I banned them from talking about it as I was getting so nervous and then I checked the Oscar website in the afternoon and there we were! And then the phones all started ringing and Rosto gave me some flowers and champagne and whisked me off to dinner!
Suzie Templeton holds the grandfather puppet from Peter and the Wolf.
Suzie Templeton, director of Peter and the Wolf, has taken some time to answer The Six Questions. Like many of the other nominees, she is passionate about filmmaking, not about receiving awards. However, she hopes the Oscar experience gives her a chance to expand the scope of her work. Here is what she had to say:
Rick: How did you hear about your nomination? Did you wait up? Did someone call you?
Suzie: I knew we had a good chance of being nominated as the Academy had already let me know that Peter and the Wolf was on the shortlist of nine and that five would be nominated. On the day, I was working in the studio with [animator] Rosto and his assistant Elte. I banned them from talking about it as I was getting so nervous and then I checked the Oscar website in the afternoon and there we were! And then the phones all started ringing and Rosto gave me some flowers and champagne and whisked me off to dinner! Rick: Since the nominations came out has anything exciting happened because of the nomination? Suzie: I’m really excited to be going on the Oscar Showcase tour and I’m also going to visit Laika when I’m in the States. I’ve got some amazingly exciting things lined up for the near future but at the moment it feels like the calm before the storm.
Rick: What was the thing that brought you to your nominated project? Suzie: Hugh Welchman asked me if I’d like to make a film version of Peter and the Wolf for live orchestral performance. I was immediately excited by the idea of making a film with live music and also, listening to the music again, I was gripped with creative desire.
Rick: What made this project special for you?
Suzie: This was my first professional film and also my first film working with a large crew, so it was an extremely steep learning curve for me. Making Peter and the Wolf was intense in every way - brilliant and terrible all at the same time!
Rick: In the next couple weeks there will be all kinds of big events going on, is there something that you are particularly looking forward to?
Suzie: Well really its all one big crazy adventure. I’m looking forward to having a beautiful week with my Rosto in L.A. And of course it’s going to be so weird and exciting going to the Oscars. Percy Irausquin, a designer in Amsterdam, is going to lend me an amazing Oscar dress.
Rick: Anything else you’d like to add?
Suzie: I’ve just moved to Amsterdam and my aim is to find a way to make outstanding stop-motion films here. I’m starting with a short and want to make a feature next. I’m hoping the publicity surrounding all this Oscar stuff will enable me to meet some great collaborators who’d like to get involved in this Amsterdam adventure.
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
