Left to right: Joseph Ryan (art director), Ryan Farriss (producer), Richie Ellison (director), Lauren Whitley (line producer), and Deven Langston (lead animator) on the set of their short film "CMYK" (Photo by Kyle Head)
Team members of Pixel Drop, a local film production studio, are on their way to France to participate in the Cannes Film Festival, taking place May 17-28. Because of their success in winning the 48-Hour Film Project multiple years in a row, they were one out of 25 teams worldwide given the opportunity to pitch an idea in the HP Masters of Short Film competition, in partnership with Cannes. They then were selected as one of four finalists invited to Cannes to screen their film and attend the awards ceremony on Saturday, May 20. The concept driving the competition was "The Power of Ink," which examines how diversity should be celebrated. Pixel Drop's short film, titled “CMYK,” is named after the colors of inhabitants of four separate kingdoms. These inhabitants, who at the start of the film are reluctant to integrate, eventually come together, demonstrating the value of unity. We sat down with the Richmond natives, Director Richie Ellison, Producer Ryan Farriss and Art Director Joseph Ryan, to talk about their work.
Richmond Magazine: What were some strategies you used in creating a film to mirror the theme of the competition? How did you approach the idea of celebrating diversity?
Ellison: We kind of backed up and decided to take [more of a] fable approach. We somehow got on the theme of 'Look how Dr. Seuss told really serious stories but in a really fun way' that everybody can kind of plug themselves into the story.
Ryan: I kind of let my mind run wild. I started thinking [about the subjects of the film], 'Well, what do their kingdoms look like?' It ended up being actual ink cartridges upside down ... just kind of thinking about that world.
RM: How did the overall message of celebrating diversity affect each of you personally?
Farriss: I like the fact that [the message is] not pointed in one specific area. It’s very overarching … it encompasses everything. We didn’t want to tell one story of diversity. Anybody can relate to this and put themselves in this situation. I like that I can show my kids or anybody’s kids and they can connect with it.
Ryan: If we were to tell a story about a specific group, then we are immediately keeping out all of these other groups. And not just race but gender and age ... How can we paint a picture that is universal? So anybody, anywhere can think, ‘Oh, I get this.’
Art Director Joseph Ryan watches the monitor below the storyboards of the film. (Photo by Kyle Head)
RM: What are you hoping to gain from Cannes?
Ellison: I think we’ve been doing the 48 [Hour Film Project] for awhile now and we’ve really gelled as a team, so it’s been such a great experience for us. We can now move onto bigger and better things without the time constraint. Getting some notoriety for our team, some recognition for what Pixel Drop has done and what they can do and to see what’s next is great.
RM: What's next for Pixel Drop?
Farriss: We are doing this year’s 48 [Hour Film Project] again. But I think we’ve got our minds on some new concepts. ... If we can gel as a team and do so well in 48 hours, it makes us think 'Well, what can we do if we just let ourselves go?' The possibilities are endless.
Behind the scenes on the set of "CMYK," during the final shot of the film's setup (Photo by Kyle Head)
Pixel Drop's short film "CMYK" shows on Saturday, May 20, at the HP/48HFP "Power of Ink" screening at the Cannes Film Festival in France.
