Dream Dangerously.
It’s an exultation from legendary writer Neil Gaiman, and it doubles as the title of the documentary on the author from filmmaker and long-time fan Patrick Meaney.
Meaney first discovered Gaiman’s work in his early teen years, when he eschewed spandex-clad comic books for a series entitled Sandman.
“Sandman had a huge influence on me,” he said.
The film, available for purchase on Vimeo, was a labour of love for Meaney, who first had the idea to shine the spotlight on Gaiman in 2011. The decision to pick Gaiman as a subject was an easy one, especially on the heels of films on fellow comic writers Grant Morrison and Warren Ellis.
“Who else has that kind of mystique?” Meaney asked. “People love his work but they also love him too.” Gaiman’s books have sold more than 15 million copies worldwide, and have been adapted into
Meaney said the timing was off when the idea was first broached, but it was revisited in 2013 when Gaiman was set to embark on, for lack of a better description, his farewell tour. Gaiman was touring North America and the United Kingdom in support of his then most recent release, The Ocean at The End of the Lane.
“We filmed for three weeks, following him around mostly in the UK, but also at Comic-Con,” Meaney said. “He was absolutely mobbed at Comic-Con.”
“We did a bunch of sit downs with Neil. It was fun and cool as a filmmaker; instead of him just telling us, we got to see it.”
Dream Dangerously director Patrick Meaney
The list of celebrities Meaney interviewed for the documentary is as diverse as they are talented. Michael Sheen, Wil Wheaton, Bill Hader, Stoya, George R.R. Martin and the late Terry Pratchett all contributed to the film.
“The movie explores Neil the personality and Neil the writer.”
Gaiman has a huge presence on social media, with close to 2.5 million Twitter followers. Unlike many celebs, Gaiman goes out of his way to interact with his followers.
“In a lot of ways, Neil is the first to fully take advantage of social media,” he said. “In this day and age, it’s not possible to be like J.D. Salinger.”
Dream Dangerously was directed by Meaney and produced by Meaney, Patrick Rennert, Cat Mihos and Morgan Peter Brown. It can be purchased or rented at https://vimeo.com/ondemand/neilgaiman.
