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To call Sony Vaio's new animation Snow Angel a group effort would be something of an understatement. It started life as a single scene written by John Malkovich. The scene was posted onto the Sony Vaio website so that visitors could contribute their own ideas and suggestions. The ideas were then collated and fashioned into one script, which found its way to the desk of Sherbet animator, Laurie J Proud.
And the script was a pleasant surprise for Proud. "What was surprising was perhaps that the story had such a narrative flow. I expected it to be more haphazard because of the random element of getting different people to contribute. I liked the setting; the lone house in the snow and the fact that the characters were a little bit imperfect."
Snow Angel is the brainchild of digital agency Dare, which commissioned the film. The agency had its own suggestions about the mood of the piece, and much of the tone and style came from the script.
Given the collaborative nature of the work, Proud was keen not to deviate from the final script. "I had a lot of visual freedom to design the characters and the whole look. However, I didn't really change anything about the action as I felt it was my job to stick to the script," he says. "The only part of the action I had a hand in was the first appearance of the doppelganger, but there was a deliberate vagueness in that part of the script so I felt it was fine to do my take on it."
But although Proud may have been bringing Malkovich's script to life, the collaboration with the twice-Oscar nominated actor was on paper only. "He wasn't involved in any other stage, alas. I didn't get to meet John! I don't know if he's seen it," admits Proud.
It's not the first time Malkovich has been involved in publicising Sony Vaio - last year he wrote a blog for the brand as he travelled around Paris.
To view the film,
click here.
To read the script,
click here.
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