#dr easy

    Congratulations on Dr. Easy; how did the premiere go at Edinburgh?

  Thank you. The reaction at Edinburgh was fantastic. We've been there many times before showing music videos, but for once we felt like 'grown-up' film makers.   You’ve been responsible for some of the more original sequences in modern cinema (including the title sequence for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), as well some highly regarded music videos. How did working on your own project compare to working to someone else’s specifications?

Actually we've been tremendously fortunate throughout our career to have great freedom in what we do. If the client, band or Director doesn't like what you do then you don't get hired in the first place, so generally we're never compromising. That said, what we do is commercial art. And films to me are really where art and commerce really lock horns, because films are so expensive to make.   With three of you working together is it difficult to keep your ideas concise, especially when working on a short?

Not at all, the opposite in fact. If one person has a notion, then it has to be good in order for the other two to salute it. Everything is thoroughly questioned and the result is always concise.   You worked with three companies to bring this short to life: Film4, Warp Films and Jellyfish Pictures. How did you come to work with them?

We met Mark Herbert from Warp many years ago when we were first considering making films. He was very generous with his time, and encouraging, which left a lasting impression. After we finally wrote the first draft of our feature, we sent it to Warp and to our surprise and delight they were really into it. Warp already have a relationship with Film4, and so we naturally went to see them about our script. We met an incredibly enthusiastic ally there, Anna Higgs, who really responded to the project and made the short happen. We met with quite a few VFX houses about the short. Jellyfish Pictures were really excited about the project and that energy was vital to us. It was Ally our producer who recognised that Jellyfish Pictures shared the same goals as us - they're growing while we're growing. He was right and they're a great fit with us.   Dr. Easy is based on The Red Men, by Matthew De Abaitua, what was it about this novel that appealed to you?

The novel is bursting at the seams with interesting, original ideas. The fact that it is set in Hackney, where we live and work, was the icing on the cake.   You’re working on a feature length version of it?

The feature actually came first. We've written a first draft, which is what we took to Warp and subsequently Film4. The opportunity to make a short based in the world of the feature was mooted and we jumped at it. 'Dr. Easy' is a sort of trial run, a tester and a teaser.     The short feels rather complete, a segment of a wider world, will this be included at all in the feature length?

No, not at all, this is a standalone film. But it DOES belong in the wider world of 'The Red Men.' Dr. Easy robots exist in the feature length story, but the events of the short have no impact.     Your short barely hints at the overall themes of the novel on which it’s based; in fact the only hint at the total Orwellian society is the access to information that Dr. Easy has. Was this purposeful, so as just to hint at the feature length? Yes, exactly. It would be impossible to contain all of the themes of the novel in a feature film, and impossible to contain all of the themes of our adaptation in a short. We wanted the short to be a taster. To whet your appetite. We think there's some interesting ideas in 'Dr. Easy', but you have to imagine that 'The Red Men' would have this times ten.