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Stay Tooned - Keep an eye on Long Branch’s Michael Attardi – Animation’s New Maestro
05/02/2008 - By Tobi Drucker Tesoriero
Animation’s New Maestro
Who among us hasn’t been a cartoon or animation fan during at least one point in our lives? For some, cartoons and animation are a passing phase, while for others they become an obsession...
Who among us hasn’t been a cartoon or animation fan during at least one point in our lives? For some, cartoons and animation are a passing phase, while for others they become an obsession; sometimes that obsession or fascination works its way into adulthood in a way that can change a life. That is exactly what happened to Michael Attardi, Long Branch’s native son. Artistic, thoughtful, creative, athletic, accomplished, directed, and philosophical, Michael has become one of the top recognized talents in the field of animation.
Through his production company, Dream Balloon, Attardi is presently working on a feature-length animated film titled Snowyville. The short film, Once Upon a ChristmasVillage, his company’s previous offering, has been honored with extraordinary success and has won 68 industry awards, from Cannes to our own local Garden State Film Festival. In fact, it has garnered the most awards ever for an “Indie” animated film in one year!
Michael has been likened to Walt Disney; his talent has been acclaimed by his peers and fans alike. Despite all these accolades, Michael remains unaffected and stays the course, while remaining true to his artistic drive. He is focused and determined to continue making a quality product. He shares that one of his primary objectives is to return wonder to our lives – to reintroduce the amazement and awe inspired by the imaginative mind – and is dedicated to keeping a spiritual aspect in his films through clever stories and rich characters.
Michael Attardi was kind enough to give Living In – The Jersey Shore an in-depth look at his creative process.
LIJS: In researching your accomplishments, I found that you are involved in a myriad ofactivities – the arts, sports, music, animation, writing, etc. How would you define yourself?
MA: I would say…wow, that’s a tough one. I guess all my life I have tried to be creative. I have always tried to think outside the box in terms of how I get involved in a project. I have a love for music. I feel music drives any sort of story. When I got into screenwriting I found myself being led by the music into telling the story. I admire people like Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Rodgers and Hart, and Sondheim; they are all genius at it. I would love to get in their heads. I have also tried to take on different projects – either in football, moviemaking, or songwriting – and try to take it to the next level. It is a burden at times because you put 120% of yourself into your art. It takes a lot of time…time away from your family, time away from friends.
LIJS: Are you able to break down and explain your creative process? For instance, do you hear the music before you write it, or do you have an idea and then work on details? Can you identify what “it” is?
MA: I have always said that I think it is divine intervention at times (laughs) because I would literally wake up at around 4 am and remember actual lyrics or a certain melody. I just started to wake up at night. It would drive my wife crazy and she would ask, “What are you doing now?” And I would say, “I am not getting on the computer. I just have this song that is in my head.” I wrote my first soundtrack around 10 years ago. That is the soundtrack for the film I am working on now. The short was Once Upon a Christmas Village. We are now in the process of making it into a feature film called Snowyville. All the music came to me about 10 years ago.
LIJS: So, you just pare it down for the short?
MA: If you look at my soundtrack from 10 years ago and look at it now, it looks nothing alike. I would say there are probably 20 songs from it that I just put away. They are not going to be in this movie. I had to cut it down to around 12. That was hard. You think you have a place for everything, and then you get the script and say “how am I going to put 20 songs in this feature film?” It is impossible; so I had to do some cutting. That is probably the most difficult part of my job.
LIJS: How so?
MA: Having to cut things that you have created. It’s not like I take the songs and throw them away. I have learned that you can recycle. I think where they can come back to me, where they can help move another story.
LIJS: Any more on your creative process?
MA: How I do the writing is I get a conceptual base on the characters. I think it’s important that the songs are made for the character. If you have strong characters, you can tell the story. That is how I go into screenwriting with the music and characters. You have two important elements that can drive a story.
LIJS: So the characters drive the story versus the story driving the characters?
MA: Yes, that is the thinking outside the box. Normally, you come up with the story and the plot and then proceed. But if you don’t have the strong characters, you can’t get a good plot. That is the problem a lot of writers make because they are taught this way. You have to have an antagonist, a protagonist, and you have to have a certain structure. Of course, there has to be structure, but if you don’t have those characters to make that structure work then it won’t. If you look at Forrest Gump, the character of Gump is what drives that story. People don’t always get that.
LIJS: I always felt the pitch meeting for that project must have been interesting. Simpleton from the South encounters every historical event in modern times. I can’t imagine how it got sold! But it was charming.
MA: But that is just it. People relate to the character. Think of your own life. People are going to touch you along the way. That is what storytelling is. If you can relate to people in a nostalgic and human way then you are getting your whole message and story across.
LIJS: Since you do everything…
MA: I don’t like to do everything (laughs), but I was always told by my late grandfather that “no one does it better than yourself.” He was so right about that, but I am now at a point that like, “Pop, man, I can’t do it all by myself.”
LIJS: Are you comfortable with that?
