...CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Ogden: I see the value of this book and what you're trying to do, but why not wait until the movie was finished to write this book?

Taylor: Several reasons. The design work for the film has accumulated such a body of work that I felt it was worthwhile presenting it in some tangible form. The way I've gone about this project, and the attention it has generated, is a story worth telling in itself. The film is going to be a long-term project, spanning several years, and is being followed by thousands of people, so the book will give them some form of 'result' in the meantime. The proceeds will hopefully help fund the rest of the film, in a self-sufficient cottage industry sort of way.

Ogden: You talk about this book as an account of the whole journey so far. Do you think you will release another book after you finish the film, detailing the rest of the journey?

Taylor: Quite possibly. The film could be split into two distinct phases, phase one - the design, and phase two - the animation. This book deals almost entirely with phase one.

The first chapter talks about my background, my attempts at old-school animation as a teenager, my career, getting into computers, the start of the Rustboy project and why I did it, the whole internet thing, etc. The following chapters deal with specifics like the character, the mansion, the island, the ocean, and some other environments, mainly from a production design viewpoint. I also go into my theories on composition, colour, that sort of thing.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ogden: Is your investor as excited about the book as you are?

Taylor: He is now that I've told him the number of people interested in pre-orders in the space of two or three days.

Ogden: You still shooting to release the book at the end of August 2003?

Taylor: The end of August is my self imposed deadline, and it seems to be on track so far, but if it takes a little bit longer, so be it. I'll also put up a dedicated site for the book soon.

Ogden: How much will the book cost, and where will people be able to get it?

Taylor: I can't give you an exact price right now -- I still have a few more meetings to negotiate costs at this end, but it should come in around £35/$55.

As for where people can buy it, the book will be sold primarily through a dedicated Rustboy book site/store. This will launch when the book is available, and will link from the main Rustboy site. I also want to sell it through a select few brick and mortar bookstores, but that still has to be worked out at this stage.

Ogden: Did you model this book on any other behind the scenes coverage you'd seen before? (If so, what?)

Taylor: No, it's completely unique. ;)

Ogden: Well, the book will finally be out of your hair soon. Care to talk about when the film might actually get out the door?

Taylor: The way the project has been evolving over the past few months, you can pretty much disregard any completion dates I may have mentioned previously. I'm not even going to speculate on a new completion date right now, but you can be sure that the site will be there to keep everyone updated on my progress.