Best animated short film, 2010 Academy Awards

Q. I'm going to ask you a question in French if you don't mind?
A. I don't mind.


Q. French?
A. Maybe I should answer in English.


Q. French?
A. French.


Q. Congratulations.
A. Thank you very much.


Q. You chose to make the film in English and it is also interesting to me that Ronald McDonald is the villain of the piece. What kind of comments are you making about American commercialism and how it spread around the world?
A. The film is set in Los Angeles and also because of geographic reasons it's I don't think it's a film about America or about Los Angeles or California. I think it's about our modern western world. So it also applies to France and to I don't know, Buenos Aires, where I'm from, so it's not about Americans. It's about the way we live and the way we are not affected, but the way we react to these logos. I think there's a that says when we when we close the eyes and open it very fast, we can see the exterior, about 40 logos, without noticing so your brain produces about 40 levels in less than one second. So the idea with this film is, well, you can think about the logo this film is about total logo.

Everything is logo so you don't see that and I think that's what happens is in real life you don't see that, so making them characters sets some props (sic) and making the whole world of logo I think it's just a couple about what regarding the you say he's the villain. Yeah, I think he's the nicest character of the film. I think Ronald should be proud to be the main character of this film. And the film is not talking about what the logos represent. The logos are used for what they are. So we are not saying I don't know McDonald is not doing good sandwiches. We are just just Ronald playing in the film. I mean, he just did the actor for us. So yeah, I don't know if I answered your question.


Q. Nicholas, hi. Congratulations.
A. Thank you.


Q. Unfortunately your three directors were not able to come here with you. Did you speak about collaborating with them and just a little bit about the whole experience of getting this film?
A. I met the three directors in 2004. They already had a little screen from the first story board of him so they already had worked on the film. And they worked together at the time at animation and graphic studio called H5 Studio and basically the work with them was very easy because they are themselves directing music videos an also advertising, so they do very well.The logos, the brands and they knew how to play with them so I think it was also for them very cathartic being able to play with the logos after being after working with them for so many years it was like freedom for them. In terms of directing and technically and artistically, I mean, they are very mature and very I don't know. It looked like they already had done so many films even if this was their first short film.

Their first personal author film, but they were very professional and it was very easy to work with them. They shared some tasks, some doing more about preparing story board and gathering the logos. The other one was more about doing the animatic (sic) and building the film, the editing and one was supervising the animation. And so it was they were like complementary. And when you work with many people, and especially many directors, sometimes they don't agree. In the end I think the film is very great, and they did a really great job. And I have to say it took longer than Avatar. It took more directors than Avatar.


Q. Congrats. Great film. Congrats on the award. I'm curious. Given a lot of trademark used in the film what are the distribution plans here in the States, and have you encountered any legal resistance because of that?
A. Not yet. So I hope that this little man will protect me from everything that could come, but the film is being distributed in festivals, in Cannes Film Festival in May 2009 and so far nothing really happened, let's say. Or at least we received some e mails from brands that were happy to be in it. For instance, like two weeks ago we received a very nice e mail from the Los Angeles Zoo. They were really happy to be in the film. We didn't ask anybody. Of course, if not I think the film would not exist today, so we're happy to have taken the decision to make it anyway. So yeah, basically I think it's it would be it would not be good for them if I mean, if they do something bad to us. And to him. But I have to say that I would like to share also this award with my lawyer. He became like my best friend basically.


Q. Thank you so much. Congratulations.
A. Thank you.