2012 has kicked off at breakneck speed here at Picasso HQ with some fantastic projects ushering in what is looking set to be a very exciting year. Added to this is the news that another fantastic talent has joined the family. Please extend your warmest welcome to The Saline Project.
This collective bring their unique charm, after years of acclaim stateside. We caught up with the boys to find out a little bit more about style, artistic values and their love for their home town of New York...
Picasso: So who are you guys?
We are Adam Toht, Ben Toht, Jesse Roff and Liam Kirtley
P: And where are you from?
Adam-
Ben and I grew up in a small town west of Chicago, Jesse grew up in New Jersey, and Liam is a brit.
Ben-
Cindy Crawford is from near our hometown.
Adam-
Cindy Crawford! Take that everyone else's home town!
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| BT: Winter Refresh |
P: And where are you now?
B: Adam and I both live in Brooklyn. Near Prospect Park. And our studio is in Gowanus, Brooklyn.
J: Hoboken, NJ.
A: And Liam is just making his way back from being in the UK for a stretch.
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| Buxton: Droplet |
P: So who are Saline Project? How did you come about?
A: I
started Saline in 1999 because I really wanted to start collaborating
with artists and filmmakers I loved and respected and wanted to expand
the scope of what I'd been doing. I'd been in tons of bands growing up,
and it made sense that we could have a filmmaking band (basically) that
could, like a band, be a small group that put out work together with a
strong, unified voice. I'd been working in film, and had experienced
this kind of splintered culture where everyone is a kind of lone gun-
jumping from one production to the next, and this idea of a small group,
working together and making work together project after project and
growing and feeding off each other had a real appeal (and gratefully it
ended up working out).
B: We
definitely function a lot like a band. We go into the studio and work
at making stuff. We share some artistic values and we each contribute in
different ways. And we're always trashing hotel rooms and stuff like
that.
J: The stuff Adam was making back in 1999 was the coolest stuff around, and I wanted to make really cool stuff too!
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| Little Monsters |
P: So when did the 'cool stuff' turn into animation?
A: We've
basically been doing animation since the beginning but didn't
completely realize it. We got big doing a kind of hybrid of live action
and animation, with live characters, shot on green screen, set into
worlds that we created- and one day we realized that all this
"animating" we had been doing was… …animation! It was such an organic
progression that we didn't fully process what was happening until we
were doing full CG characters, in CG worlds and the whole process wasn't
a big leap at all for us.
B:Yeah, really I think we just always wanted to do things that we couldn't do any other way.
J: I
knew as soon as we got Cinema 4d around 10 years ago or so that we
could make some really amazing stuff that had little to do with the
"real" world. There has always been a drive to make something cooler
and cooler- and I think that has led to a perfect fit with animation for
Saline Project.
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| The Jungle |
P: That process has led to a pretty unique aesthetic, how would you describe your style?
A: I
would say we create something in motion that is more like a painting or
graphic novel than what is normally seen on television or at the
movies. We do very design and labor intensive work that hopefully still
has heart and soul and an emotional resonance.
The
whole thing began with a series of collage studies I began doing for
paintings at art school that became better and more interesting than the
paintings. The "collages" were layered, cut out images, assembled from
bits and pieces of magazines that were then drawn and painted on to
create a pretty seamless hybrid. I was living off of these collages when
I started being exposed to film and decided I really wanted to make
these collage/paintings move. So that sparked the initial idea, then
starting saline and working with other artists the idea became bigger
and more dimensional (and better).
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| Dunkin' Donuts - Dragon |
P: Who/What has been your biggest influence in your career?
A: Funnily
enough, I would say the fact that my TV viewing, video game playing and
movie watching time was so limited (by our folks), and because I was
missing so much was one of the biggest influences on me, creatively. I
remember listening to a babysitter watching scary television shows and
imagining what was happening- and when I finally watched these shows
they were really not all that scary. So many of the shows and movies I
heard described at school as a kid just didn't live up to my
expectations. I think that created a kind of ideal, and an ability to
dream things up that has made a big impact on my life/career. In later
years, seeing tons of young artists and filmmakers using the computer to
really do anything they wanted to do- in ways that would never been
possible (unless you were born grotesquely rich or connected). I also
storyboarded features for Darren Aranofsly and Wrong Turn director Rob
Schmidt who both were amazing teachers and very generous with advice on
how to make things happen in this wonderfully complicated process.
B: Shiiit.
Well, Adam (who is my older brother) definitely heavily influenced me
growing up (and gave me a start in the business). And our parents, who
encouraged us all to be creative. Our sister, Betony, who is an amazing
writer. And I've learned a ton with Saline and all of the incredible
people that we've been lucky enough to work with.
A: Yeah, our folks limited the TV, but definitely encouraged drawing, and painting and writing. Pretty great combo actually.
J: Photography, Films, Adam, Ben, and other Saline guys who have worked with us along the way.
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| Mars Volta |
P: Where do you see the future of Saline Project?
A: I'd
love to make a feature and/or a bunch of longer form short films. I
think we do have a unique voice and I have had a pretty clear mental
picture of the next generation of what we're creating. We're better at
this than we've ever been, and now having dipped our collective toes
into telling longer stories, creating worlds and writing, that world is
kind of the next frontier for us. We have representation and interest
and all of that, but are kind of waiting for a project we know we can
make amazing. We're absolutely loving all the work we get to do right
now though and want to continue pushing everything we do. It's a ton of
fun.
B: Agreed.
J: Ditto.
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| Microsoft Windows |
P: Is there one specific project that you feel best sums up your style?
A: The
test we did for Little Monsters and The Cure Alt End music video still
embodies a lot of what we're best of. Both are dark, and graphic, but
have a lot of heart and a good sense of story. Love that test and that
video.
B: Ahhh,
I can't pick one. I love The Hives video. The Jungle is still one of my
favorites, which led to the Buxton commercial which is one of my
favorite productions ever. I love Fly Trapped in a Jar, the Alien
Musical we made with Modest Mouse. And I have a big soft spot for some
of the stranger, more comedic videos that we've made, like The Three
Cowboys.
J:Right now I'd have to say Little Monsters and The Jungle are closest to where things are moving visually and story-wise.
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| The Cure - Alt End |
P: What inspires you?
A: All
sorts of stuff really. We have a huge book collection at saline and are
seeing amazing stuff all the time. It can really be anything. From an
amazing music video to a great book, live music performances, shorts
people make- killer television. There is so much cool stuff out there. I
think we collectively believe in making new stuff that we love and
believe in but that is fun for us, but also that the average person will
really enjoy. Tim Burton (obviously a big influence) was like that for
me (and I believe all of us) as a kid, where he made these movies that
everyone would watch and love, that were jam packed with wonderful ideas
and design. He didn't have to do that, but it's so wonderful that he
did. We aspire to (hopefully) create something that communicates in that
way.
B: Music is huge for me.
J: Light, colors, shadows, music, you name it...
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| Modest Mouse - Fly Trapped in a Jar |
P: Tell us about Brooklyn, is it an inspirational place to live and work?
A: New
York is one of the greatest places to live as an artist (in my
opinion). There's just something about the energy and culture of the
city that I just haven't experienced anywhere else. Not only is it
filled with amazing artists, filmmakers, designers, and creatives of all
types, but the fact that you get on the subway with homeless people,
millionaires- people from all walks of life, all together living their
lives in what is actually not that much space- there's just something
about this city that is amazing. There's a sense of humanity and drive
here that you don't experience that often. We've been in New York (and
Brooklyn) since we formed and I can't imagine working in another place.
We have a great view of the Manhattan skyline from our studio and we
enjoy it all the time.
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