MA: Hmm, well, it is a control thing that I have. It’s not driven by ego; it’s driven by…I want to be successful in what I do because it has got my name to it, and I don’t ever want someone to say, “Oh, this is another Mike Attardi film” (said in droll, monotone voice). I want them to say (said in animated and excited voice), “This is a Mike Attardi film!” They know it is going to be quality, they know that I am going to put those details in it that are going to touch everyone.
LIJS: Briefly, for people unfamiliar with the industry, you are a director, writer, and producer. Can you give a quick snapshot of each role?
MA: Sure. Well as a writer, of course, I write the story. As a music composer, I write the music…with a partner, Dani Donadi. He is from Venice, Italy. He worked for Disney for many years. That’s how I got to know him. He got my philosophy and I got his, and we just started to write. It is going to be 11 years now. We just wrote and wrote. So I now have eight completed soundtracks for films; we’re talking over 138 songs. As music producer, one of my favorite times is when we are actually producing the songs. I sit down with Dani. The melodies are mine in terms of structure, the lyrics are written by me, and then Dani is the most incredible composer and arranger. He takes my ideas and puts them down.
LIJS: Have you had formal music training?
MA: Actually, yes and no. I went to Westminster Chorus College for a semester to learn more about theory as well as composing. I always had a love for it, but I don’t always have the patience for it. That is the problem. I am high-strung and want to get a lot done in a little time. Music composing demands a lot of time. It was interrupting my creativity because once you start thinking about notes, about structure, you are forgetting about the flow of a song. So, I find it easier to sing into a microphone; the melody comes so quickly and the lyrics come so quickly, and then I give that to Dani and let him take care of it.
LIJS: There are just so many hours in a day…
MA: Yes, and I found that the key to this business is to surround yourself with smarter people who know their field and what they do best. As a producer I like to know what everyone does because that’s my job. Being a producer is one of the most stressful but most fun jobs I have. It is putting together a team. You will work with them for over 2 years on the actual project. Being a director is one the most creative things that I love to do. It allows me to work with my animation team, my animation supervisors, composite, modeling, animation, lighting, special effects, and so on. We all get together and I am giving them conceptual ideas and things that I want to put forward with the movie. Like I would say I want two dogs, a pig, and a cow in this scene, and go through the whole thing. First, they’ll say we can’t do that. And I say let’s go through and find a way to do it. That has been my whole slogan. If we have a problem, let’s find a solution. That has been through my whole life.
LIJS: That covers music, writing, producing, and directing. What about animation? Do you get involved in the technical aspects of animation?
MA: I get down and dirty!
LIJS: What made you pick animation as your vehicle?
MA: You mean versus live action? The appeal was always Walt Disney. I am a big fan of Hanna-Barbera, Ollie Johnson, Chuck Jones. These guys were inspirations. I loved their storytelling. I loved how they brought animation and life together in terms of making the characters real. If you look at Bugs Bunny, there is so much adult content in it that goes over the kids’ heads. That is the mastery of what they did. Walt was famous for it. He made Mickey Mouse this loveable character. But he was very sarcastic at times…and witty. This was a character that I think was Walt’s alter ego. I remember the “Wonderful World of Disney” show every Sunday. I was more excited listening to Walt speak about Disney than the actual show. He made kids believe that you can have an imagination, that you can have creativity, that everything is not black and white, and that there is so much color out there. In terms of me getting into this format, it was to pay homage to where he [Walt] left off and where I wanted to be. I also try to emulate what they do over at Pixar.
LIJS: What is it that you try to emulate?
MA: Structure. What’s special about Walt and Pixar is they value their animators and make them feel part of the creative team and the innovation. They have come up with these incredible stories, like Toy Story or The Incredibles. These are all inventive, new movies that have inspired kids today and define animation. When we grew up, we were inspired by Bambi and Pinocchio.
LIJS: Can you discuss how the technology has changed?
MA: The technology is amazing. Two-dimensional [animation] will always have a place, but Ifeel 3-D allows you to take a character to the third dimension. What I tried to do differently in our short film was to marry live action with 3-D, with an HD (high definition) format using a borescope. The borescope was invented by Panavision for George Lucas for the Star Wars movies. I always loved that look and depth of field. Lucas is another hero of mine. He was groundbreaking in terms of technology and is a great storyteller. I searched the Internet and found a borescope, down in Texas from a guy who was a big Star Wars fan and had worked for Lockheed Martin. This guy actually made a converter for the lens for the HD cameras.
LIJS: So for the non-technical, what are you shooting with this lens if it is an animated feature?
MA: Well, what I am doing is, I take a live action shot of a miniature. It is a physical model as well as a set. We do a lot of special effects that make these models look like a real village. I use CGI and motion capture. Motion capture is a great technology for an animator. I literally got into a suit that is outfitted with reflecting balls at all the joints. Twenty-four cameras and infrared frames capture all the movement of the balls so that is the skeleton. They use the model of the character and place it on this skeleton and that becomes its movement. It is a great technology. Relatively new to the film business, it has been a gaming product for a long time. We are actually learning a lot from gaming. It is amazing how they get their renderings of characters much more quickly. We are taking some of that technology and refining it, applying it to our field now. Our rendering time takes 5 hours now instead of 5 days, so we can make a film in 18 months instead of 3 years.
