Channel Frederator Blog

I came across Nina Paley’s website recently, and was mesmerized by this film she did. It’s a simple concept, but the way she executes her film will definitely change your “perspective” on the game of fetch!

Says Paley, “Fetch!” started long ago as a cardboard puzzle-game I designed, a thing that let you put tiles together to create optical illusions. When I got into animation in 1998, it occurred to me I could make a film based on the same principles. I animated it with Flash at 24fps on a black “Wall Street” PowerBook, with the intention of rendering it to 35mm film. And render I did, with Monaco Labs in San Francisco. “Fetch!” was the first Flash-to-35mm festival film I’m aware of. It didn’t make a huge splash when it came out in 2001, but it’s enjoyed a long slow build of popularity, especially among kids and kid’s festivals. Which is strange because I didn’t have kids in mind when I made it, but I ain’t complaining. The excellent original score is by Nik Phelps and the Sprocket Ensemble. The puzzle-game thing remains unpublished.”

Thanks Nina for you submission!

Melissa