1. Harvey Pekar Comic book artist in the 80’s Made work about depression and overcoming it through creativity Pekar’s wife worked out a deal with Good Machine when they needed money Hybrid of narrative and documentary

2. Directors Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini Documentary background

3. This Film’s story is about the whole family Thought of himself as a reject who would never have a family His creativity and uncommon relationships helped him form one So many of these film worlds are about creating families and connections

4. Ted Hope decided that Harvey had to be in the film even if for a short time He (Harvey Pekar) was idiosyncratic and no one else could play him as well as he could play himself Film had to capture Harvey’s aggressive yet affectionate personality

5. American Splendor incorporates archival footage and animation The director had to understand how challenging relationships could be

6. Pitched to HBO films Producer at HBO, the directors, and Ted Hope all understood the importance of telling stories about everyday people

7. Script The directors Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini reworked Harvey’s script Greenlit on first draft Shooting began on second draft

8. Production Budget was increased when HBO saw the first cut of the film Allowed them to get the animation effects they wanted A lot of freedom to decide what kind of animation was needed based on the footage they had already shot “When artists experiment, when they work without a net, the work becomes more alive”

9. Funds for Music HBO allowed more funds for copyrighted music Marvin Gaye Dizzy Gillespie John Coltraine Over 100,000 budget for the rights to the music

10. 9/11 The shooting of the film came right after 9/11 Reaffirmed for the crew working on the film of the importance of creative output “We weren’t saving the world, but American Splendor resonated with audiences” “People felt close to those character” characters different from themselves

11. 1/3 Documentary 1/3 Fiction 1/3 Animated comic books These parts tend to overlap and alternate keeping the audience on its toes regarding issues of representation

12. Harvey Pekar worked his entire life as a file clerk in a V.A. hospital in Cleveland The shot of the retirement party is real Graphic Novel R. Crumb (legendary comic book artist) met Pekar Pekar observed that comics were never written about people like him

13. The comics are true “We are all superheroes doing daily battle against twisted and perverted villains” Fact and fiction coexist in the same frame “The filmmakers have taken the challenge of filming a comic book based on a life, and turned it into an advantage--the movie is mesmerizing in the way it lures us into the daily hopes and fears of this Cleveland family.”

14. “Pekar’s genius is to see his life from the outside, as a life like all lives”