LIJS: You have your own production company. How did you come up with the name?
MA: Dream Balloon paid homage to my grandfather. He was an aspiring actor who did stunt doubling for Charlie Chaplin; he was a bit player during the silent film era. The name Dream Balloon came from the box [that showed] during a silent movie what the characters were saying.
LIJS: How did you first get involved in creative productions, and how long have you been doing it?
MA: I have been involved in entertainment [for] at least 20 years…in animation at least 10. I got involved in animation by working on projects with Gentry Akens. Gentry had worked for Disney, Hasbro, Universal, Nickelodeon; he worked on “Fat Albert” – an amazing talent.
LIJS: How did you cross paths?
MA: We crossed paths through friends. At the time, I was going to Disney monthly for research, to learn about animation, how they did it the Disney way. I felt that it was important to know what made them successful; also to learn what the people at the parks wanted. That made me a better writer.
LIJS: How did you garner that information by visiting?
MA: I spent time outside of rides. I looked at kids coming off, listened to reactions, conversations, heard [the] songs they were singing. I saw that people are still children at heart. I think we live in a society where we are so afraid to show our inner child; at those places we allow ourselves that.
LIJS: Do you have a specific agenda or mission that you want to use your films for…any special message?
MA: I think it is a spiritual, moral message that I put with all my animations. I think it’s important [that] we get back to the basics again, especially in times of uncertainty. I remember my grandmother telling me that the age of innocence died with the bombing at Pearl Harbor. I feel our age of innocence died on 9/11. We are not dealing with a named enemy. We deal with terrorism and we don’t know where it is coming from. That is the end of our innocence. I don’t want to get too political, but the world has changed. I feel I am a patriot. My great-grandfather fought in World War I, my grandfather in World War II, my father in Korea. I try to give back to my country through my art form to try to heal the people of this country.
LIJS: Please elaborate.
MA: Well, I hope to have positive messages in my films. Although my short was controversial, I always tell people I sold out. I wanted to get the quick laugh, the fart joke, things that were going to get people to go “Oh my goodness.” Santa slapped the elves around. My Santa Claus is my interpretation of corporate America. Santa Claus was brought to us by Coca-Cola in the 1920’s. In 1924, it (Christmas) became a corporate America holiday. The film has won 68 awards; we won in Cannes. It was not something planned. I knew we would get attention, as we had a bad Santa. I felt since he was made by humans he should be shown that way.
LIJS: Will the long film be made that way?
MA: No. I needed to get the attention of the film festival circuit directors and get accolades. In the circuit you are judged by adults. You need to make a film that appeals to adults. If you make a film strictly for children, it won’t get the same attention.One of the biggest accomplishments of being in the film circuit was meeting other directors and producers who share my love for filmmaking. It has made me a better artist. I think independent filmmakers are the most uncorrupted, as it comes from their hearts.
LIJS: But it is still a business. Aren’t they still affected by that fact?
MA: The problem with Hollywood is they believe their [own] hype too much. I love Hollywood, but I find they don’t listen to people like me when I say we can make a film for a third less than they think and still be 20% more profitable. All the big brokerage houses were told that $100 million is the base price for an animated film. They figure in all the fat they have, high salaries, unions…
LIJS: What happens with you as an independent?
MA: I just deal with two unions, the WGA East and the Directors Guild of America, so it is a different dynamic for me.
LIJS: Any other professional pursuits? Hobbies, causes, charitable endeavors, community activities?
MA: Well, I am a big supporter of organizations that fight cancer. I personally beat cancer. It was a turning point in my life. I felt I have been given a second chance and try to live my life now in a spiritual and moral way…that I should be doing things not for selfish reasons, but for the betterment of society. I am involved in the Make-A-Wish Foundation, where I raise money, and as a former NFL ball player, I show up at events, golf outings, and tournaments. On a more personal level, I am involved with the Brandan Blair Founda- tion, dedicated to helping a child from Spring Lake who suffers from a rare, devastating, genetic disease. I also support organizations for diabetes. I belong to NFLPA [National Football League Players Association], the Producers Guild, the Society of Musicians and Composers, and St. Michael’s Church in Long Branch.
LIJS: Can you share some personal data? Where are you from, family background, marital status, etc.?
MA: Well, I was born and raised in Long Branch. I, along with my wife, Coleen and our two sons, Mikey, age 5, and Nathaniel, 22 months, presently, live in Middletown and in the Orlando area for business. My family is my life.
LIJS: Is there anything else you’d like to add that would complete your profile?
MA: I am a man who wants to be creative, inventive in my art form, and I hope I can touch the souls and hearts of children as well as their parents; that my films can impart life lessons of love. I also would like to share – besides the people in my field that I have mentioned as inspirations – [that] my portrait would not be complete without mentioning the influence my mother has had on me. I have always admired her quiet strength during times of financial adversity or trying times of health problems. She has always been the backbone of our family. To her there never was a problem; she always stoically handles what comes at her. I can honestly say I wouldn’t be the man I am today without her.
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