The Dancing Rabbit; Graham Jones
Graham Jones is an Irish filmmaker who made his first feature film “How to Cheat in the Leaving Certificate” in 1997 which caused controversy when it was condemned by Ireland’s Junior Minister for Education Willie O’Dea. It marked the beginning of a career in which Jones would explore many difficult subjects through independent movies including suicide, prostitution, homelessness, evolution, gender and the impact of the internet upon art. Variety Magazine describes him as “a very talented director”.
0. What are you working on now that you’re excited about?
At the moment, I am focused on SILICON DOCKS. The movie is complete, but it’s
not going to drop for about a month and so we’re starting to do some press and tell people about it. We’re excited, mainly because we consider
this whole animated movie to be like one great big lab test.
The idea is to take a sample group, say 10 early pioneers of the web and subject them to the same kind of distortions that everyone else ensures online in the 21st Century. Lets see how the doctors of the internet react to a taste of their own medicine!
- What are you working on now that you’re excited about?
At the moment, I am focused on SILICON DOCKS. The movie is complete, but it’s
not going to drop for about a month and so we’re starting to do some press and tell people about it. We’re excited, mainly because we consider
this whole animated movie to be like one great big lab test.
The idea is to take a sample group, say 10 early pioneers of the web and subject them to the same kind of distortions that everyone else ensures online in the 21st Century. Lets see how the doctors of the internet react to a taste of their own medicine!
Why did you get into the entertainment industry?
I had a love for filmmaking from a very young age.
How old were you when you made the decision?
I made my first film aged 8.
What was the first project you worked on?
The first movie I made after leaving film school was called HOW TO CHEAT IN THE LEAVING CERTIFICATE. It was a great experience!
What were your goals when you started?
Just to make movies, really!
What are your future goals?
The same – to make more movies!
Did you go to film school?
Yes, I went to a film school in London way back in the early nineties. I chose that particular film school in London because it was the best out of the schools that offered me a place. They had 16mm film cameras and editing equipment – which was very important before the digital era.
Do you feel that you got the education you wanted from your time in school?
Well, there are things you get in film school and things you don’t get. You get access to equipment, as I mentioned – but also to real filmmaking peers, in other words people who are also very into filmmaking and with whom you can argue passionately! Looking back, it was the beginning of my filmmaking family.
What advice would you give to a prospective student who is applying to film school?
I’m not sure I would recommend film school nowadays, in the era of internet and digital tech. The key to learning film language is really shooting and cutting. It used to be difficult with Super 8 cameras and having film processed. It got considerably easier when video cameras went mainstream. But nowadays everyone is literally carrying around a video camera in their pocket, i.e. their phone – and even apps that can edit can be downloaded onto the same phone! So in terms of learning, it’s a lot easier. Shooting and cutting, every day. That’s what I would do, if I were starting out now.
What did you do after film school? Did you have trouble finding work when you first got out?
In my third year in film school, I interviewed 30 independent film producers and this was published as a book by the British Film Institute called TALKING PICTURES. I used that book as my bible when making my first movie.
Press Excerpts on Silicon Docks
“All the makings of being a cult classic…” -GONZO MAGAZINE
“Merciless, laugh out loud… an animated movie like no other…” -LAST DAY DEAF
“An engaging story, actually, and a wickedly funny one…” -SEARCHMYTRASH.COM
“A sarcastic animated gem that gently pokes fun at corporate tech billionaires and their obvious social awkwardness in a way that harkens back to the creative hilarity seen in vintage Monty Python animated skits…” -ANIMATION MAGAZINE
“Clever, satirical…” -KALTBLUT MAGAZINE
“Hilarious animated comedy…” -AXELLERATED REVIEWS
“The hilarity comes from these socially awkward and highly competitive people trying to make the best of a bad situation… Ten internet and tech giants struggling to grab a pint of Guinness over a long day and night in Dublin… Zuckerberg is typically self-obsessed and neurotic, and his view of politics and the US elections is hilariously naive for someone whose platform was embroiled in the 2016 election for less than honourable reasons… Jack Dorsey’s sage-like persona is also used to hilarious effect – his calmness belying a superiority complex and barely hidden anger…” -SODA AND TELEPATHS
“Between rounds, the group debates whether to sign a new EU agreement and engages in petty interpersonal bickering including several gratifying one-on-ones between well-publicized rivals…” -CARTOON BREW
“A funny, sly and dispiriting portrait of the people in charge of, and made rich by, all our online lives – and while its focus may be on self-styled disruptors, its free mode of release is perhaps the biggest disruption of all…” -ANTON BITEL
“The dialogue is engaging, and the cell-shade animation cinematography is beautiful to look at…. The pandemic as a backdrop to this adds to some of the humor as well as showing, in juxtaposition just how out of touch these so-called futurists are with how humanity operates around them. Touching on modern politics and how tech influences world economies, these characters are all out for their own bank accounts, and don’t see the bigger picture of their role in society’s downfall…” -FILM SNOBBERY
“The film animated by Kasia Wiśniewska actually looks fantastic…” -BUBBLEBLABBER
