Rosto: graphic designer, animator, music video maker and most of all 7FFF's juror
As an artist he gets national and, increasingly, international recognition for his free work as well as his commissioned graphic design, leaders and TV-animation and award-winning music-video’s. His independent work spreads out over media like film, the web, print, and sound, but consequently originate from one concept only as their ties are tightened within the project Mind My Gap, best known as an online graphic novel and “spin-off” trilogy of short films. Meanwhile, a book, a music-project Thee Wreckers and a medium length film The Monster of Nix are also in the works.
So Far So Evil
In this years programme, we're presenting a compilation of Rosto's work from years 1999 - 2003. The programme is called So Far So Evil.
Interview with a Theatre Optique juror, a progressive Dutch artist who calls himself Rosto
Your online graphic novel “Mind My Gap” is a very complex project. What does it consist of?
In short, it started with a series of rock and roll songs performed by my group The Wreckers; These songs had stories and mind-scapes inside of them that shaped the graphic novel. This novel was published episodically in a magazine and a little later online. It is currently still running on www.rostoad.com. Meanwhile, a trilogy of short films originated from this expanding universe - Beheaded, (the rise and fall of the legendary) Anglobilly Feverson, Jona/Tomberry. The graphic novel is almost finished, I hope to release a full and complete printed version and do a feature film adaptation as well.
Two parallel universes have spawned from Mind My Gap: My music-project and imaginary group, reincarnated as Thee Wreckers, that started to demand its own life with the first outlet of the Songs from My Gap, a short music-film called No Place Like Home; the other one concerns the imaginary friends The Langemanne. I am currently in production with the ambitious medium length family-film “The Monster of Nix” where these creatures will take the lead, after having played minor parts in Beheaded and Jona/Tomberry.
For you films you write scripts, compose music, do the graphics. Who are the other people that you work with?
I don’t really see it as different media or disciplines. It’s all different manifestations of the same spirit. Mostly, my work is produced by my own Studio Rosto A.D and the size of this studio depends on the size of the project. I basically did “No Place Like Home” alone with an assistant. Very small and intimate. My current production “The Monster of Nix”, however, has quite a serious setup and my marvelous team at the Amsterdam Studio is joined by talents from Brussels, Paris and more.
You received awards for your films, how important is that for you?
I suppose it’s good for one’s confidence as an artist. Audience awards especially are a little reminder that there is an audience and appreciation for the work, no matter how personal or impenetrable is seems. But more importantly, important awards are very good for the films: These short films need all the support to find their public and the means for their public to find the films. Some awards can be especially very helpful with this.
