I recently attended the My Little Pony Movie Red/Lavendar Carpet with our contributor Movie Myla! Prior to seeing the movie, I was contacted about the opportunity to interview the Cinematographer, Anthony Di Ninno! I LOVE LOVE LOVE being able to meet with the masterminds and creativity from animated movies! They are always filled with great insight and knowledge!
Anthony has worked on a variety of films from Sausage Party to Ratchet and Clank!
We missed each other for a face to face at the premiere, but I was lucky to still have the opportunity for a Q&A!
Credit: Hasbro/Lionsgate/My Little Pony
Q&A With Anthony Di Ninno
Photo Credit: Hasbro/MyLittlePony/Lionsgate
How did you prepare to start working on My Little Pony: The Movie?
Being a newcomer to MLP, the first thing I did was dive into the show. I started this even before I signed onto the movie. It was then that I began to realize there is a very large and interesting world here. The characters were so genuine and well-developed, each had such a unique and interesting personality. It didn’t take long for me to realize it was a movie I wanted to be a part of.
During the movie I definitely noticed the colors of the animation changing with the storytelling. What type of timeline does your job need or use for creating this movie?
For this movie we actually had a very short production schedule for an animated feature. When I started on the movie, we were still working on the test pieces to figure out what exactly our workflow on the movie would be. From that time to the end of the color grade of the final picture was 21 months.
What is a typical day on the job for you during the creation of the movie during pre and post production?
Because my job covers almost the entire production, from initial camera and staging all the way to final color, there really is not a typical day for me. It all depends on which stage of production we are in and what specific challenges we are dealing with on that day.
Who is your favorite pony and why?
My favourite of the Mane 6 is Rarity – I love the way Tabitha and the animators play that character, and I find her hilarious. If we are talking about ponies specific to the movie, it’s hard not to love Tempest. She’s a very layered character, and Emily Blunt and the animators created an amazing performance with her. She also has my favourite song in the movie.
What is your next project?
I can’t quite say yet, but I’m very excited about it!
My Little Pony: The Movie is now Playing In theaters!
A dark force threatens Ponyville, and the Mane 6 – Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity – embark on an unforgettable journey beyond Equestria where they meet new friends and exciting challenges on a quest to use the magic of friendship to save their home.
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