INTERVIEW WITH BECKY JAMES, <br>DIRECTOR OF "SNAKE" - Rooftop - Blogs

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DIRECTOR OF "SNAKE"

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INTERVIEW WITH BECKY JAMES,
DIRECTOR OF "SNAKE"

By Rooftop Films on 11/13/2008

Filed under: Animation, Comedy, Rooftop Filmmakers, Watch Short Films

Deceptively playful, Snake is a film about stubbornness in the face of change.

Rooftop Films: What was your inspiration?

Becky James: I wanted to make something about growing up and I was kind of feeling like people were forcing me into situations that made me have to change. And then I knocked out nine teeth falling down the stairs. So I had the premise and then I just figured out each scene as I wrapped up the previous one. Animating by hand is so slow that you have lots of time to get to know the character and world and you can kind of just let the situations play out on their own.

RF: Are you a full-time filmmaker? If not, what else are you up to?

BJ: I also work at James Fuentes LLC, a downtown gallery that shows contemporary art. It is actually really great working there although the job makes it easy to feel satisfied and productive when I am doing nothing of my own stuff. Usually I am motivated by boredom.

RF: What is your current/next project?

BJ: I am working on a new film about a camel. I lost a couple weeks of work when I moved and kind of had a breakdown but actually just yesterday some friends found it in their basement. yay! although I already finished redoing that section last Tuesday.

RF: If you've been to a Rooftop show, how was the experience?

BJ: I went to a couple of shows and they were awesome. The crowds were just enormous which was super exciting and the other work was really smart and unique, the kind of stuff I was hoping to see when I first started going to festivals but remained almost completely elusive for ages.

Tags: Animation, Becky James, IFC, Rooftop Films, Short, Snake