Topaz Diary: Re-visited

Above: Rough concepts from "Topaz Diary."

Last spring I received a small grant to continue development on my next short film, "Topaz Diary."  As discussed in an earlier post, the film follows the life of Fred Hoshiyama, his experiences in the Topaz concentration camp; and how that experience changed the course of his life, and the lives of thousands of children.  Topaz is a serious documentary, but charged with the visual poetry that only animation could give. I hope to present several dozen concept paintings this fall for further film funding.

Images © 2011 Tod Polson

Topaz Diary

Above: Fred Hoshiyama, in younger years.

Sometimes you have a pet project that you never feel quite ready for the challenge.  I have been working on "Topaz Diary" with my friend, composer Bill Benson, since college.  The story is about another friend of mine, Fred Hoshiyama, and how his life was completely changed in the "Japanese-American Internment" camps of WWII. The story shows how by simple faith, and a lot of love... a bad situation can be turned into good.  The score will drive most of the film, Bill and I met recently to discuss plans for the project, he has some wonderful musical ideas and I am working out some visual ideas.  

Below: Early inspirational sketches for the story from a few years back. 

To learn more about the internment camps, please visit  HERE.