Sometimes, it’s the little things that set you apart in this business. For example, it’s not every day that a director might get to exercise his chops as a longtime fan of Mexican wrestling. But, when an unusual script for a campaign by Canadian cell-phone provider Koodo Mobile crossed Rob Shaw’s desk, he was ready to leverage his knowledge of lucha libre culture to bring to life the spots’ main character — a four-inch-tall animated luchador. We asked Shaw our usual Five Questions to get us up to speed on what he’s been doing, what he’s using, and what gives him inspiration.



Director Rob Shaw/Bent Image LabQ: What are you working on today?
A: I have a few really fun projects in the works. I’m dividing my time between rigging up stop-motion crustacean puppet and thumbnailing a scientific testimonial from a forest animal. Basically, everything I love.

Q: What’s the best tool or innovation that you’ve started using in the last year?
A: Dragon stop-motion software. It takes care of all the nut-and-bolts you need from a grabber system better than any other software I’ve tried (and I’ve tried a few). It also has a lot of nice extras that really come in handy in the fast-paced, last-minute revision world of commercials.

Q: What’s the project (film, television, commercial or music video) that most impressed you in the last year? Why?
A: Mary and Max, an independent animated feature out of Australia, really blew me away. The depth of the characters, the powerful performances of the actors, beautiful art direction and a brilliant script made it stand out among other animated features. It seemed to transcend the usual family movie market that most animated films live in.

Q: What’s your favorite project that you worked on in the past year? And why?
A: I’d have to say the spots we did for Koodo Mobile. The hero of the campaign is a tiny lucha libre fighter, which I thought was one of the coolest ideas ever. I love Mexican wrestling, and there’s nothing better than animating a four-inch tall luchador with a 10-foot-tall personality. Fun, funny, and a real collaboration with the guys from Taxi. It was a blast.

Man Man: Rabbit HabitsQ: Who are the top artists on your iPod?
A: In order of current rotation:
1. Man Man
2. Gonjasufi
3. The Ohio Players
4. Ghostface Killah
5. Fu Manchu