The Oneida Indian Nation's Four Directions Prods. today (April 12, 2007) announced completion of its first 3D animated short film, which tells the ancient Oneida legend of RACCOON AND CRAWFISH. The eight-minute film will debut at the Syracuse International Film Festival on April 18, 2007.
The project represents a new milestone for the up-and-coming studio, according to Dale Rood, director of studio operations for Four Directions Prods. and a Turtle Clan representative to the Nation's Men's Council.
"We've done high-definition video for television and marketing presentations, and we've done some 3D animation for other projects," Rood said. "This is the first time we've used our animators' skills to this extent, to create something for a mass audience to enjoy."
Everything, except the soundtrack, was done in-house at Four Directions' studio in Vernon, New York, in slightly under a year.
RACCOON AND CRAWFISH stars characters from the animal kingdom to point a moral -- in this case, the dangers of boasting and deception. Rood said the decision to use a legend for the studio's first project of this kind was a natural one.
"Past generations relied on the skill of the storyteller to bring these legends to life," Rood said. "Today, we can combine those skills with the skills of the animators to share part of our culture with people who otherwise would never know these tales."
Four Directions Prods. (www.oneida-nation.net) produces 3D video animation, high-definition video, web design and interactive projects for a variety of internal and outside clients. The studio recently produced a public service announcement for Disney/ABC, featuring actor Graham Greene and a tribute video of prima ballerina Maria Tallchief for the Producers' Guild. The studio has won several awards for its work, including three Aurora awards, two Tellys and a Davey award from the International Academy of the Visual Arts for an interactive Oneida history project at the Utica Children's Museum.
