animation for adults

according to the BBC, the top ten animations for adults includes Bambi. (which I haven't seen; I hate the wide-eyed cuteness of Disney animals and can't forgive what they did to the Sword in the Stone). They are basing this list on feature-length movies, so some of the more joyous visuals and characterisations can't be included as they belong to TV series or to shorts.

But Id certainly agree with When the Wind Blows, Persepolis, and Belleville Rondez-vous...(Great storylines, great drawings with their own style ...and faithfully adapted from the books to recreate the whole mood). They have Curse of the Were-Rabbit, which was great but if I could only take one Aardman onto a desert island it would be The Wrong Trousers. (Deeper exploration of the relationship between Wallace and Gromit, more visual energy...).But what makes an "adult animation"? (does rotoscoping count?) ... this list implies (apart from "adult themes" which might mean sex and/or drugs) darkness, depth, but also truth - historical fact, biography or documentary.. with a serious issue at its heart. A balance of joy and horror...

Recycle, Remix, Return to Basics

First completed film of the year is Blue-Sky...a recut and savagely edited version of Islands (5 minutes plus down to 1'15)...not all of the narrative but the essence of the story with a different emphasis. This was a really interesting editing challenge and makes you think about the story/ the pace/ what is essential and what is spare....Letting go. Also, interesting to explore how not having time for lots of exposition at the beginning makes you ask yourself how do I establish the sense of community, friendliness, self-sufficiency? And oddly, this loss of context also affects the reading of gender...I found I needed to do some subtle redrawing of the characters here and there to clarify
Made for the Amy Johnson anniversary celebrations in Hull (my one-time home town)...Hope they decide to accept it. But either way, a big piece of learning....

Estings - or not

Channel 4 put out a call for 10 second ident animations for E4 Estings...so wish I'd done this BEFORE Jan's video as it really helped me work out the easiest way to synchronise when starting from the music. They didn't want it, but unfortunately it's no use for anything else. There's probably a moral there in picking your themes carefully and always having an eye on recycling!

Colin Rides Again

Colin the Dog has become a book chapter on Cinematic Representations of "North", part of a themed ;publication from the conference.... Its written, but who knows when it will be published. (Sheffield university Press...watch this space) Very strange to write a critical analysis of your own work...so long after leaving artschool and that PhD. A really useful exercise in articulating what you are trying to do and why...also makes you feel quite clever. It's the artists way of showing your working out, maybe.

BBC online - Freedom

I discovered that working to a theme is good for when you can't find the next story yet...It concentrates your mind...provided the theme is inspiring . "Freedom" was a response to an open submission call by the BBC, for a one-minute film. Time limits are also good - for helping you focus and edit down to the essentials of the story. In this film I was trying to combine black-and-white textured drawing with very bright, saturated colour like stained glass windows. Also to tell a story involving abstract concepts without any dialogue - just noises.

News - but not Documentary

Best news of 2013: Heat being selected for and then chosen as winner of the first Guardian Witness one-minute film competition. I made this film to fit a theme, which is often a good challenge for generating ideas. I also made it from scratch in two weeks to meet the deadline, which sounds like a long time for one minute but trust me...it was hard work getting all the images, and the foley recorded and mixed down. Time deadlines are also a good challenge (even if you do have to take the gigantic PC set-up to your Mum's when you visit so you can finish it off...)

Colin the Dog and his Travelling Blog

2013 was also the year Colin the dog went on his adventures North...in an animation created in response to a specific festival theme. They didn't want it, but ultimately Sheffield university did.  North was selected for Leamington Underground Cinema festival 2013 , and for " North:Mapping Cinematic Norths " conference, Sheffield May 2013 Working to a theme is always an interesting challenge...worth taking up even if  the individual festival you are aiming for is a longshot. Colin was inspired a little by Gromit, and by good friends Darry & Bob's incomparable beagle, Carter. (take inspiration from anywhere you can get it). This animation was an experiment in doing it - i.e. the narrative arc/ character development - by the book... and in limiting the colour palette (black white green)