Interview: Cori and Matt Falls

The creators behind the stories Epic of the Lumberjack and The Stone of Destiny, Cori and Matt Falls

Kamipress: What do you think about when making a Kamishibai story?

Cori: "I think about what interests me and how I can communicate thatinterest on Kamishibai. For example, I love all things Irish, so when Iwrote my Stone of Destiny story, I researched Celtic history and mythology.I also used photographs of Irish landscapes as backgrounds in the story togive the setting a more authentic flair. And for my newest endeavor,Pokemon vs. Digimon, I wanted to write a story that both remains faithful toand makes major departures from the anime. (The only thing you can expectin this fanfic is the unexpected!)"

Matt: "I really don't think at all. I empty my head and write the story as Igo. I think it ends up more interesting than if you plan out the wholestory at once. I also think about how to make the story funny (this isimportant to me). My stories resemble my real life, in my opinion. (this isa disturbing thought)"

Kamipress: What is the hardest part about making a Kamishibai story

Cori: "Seeing how my story will progress is always a challenge. My storiesalways seem to evolve as I write them, and I find that I have to keep goingback to rewrite earlier parts in order to fix holes in the plot. (I can'tstand holes in the plot!) Most notably, when I began work on my lateststory, Pokemon vs. Digimon a few months ago, it was just supposed to be ashort parody where the characters from Pokemon team up and destroy thecharacters from Digimon. But as the story progressed, the characters (mostnotably, Jessie and James) started taking on a life of their own, and as thedepth of the characters increased, so did the depth of the plot. By theend, my short parody had become an epic fantasy adventure."

Matt: "Finding pictures to use for the characters. I want them to be obscureand hilarious. Picking a good soundtrack can be tedious sometimes as well."

Kamipress: How did you get into Kamishibai?

Matt: "I was looking for anime on the net and I stumbled upon Otaku World. Iwent to the Kamishibai page and downloaded the player and a few stories.After watching them I got hooked and decided I wanted to make my own story."

Cori: "When Matt downloaded the Kamishibai player, and I saw some of thewonderful stories that people had written, I knew this was something that Iwanted to do, too. I would like to be a writer someday, and I think this isa great way for me to share my ideas."

Kamipress: What's your favorite part of making a Kamishibai story?

Matt: "My favorite part of Kamishibai is watching the fiinished product.Seeing the story come together with the pictures and music is a satisfyingfeeling. I also enjoy showing them to my friends for the first time andwatching them burst into laughter."

Cori: "Like Matt, I like watching my finished story and seeing all of theelements come together. However, I also like to watch my story while it'sstill a work-in-progress so I can see what I like and what I don't like andmake changes accordingly. (I always seem to do more re-writing than writingwhen I create a story -- it's all about the editing for me!) Also, wheneverI hit a creative wall, I like to watch what I already have and see if itinspires me. It allows me to think about what should happen next. Inaddition, I enjoy seeing how people react to my finished products. Feedbackis what I live for!"

Kamipress: What are some of the things that influenced the Stone of Destiny?

Cori: "Believe it or not, this story actually began as a Greek myth that Iwrote as an English assignment eight years ago. I scrapped the originalstory because I was no longer happy with it, but when Matt began work onEpic of the Lumberjack, I decided to reincarnate it as my first Kamishibaiadventure. I changed the Greek mythos to a Celtic one and made a few otherchanges as well. (I wrote an article about how this story developed andevolved over the years that goes more in-depth.)"

Kamipress: How about Epic of the Lumberjack

Matt: "Probably the biggest factor that influenced me was my friend, Walter.During class one day he called me a lumberjack (I was wearing a flannel).He told me I should write a story about a lumberjack. So I did, but I madeit about a Holy Lumberjack. The grocery store also influenced me (i.e. allof the characters except Hitler). My sister helped me with the storyline,too."

Kamipress: Who are some of your favorite Kamishibai artists?

Cori: "One of my favorite artists is Dave 13. (His Dave's Madness stories,where anime characters beat each other up was a major influence on my latestKami.) I also like the artwork and stories of Root (Mad Monkey Kung Fu),Kodachi Batchix (The Trouble With Banshees), Des (Bread/Styx), JamesPilarick (Blob's Quest), and Adam Dahlstrom (The Great Kafka)."

Matt: "What she said."

Kamipress: What are some of the Kamishibai you're considering for the future?

Cori: "I have just completed work on my latest story and submitted it toOtaku World. It's an epic adventure entitled, Mortal "Mon"bat: Pokemon vs.Digimon. When evil creatures known as digimon invade and kidnap all of thepokemon, Ash, Misty, Brock, Jessie, and James must join forces and take themback. The story ranges from parody and slapstick comedy to fantasyadventure and dark, character-driven drama. Other than that, I don't reallyhave any new ideas for a Kamishibai adventure yet. I've been writing plentyof stories, but I don't think they'd translate very well."

Matt: "One story that I have already finished is Titled No Jello for Hortense.It's about a cannibal who goes on a journey in search of a good meal.Another story I am considering is about a Medieval Physician who runs out ofleeches and can no longer balance peoples' four humors. Also, I would liketo do a story about a cellular secret agent. His name: Bond, Peptide Bond.His mission: To stop the evil Dr. Ribosome from combining the codon andanticodon to form a weapon of mass desturction (a protein)."

Kamipress: What are your favorite animes?

Cori: "Pokemon, Oh My Goddess, Dragonball Z, Baoh, Vampire Hunter D, andAkira are my absolute favorites. I also liked the Unico movies when I waslittle. (Who knows? I probably still do. It's just that I haven't seenthem in years!)."

Matt: "Akira, Dragonball Z, Pokemon, Vampire Hunter D, Dragon Half, Baoh,Galaxy Express 999, Unico, and Digimon (Its kinda corny, but the theme songis cool in a Clutch Cargoish kinda way)."

Kamipress: Any additional comments, concerns, or thoughts for us?

Matt: "The Sun is shining, but the ice is still slippery-Scott 3:15."

Cori: "I think this is a great way for aspiring artists and writers to sharetheir talents. I love expressing myself through this medium, and I loveseeing how others express themselves as well. I'd also like to encourageeverybody to come and visit our web site.http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Saturn/8119 Matt and I have created ashowcase about our Kamishibai stories and some other creative projects thatwe've been working on, and we'd like to know what people think!"



Thanks for your time Cori and Matt.


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