Trinity Anderson is barely 12 years old and she makes me feel like I'm slacking: she knows how to operate a steadicam, has been animating for years, and just finished a successful kickstarter for her short called Me and Ewe. Seriously? I'm pretty sure at 12 years old all I did was play tetherball and draw really awful stick figure cartoons. (Come to think of it, not much has changed.) Trinity was ever-so-kind enough to sit down for a video interview with NFS to talk about anything from her Dragonframe stop-motion software, to her thoughts on gender equality in the movie biz.
From Trinity:
"I think as long as you have a good idea it doesn't matter if you're a girl or a boy. I mean, Steven Spielberg and Frank Capra were both boys and they were good directors..."
Are you curious yet about Me and Ewe? Check out a few sneak peaks on her Kickstarter campaign page -- which finished well over her $2,750 goal. That's a lot of lunch money! If you didn't get in on it, don't worry -- it won't be the last you hear about the project. Follow Me and Ewe on Facebook and you'll find out how and when you can watch the finished film. Trinity says it should be about five minutes long.
Thank you Trinity and Barry, and good luck!
***
So how old were you when you first started making movies?
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44 Comments
Started making at 12. Tried to make a feature at 15 but my friends got bored after the first weekend. Unfortunately my output became less and less as we all got drivers liscences and discovered girls around this time. At 27, i have a similar problem.
May 15, 2013 at 6:17AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
LOL @ Dave......Hey I'm 40 and it's the same! I guess when we get our AARP cards, mabe we'll be slow and stationary enough to get a short done. LOL
May 19, 2013 at 8:33AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I got into films when I was 20. That was 7 years ago. It happened that way and I am glad it did. I was playing soccer all day when I was 12. She is definitely an interesting case and a cool one. Good luck to her!
Now moving on with my day....
=D
May 15, 2013 at 7:00AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
That's cute. My oldest is ten and I don't think she has much interest but my 8 year is always using my old camcorder so she might be ready for a project like this if she is interested. I will show her this interview. Thanks for sharing.
May 15, 2013 at 7:23AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
This little girl has a great foundation, what a start into the craft. Wow. Who knows if she'll stick with it. But for now one things certain, she most likely has the support of some very loving parents. Not to say my parents weren't loving but when I was 12 I use to carry around my grandfathers VHS recorder (bug clunky panasonic) it had a mic and I can edit scenes right in the VCR. Ha, the only difference was my father smashed my camera. One night I taped him and my mother arguing, so that was the end of that... I was traumatized, beside myself and appalled. That was my welcome into the world of film. Hope this little one has a road paved with diamonds and gold..but hey I got over it, continued filming the family and in August of 2011 I helped get their asses on a Bravo TV special (Thicker than water the Marinos) to the tune of over 1 million viewers. So I guess anythings possible. Hey in this business you're never too young or too old to learn, it's a never ending cycle. Thanks
May 15, 2013 at 7:44AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Could be much worse, about the smacking.
May 15, 2013 at 8:00AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Lol. Never got like that. They're still married and growing more and more like Frank and Estelle Costanza everyday. They're a hoot.
May 15, 2013 at 8:07AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
That's so adorable. Some more of these young gals and guys, and they will kick the old farts away from movies for good, huehuehue. No, seriously.
May 15, 2013 at 7:57AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
My friend Emily Hagins directed her first film when she was 12. Now she is 19 and her fourth feature (Grow Up Tony Phillips) is making the festival circuit. It has been really cool to see each of her films grow, and I'm sure Trinity will be much the same.
May 15, 2013 at 8:12AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
It's awesome to see young people like this getting into the craft so they can take the reins from people like Spielberg and Scorsese. Who knows? Trinity Anderson could be the next big director years from now.
May 15, 2013 at 8:36AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Yeah, but how does she feel about 5Diii ML vs. BMCC!?!?!?! ...or is she RED all the way?
May 15, 2013 at 8:39AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
^ This is the question
May 15, 2013 at 8:53AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Haha. Best post ever?
May 15, 2013 at 9:08AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Ahaha - I should have asked, damn!
May 15, 2013 at 9:16AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
probably t2i but w/e :D
May 15, 2013 at 10:36AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Well her name is Anderson, which is an enormous and unfair advantage when it comes to launching an awesome and idiosyncratic career in filmmaking (cf. Paul Thomas, Wes, Roy, Lindsay), so anything's possible!
May 15, 2013 at 8:48AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill!
On a less cynical note, cute story and a refreshing change from this week's pixel-peeping, RAWness and 5DmkIII vs "insert alternate camera of choice here" obsessiveness.
May 15, 2013 at 8:49AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
That's amazing. I had no idea I wanted to go into movies. I was an art major and wanted to do comic books-until I realized all my panels were in Cinemascope aspect ratio. 'Wait! These aren't comics-they're storyboards!'
May 15, 2013 at 8:56AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
That's why parents try to get kids into things early, so they can have a huge head start. They have a learning advantage over us adults.
