American Golden Picture
International Film Festival
AN INTERVIEW WITH Jonathan Nolan, DIRECTOR
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As filmmaker, please introduce yourself.
I’m Jonathan Nolan. I began as a published author before branching out into directing,
with mixed results until more recently when I focused on animated productions to great effect.
“Jonathan Nolan is a writer, artist, poet and published author and game designer. He is the originator of the FASERIPopedia retroclone OSR superhero game and its licensed spinoff
"FASERIP Tidal Wave Comics sourcebook" range created in cooperation with Tidal Wave Comics.
Most recently, he has written and published EPIC FANTASY, an OGL-D&D game combining the entire OGC SRD from the world's most popular fantasy role-playing game with FASERIPopedia's wildly successful rules.
More recently he has expanded his business to include animation productions and other
film and TV related projects, all self funded.”
Why you became a filmmaker as director and producer?
I wanted to see my stories come to life, communicate themselves to a mass audience and contribute to popular culture.
I knew that the only way to do that in our post-literacy dark age is through moving pictures. On a more positive note, successful film making transcends specific languages, especially when it comes to moving art – animation.
Please give us some more information about yourself and the films you have made so far,
about your experience?
I made stop motion animations such as ROOG, Time Traveller, The Eyes Have It and so on a decade ago,
to no great response. More recently I have produced various 2.5D animated movies and series,
and most have met with considerable success. The most successful in terms of prizes won so far
is WRATH OF THE TITANS: ARGOS although Nightworks is very rapidly earning
awards and plaudits and is licensed for distribution to Zvoid and Ganjing World. It’s a start 😊
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What are the films or people that had impacts on you and deeply inspired you to become a filmmaker?
David Lynch for Twin Peaks – more as a cautionary tale than direct inspiration;
Orson Welles for his performances and his mise en scene; John Carpenter for having the courage and genius to add his own unique visions to the milieu of popular film.
You have made your wonderful film "Nightworks" which got official selection in the
"American Golden Picture International Film Festival".
As a filmmaker, why you decided to make it?
"Nightworks" is the project closest to my heart and focused the most on some of my own
long term passions and interests. As with anything touching on the truth of the Mothman,
it has been plagued already by disruption, deceit, unpleasant surprises and tragedy. Despite this, or because of it,
I believe that my cast and crew will distill the essence of one of the great folklore myths of the 20th Century
for a new audience in the 21st - and far beyond.
I wrote that as the director’s statement on FilmFreeway and I stand by it. I haven’t put “based on true stories”
at the front of Nightworks – but I could have!
What were some of the challenges you faced in making this specific film?
Previous efforts in animation have had some clumsy and irritating animated sequences.
For Nightworks wherever at all possible we have made sure the animation is as smooth as we can make it.
Let us more about your experience in this film?
Mothman, the Toynbee Tiles, Indrid Cold, Milabs and the Minority Society all actually exist. So does the sinister secret organization DISC. This reality means that very little, surprisingly little, in Nightworks is actually purely fictional.
The Crew supports the story in a very effective way. What was it like to work with them?
A great experience. Rob Kilpatrick in particular is an incredibly skilled animator.
For you what was the biggest lesson you had to learn after making this film?
As a film maker you have to live your truth. Express your own truth with no filter and accept that whether
the audience welcomes your voice or not – is pure chance.
What keeps you inspired to continue filmmaking?
The burning urge to communicate the mystery and wonder of our haunted planet.
The most important part is distributing the film.
What did you do for distributing your feature film "Nightworks"?
Nightworks has been submitted to FilmHub, Amazon Prime and also has its own website www.m0thman.com
where the episodes can be watched as they are completed but where there are also direct buying links.
What are your filmmaking goals?
Reach the maximum audience possible. Reach the whole world, and change it, hopefully for the better.
What is your next project?
WET, a Heavy Metal inspired story about Amanda, the Last Girl on Earth, and a gigantic monster half ape and
half jungle vegetation.
Thank you and GOOD LUCK Jonathan
Website:
IMdb Page:
https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt30399823/
Social Media:
https://twitter.com/EFGamemaster
