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OGDEN: What inspired you to make The Mantis Parable?

STAUB: After all these years of making games, I'd built up a strong desire to tell a linear story through film and an independent short-film is a great way to experience the highs and lows of film-making first-hand. Finally, like most artists I want my creative endeavors to be visually appealing, entertaining, and thought-provoking at the same time. What better way to do that than through a parable?

OGDEN: What made you decide to use a Mantis and a Caterpillar to tell this story?

STAUB: Strangely enough, elements of the "parable" itself were in place before the characters were. Like all parables, this short-film contains a simple "moral message"; a message that resonates with me personally. The next step was conceiving the characters through whom the story could best be told. For starters, caterpillars are pretty weak and helpless. Mantises, on the other hand, are strong and quick, and known for their jumping/flying behavior. The contrasting attributes of the characters enhanced the story such that - looking back on it - I can't imagine it any other way.

OGDEN: What kinds of films do you like? Did any of them influence the way you treated the subject matter in this film?

STAUB: First and foremost I love good stories, particularly ones that make me think. For example, I'm drawn to films containing redemptive and inspirational themes like The Shawshank Redemption, Good Will Hunting, and Finding Neverland. I also enjoy a lot of independent and foreign films like The Son and The Chorus, probably because those films succeed purely on the quality of the story and the effectiveness of its characters (great films don't require big budgets and pyrotechnics!). Finally, I'm a huge fan of Pixar's films, which not only look amazing, but contain wonderful characters, incredible writing, and concepts and stories that are always heartfelt and inspiring. Like most creators, I'm sure the art that inspires me subconsciously influences my own creations.

OGDEN: What influenced the look of this film?

STAUB: Hmmm. There wasn't anything I specifically drew from, as most of my inspiration comes from the world around me. However, I'm always impressed by the balance of realism, style, and color that I see in the Pixar films, particularly Finding Nemo, and I'm sure that rubbed off on me a bit as I faced similar challenges (to a lesser extent of course). The funny thing is, a lot of people who see the film comment on how "realistic" The Mantis Parable looks, but for me it was a step towards a cleaner, more stylized look than what I normally produce.

OGDEN: How did you go about designing the characters?

STAUB: Before I drew my first character sketch I did a lot of research. I scoured the internet for every interesting insect photo or drawing I could find and simply absorbed it all. Some of the insects had such amazing personality! From those images I mentally extracted the essence of what made each insect unique, and when appropriate, applied them to my own character design.

OGDEN: The little bit of the world you see outside the entomologist's window really opens up the set. Why did you put that window there?

STAUB: Knowing that the time I would have to spend on the film would be at a premium, I put some limitations on myself in terms of the environment. In fact, the entire film takes place on the bug-collector's desk. A window seemed like a simple way of expanding the environment universe without adding significantly to production. Without the window, the scene could have felt very cramped, not just visually but aurally - an open window is a great vehicle for ambient sound. Last but not least, the window provided an ideal entrance for the characters in the film.

OGDEN: There are several times of day depicted in this film, as well as some weather (rain and wind, seen through the window). What made you decide to change times of day and weather?

STAUB: There were 3 basic reasons I had for varying the time-of-day and outside weather in the film. First of all, it allowed me to introduce a variety of lighting and color situations which I knew would enhance the look of the film. Secondly, it gave each segment of the film a different feel which aids in evoking certain emotions from the audience (for example, the scenes that take place during the dark/stormy segments of the film are the the most dynamic and also the most melancholy). Finally, it allowed me to show that time was passing between the different acts in the film which helped to drive the story.

OGDEN: What influence do you think your work at Cyan* had on the film?

STAUB: An important component of storytelling is the ability to transport the audience to another world, and world creation (designing and producing) is what I've been doing at Cyan for over 11 years now...as a company it's really what we do best. In creating the look-and-feel of The Mantis Parable I've certainly used many of the techniques I use at Cyan - modeling, texturing, and lighting. Specifically, I tend to use simpler geometric shapes in my work which I find easier to visually "read", and use texture and lighting to provide a lot of the detail instead. I'm also a big fan of color, so all of the scenes are bathed in it.

There are some things that my work at Cyan couldn't prepare me for completely, specifically in terms of storytelling. Games deliver story in a "non-linear" fashion, which puts the game-developer at the mercy of the player to "write" their own story within the confines and parameters of the environment we create. In a sense, the quality of the player's experience has a lot to do with how they play the game. Linear storytelling requires carefully crafting sequences which culminate in a resolution or climax - something very difficult to achieve in a game where the player is in control of a good portion of what happens and when. The storyteller must rely (at least to some degree) on the player to "choose" the paths that reveal the optimum story experience. I thoroughly enjoy watching people play our games and discover their own story, but from my perspective as a storyteller, I get a unique sort of personal satisfaction watching people view The Mantis Parable.

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* For those who don't know, Cyan Worlds is the company that made such wonderful computer games as Myst, Riven, and URU. These games are non-violent, and are centered around detailed environments, the very details of which reveal story and backstory at every turn. I see a lot of that in the environment in The Mantis Parable.