digital video did scare the studios initially, but now I think its fair to say we intend to become an active part of what's going on in Hollywood, bringing our expertise to bear creating content that we find compelling. I actually don't think anyone should care that an Orphanage film was hot digitally, but I hope that they learn to expect good things when they see our logo in front of a film.

You just have finished your first music video for Cher. What kind of experience was this?

Maschwitz: It was an amazing experience in so many ways - to have the opportunity to work with an artist of her magnitude, someone who is truly a cultural icon, is one thing. But the most intense part for me was finding a common ground with her where we both had this very strong sense of what kind of message we wanted to put out there after the terrible events of September 11th. To me it's really much more than a music video.

It is the first time that you are member of the Computer Animation /Visual Effects Jury at Prix Ars Electronica. What kind of works are looking forward to see? What are the criteria a work must fulfil so that you would suggest it for the Golden Nica? How will you deal with the problem: Hollywood vs. independent productions?

Maschwitz: I'm looking forward to the opportunity to shed my technical knowledge and concentrate fully on story and my emotional reaction to the work. Filmmaking is of course a technical art, but the piece that catches my eye will be the one that invites me to participate in the experience without overtly calling attention to its techniques. The nice thing is that this criteria can be safely applied regardless of whether the piece in question is a low-budget homebrew endeavor or a studio-funded film, because no one has a monopoly on good storytelling!




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