Working with a photo-real, 3D-animated goldfish as the star of your indie film is no easy feat. Fort Lee, N.J., filmmaker Roger An spent years perfecting his hybrid computer-generated/live action short, using two home computers and a shoestring budget. A 3D animator by trade, Roger also wrote, directed, and acted in the 9-minute comedy. His efforts have paid off with 2018 season acceptances into 11 film festivals with screening locations across the U.S. and internationally, and more to be announced soon!
“Alpha Fish” is about a feisty pet goldfish named Rodrigo (voiced by Lou Mann) and his hapless owner, Conner (Roger An). Beautiful marine biologist Bianca (Amber Dickerson) enters the scene and changes everything.
The World Premiere of "Alpha Fish" was on Wednesday January 31, 2018 at 7 PM at the New Ohio Theatre located at 154 Christopher Street between Greenwich and Washington Streets in New York City.
"Alpha Fish" was also accepted into the:
Beloit International Film Festival
DisOrient Asian American Film Festival of Oregon
Fort Worth Indie Film Showcase
KIDS FIRST! Film & Video Festival
Myrtle Beach International Film Festival
New Jersey Film Festival
NY Indie Theatre Film Festival
Ocean Coast Film Festival
Philadelphia Independent Film Festival
Trenton Film Festival
Winter Film Awards
"Alpha Fish" won Best Animation at the Myrtle Beach international Film Festival and Trenton Film Festival.
SYNOPSIS:
Rodrigo the talking goldfish is at odds with his owner, Conner. He’s sick of performing tricks for Conner’s dates, and would rather be getting cozy with a lady of his own. Then one fateful night, Conner brings home Bianca, a beautiful marine biologist. Once Bianca meets Rodrigo, sparks fly — and Rodrigo is on his way to becoming the Alpha Fish.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT:
“‘Alpha Fish’ combines so many of my passions: Theater, 3D animation, indie-filmmaking and zoology. My hope is that the film evokes humor and thought-provoking ideas for those watching, about the perspectives of our pets and how some of the desires that drive us also inspire them.” –Roger An
HOW “ALPHA FISH” WAS BORN:
Director Roger An — who spends his days as a 3D animator in New York — wanted to combine his loves of animation, theater, zoology and indie filmmaking into one project. Utilizing his experience in community theater troupe Peeling the Banana, Roger wrote the first draft of “Alpha Fish” in 2008. He thought his own pet goldfish would make the perfect protagonist. (Photo-real computer-generated animation is a costly and labor-intense process; fur is even more so than scales.) With a shoestring budget, Roger worked on “Alpha Fish” during his free time over the last 9 years, to bring Rodrigo to life and create the indie film short. He built the film files for “Alpha Fish” on two computer workstations from his home, in N.J. — quite a feat, considering most animated endeavors of that length use massive render farms with dozens (sometimes even hundreds) of computers.
DIRECTOR’S BIO:
Roger An is a multi-disciplinary 3D artist who has worked on TV commercials, feature films, music videos, video game cinematics, and virtual reality environments. He has worked on projects for brands including HBO, Nike, and New York magazine. (Highlight reel viewable at Rogeran.com.) “Alpha Fish” is his directorial debut.