5 More Questions with Jonathan Thunder

Jonathan Thunder's new short film Ish Meets a Mermaid brings together live action, hand-drawn animation, mythology, and humor. I welcome him back to the show to reacquaint listeners with his work and to discuss the film. He describes how the project took shape and how collaborators helped bring it to life. He explains why he values handmade and imperfect creative work in an era that prizes polish and AI. We also talk about Indigenous storytelling, the influences that shaped his artistic voice, and his next project, The Gitchi Gummy Gazette. We speak as a collective voice from 5 Plain Questions and we synthesize the themes that emerged in our conversation with Jonathan Thunder. We frame his work as a fusion of Indigenous myth, painterly imagination, and small‑scale filmmaking craft. We examine three persistent themes: authorship rooted in lived experience, the primacy of narrative over technical sheen, and the ethical care required when presenting Indigenous symbolism. We report that Jonathan favored hand drawn animation inserted into live action to preserve a tactile quality and to remain faithful to the story. We discuss the collaborative process where cast, crew, and a writer partner refined the script so the dialogue fit the actors and cultural context. We close with a forward view: Jonathan is developing The Gitchi Gummy Gazette, backed by funding and regional partners, and we encourage listeners to follow his work via Instagram and his website as the new film moves into production.Takeaways:I made Ish Meets a Mermaid by blending live action and hand drawn animation with mythology and humor.We co wrote the script and my partner Tashia helped shape structure and dialogue for clarity.I chose rough, handmade animation and rough craft over polish to keep the work human and real.I value embedding Indigenous cultural details in the story so it feels authentic and not like a garnish.We learned that production work built a family, and I loved the hard work of making a thirty person set run.I keep final cut and did much of the editing and visual effects myself to protect the story's nuance.I am now developing The Gitchi Gummy Gazette, a paranormal comedy about a failing journalist who sees ghosts and odd leads.We are finding that audiences often prefer handcrafted, imperfect art that they can see themselves in over flawless AI work.Links referenced in this episode:instagram.com/johnthunderjohnthunder.compatreon.com/5plainquestionselevenwarriorarts.comCompanies mentioned in this episode:5 plain QuestionsArt of the WorldThe Art Institute InternationalNetflixPixarMarvelCNNVision Maker MediaFilm NorthUpper Midwest Film OfficePatreonEleven Warrior Arts11warriorarts.comWindrows Common Council FundNorthern Plains Indigenous Film FestivalSkin FestArtists Guild of AmericaApple (Siri)Amazon (Alexa)Autodesk (Maya)