May 15, 2013 at 9:38AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
What a dedicated youngster!
May 15, 2013 at 9:59AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Man what a lucky child. Not that my parents were bad or anything but I grew up with the classic strict physician father who always pushed me away from the arts and towards science. It wasn't until college that I broke away from that and finally entered film. I think the strictness gave me a good work ethic that most art students lack though so I think everything worked out in the end. This girl doesn't seem to have a problem with laziness though I hope she keeps up strong like this in the future. If she does I have no doubt we'll hear more from her.
May 15, 2013 at 10:07AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
"To me, the great hope is that now these little 8mm video recorders and stuff have come out, and some... just people who normally wouldn't make movies are going to be making them. And you know, suddenly, one day some little fat girl in Ohio is going to be the new Mozart, you know, and make a beautiful film with her little father's camera recorder. And for once, the so-called professionalism about movies will be destroyed, forever. And it will really become an art form."
- Francis Ford Coppola
May 15, 2013 at 10:12AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
If I had that kind of talent and inspiration at 12! She's very smart and has a bright future ahead of her.
May 15, 2013 at 10:19AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Thanks for this article, made me realize how much drive I used to have and how little I have now! I've gotta get into those circus lessons.
Also, love the video interview! More of these, please!
May 15, 2013 at 10:37AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
AH to be young again, with no kids, no wife, no full-time job, and nothing but time on my hands.
Very glad to see youngsters kick butt and taking names. I'd like to see an article that centers on race equality issues in filmmaking. That's still more of an issue than gender IMHO.
May 15, 2013 at 10:50AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I started filmmaking at 33. ;)
Ton of respect for any stop motion animator. Amazing stuff.
May 15, 2013 at 11:10AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Its good to have a head start by starting filmmaking, but at the end every competent filmmaker evens out in skills, and then its all about what you have to tell, not what you learned
May 15, 2013 at 12:06PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
...not only that, you have to cope with the politics involved, the pressure, compromises and all the bullcrap that makes commercial filmmaking anything but a pleasure...hey, remember the recent article about the lack of female directors? better she never reads that...
May 16, 2013 at 1:53AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I hope the industry will be different by the time she makes features.
May 16, 2013 at 6:15AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Unfortunately it won't be. Many have been waiting for the industry to change for over 50 years. Women, blacks, and especially black women still have little to no presence.
May 31, 2013 at 6:56AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Hey, great article! I enjoyed the interview. Thank you for sharing. One fact to correct though: The Kickstarter goal was $2,750, not $2,000.
Not trying to nitpick, but that means this whole point is off: "Check out a few sneak peaks on her Kickstarter campaign page — which finished at over two times her $2,000 goal. "
May 15, 2013 at 12:39PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Thanks!
May 15, 2013 at 12:47PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
My bad. Guess multiplication was something else I should have looked into when I was 12.
May 15, 2013 at 3:58PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
where did the first comments go? no criticism because she`s a child?
May 15, 2013 at 1:30PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Correct.
May 15, 2013 at 1:37PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
:) <3
May 16, 2013 at 7:09AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Good call!
May 16, 2013 at 7:10PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Trinity seems mature enough to handle constructive, helpful criticism. The 'we can't criticise their work because their children' approach isn't helping their creative abilities, it only boosts their egos. Praise and encouragement are extremely helpful, but even more so are suggestions for improvement aka constructive criticism.
May 19, 2013 at 8:01PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Great to see such a clever and resourceful prodigy emerge, and I suspect we'll see many more in the future with all of the available technology. Kids are shooting cool stuff with their smartphones every day that look much better than our Super 8 childhood experiments. Just imagine how fine tuned her skill set and vision will be by the time she is 18 if she sticks with it.
May 16, 2013 at 11:50AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
What a Start ! Wether she ends up in Film making or not, she is going to be very successful at something. I started around 6th Grade. Had saved some $ & my parents let me buy my 1st Camera ( and a Splice Block).
I sold a camera to the father of a 12 year old girl. She already had a website she was doing videos about animals and was already linked up & a guest on the show of a very well -known Cable personality. The The drive and achievements of these kinds of kids compared to the average kid is amazing !
May 17, 2013 at 5:01AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I commend the Dad, Barry Anderson for being a great supporter to your child. This is the additional experience that she can get without the hassle of learning it all on her own.
Based on the kickstarter video, obviously the decisions on the technical side was with your guidance, so this helps her focus on the content.
+1 to your tag team.
May 17, 2013 at 10:36PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
+1
Awesome dad!
May 19, 2013 at 8:02PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
"Suddenly, one day some little fat girl in Ohio is gonna be the new Mozart…and make a beautiful film with her father’s little camera-corder, and for once this whole professionalism about movies will be destroyed, forever, and it will really become an art form." - Coppola '91
May 22, 2013 at 6:39AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
+1
May 22, 2013 at 4:22PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM