Max Porter Wiki: Everything To Know About 'Perfect Houseguest' Voice Actor

Have you watched the 5-minute animated film titled “Negative Space?” If you have, then you must be aware of the story it is trying to pass across. If you haven’t watched it yet, make a date and watch the fantastic film. The French short film was released last year in June. It was edited by Max Porter and also directed by him, as well as Ru Kuwahata. Kuwahata and Porter are also the voice actors in the short film. Nothing much is known about Porter as he loves to stay away from the spotlight. Being nominated for Oscar 2018, however, has exposed him to the world. Max Porter is a French voice actor. Some confuse Max Porter with another Porter, who is a British writer, and another one who plays soccer. However, despite Max Porter being less famous, his animated films have made way into the industry and shown that he is highly skilled in what he does. Some of the projects Porter has worked on are: “Perfect Houseguests,” “Something Left,” “Something Taken,” “Between Times,” “Electric Car,” and “Negative Space,” earning him a good net worth. It’s “Negative Space” that landed Porter an Oscar 2018 nomination.

“Negative Space” tells the story of a father who is a traveling businessman and his relationship with his son who he leaves behind. The relationship is complicated, and the film also shows the efficiency of packing. The main goal of the movie is to explore the lasting bond between the father and son. Based on a 150-word prose poem by Ron Koertge, the film adaptation seems to employ handmade stop-motion animation to bring out visual metaphors and subtext to the original words. Porter and Kuwahata are currently based in Baltimore and have collaborated for over ten years directing short films, TV commercials, music videos, and even comics. “Negative Space” was their fourth professional film. When reading the poem, Porter connected with the characters deeply and on a personal level. Porter put his full effort into the movie after it turned out to be significant to Kuwahata. Kuwahata’s father was a pilot and traveled a lot while she was growing up. One of her most memorable childhood moments was when her father was packing to leave.

After the initial development of the film, Porter submitted his project proposal to the CICLIC Animation Center, a production residence based in Vendome, France. The voice actor later teamed up with an animation company from France known as IKKI FILMS. Porter also collaborated with co-producer Manuel cam Studio to start the project after nine months. The entire team of the film invested their artistry and passion into making the film great. Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata worked in four different French locations to make the movie. After its release, it was available for viewing online on selected video streaming websites, and the trailer was uploaded to YouTube. It was a big break after Max Porter was nominated for his role in the film. The voice actor had put so much effort into making the film a reality, and he deserves credit for that.

According to Porter, it took him around two years since he started the film to the day he finished. He spent the first year on pre-production and applying for grants in France. After that, the production team made a nine-month schedule which comprised of three months of building sets and props, another three of shooting, and the last three for post-production. During the production, Max Porter worked with two assistants for the prop building phase and between one and four people who were animators, cinematographers, and production assistants, depending on the week’s program.

Max became a director and a voice actor after a friend introduced him to photography. He attributes his success to the passion he had for photography and how it slowly developed it something bigger. He met the friend in New York, where he grew up. His parents allowed him to build a dark room in the basement bathroom and he didn’t know that he wasn’t supposed to dump chemicals in the toilet. While in high school, Porter experimented with “Super 8” film. It encouraged him to study film and animation at Rhode Island School of Design. The voice actor met Ru in an NYC studio while working on a TV series’ pilot that was never made.

Porter said that it was important for the film to feel personal and he at certain times felt nervous that he wouldn’t be able to maintain the intimacy needed while working with the crew. Porter decided to double down on pre-production; he prepared a visual reference material and created written explanations as well but later on, realized that he had to encourage the team to bring their ideas to the table.

Porter's net worth is unknown. His fellow director, Ru, has not revealed her net worth as well. Both have probably made a decent net worth though by working on “Perfect Houseguests,” “Something Left,” “Something Taken,” “Between Times,” “Electric Car,” and of course, “Negative Space.”

Winning the Oscar 2018 will be the best thing that will happen to Max Porter. The voice actor deserves the award to get motivated to create more amazing content.