A Brief Introduction


Meni and I collaborated on the award winning CGI short The Freak after achieving success on the festival circuit with his previous film Ray Tracey in Full Tilt. This time Meni wanted to push the boundaries of this art form and write, direct, model and animate an original story. Up to this point Meni's films were group efforts and The Freak was a story Meni had wanted to tell for several years believing that technology would allow one Artist to create this film. My role would be to create and maintain the environment needed to achieve this ambitious goal and leave the creative process to Meni.

In the summer of 2001 a development team and studio for Lightwave software was established in San Francisco. The development team, long time admirers of Meni's work, approached us with a request to have Meni assist in the evolution of the software. The idea was to have a skilled artist work hand in hand with the technicians to produce practical improvements in the progression of this product. Meni and I saw this as the perfect opportunity to achieve our goal. We began the process that resulted in The Freak.

Meni left family and friends in Los Angeles and moved north to San Francisco. The enchanting surroundings and the chance to use the new studio's resources uninterrupted resulted in this film. The film was completed in the spring of 2002. Rather than submitting to festivals, Meni and I decided to celebrate the successful completion of The Freak with our friends. We enlisted the help of associates and supporters and premiered The Freak in April of 2002 outdoors in Los Angeles. The film was very well received and the festival submission process began. Since then The Freak has screened to audiences worldwide and received numerous awards.

Please check back for exclusive coverage as we continue to travel the festival circuit.

Dane Allan Smith, Artistic Manager/Producer

 



 
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