Skwigly Banner July 2014

I did a new banner for Skwigly this month. Look it moves. Oooooo!

Inspired by my home town (were I'm currently residing before my next job starts in sept). Every local artist has drawn the lighthouse at Portland Bill, this is the closest I'm getting! 

Giving a Talk at Wilderness festival

I'm going to be giving a talk in association with Lost Lectures in August at the Wilderness Festival in Oxford, it's going to be about sexuality in animation, if you can come along it's going to be fab!

Difficulty in the festivals.

A year has passed since I sent my film out into the world for its film festival cycle, with another year still in him I feel this would be a great opportunity to update you on his progress. 

Difficulty's first outing was in Cambridge at the Arts Picture House cinema as part of my degree show, closely followed by it's first international screening in Breda, in the Netherlands.

The film enjoyed quite a nice run in London, being screened at the Barbican as part of the Frame film festival as well as Tricycle theatre-  Takeover Festival and at the launch Party for Animated Woman UK at the MPC Building. 

At the MPC- for the Animated woman Uk Launch

My companion to the screening, fellow animator Erika Lewis 

A Screening in May at the 5th Golden Kuker - Sofia was a nice serprise...i only recently discovered i'd been screened at all.

And a Lovely little screening at The London Animation Club hosted by Martin Pickle. 

I'm hoping for a few more screening before relaxing it online Later this year. 

Love, Lust and Libido: animated short films about love, sex and relationships.

Myself and independent animator Ben Mitchel have curated a screening of adult animated shorts, the films stem from a conversation we had when we first met about the possibility of more explicit subject manners in animation being more accessible and easier to discuss. As well as being engaging and often funny erotica in animation is a juxtapositionn of what is normally considered a child friendly medium. We aim to change that haha. 

The event in association with Skwigly online animation Magazine will be held in Bristol with CineMe.

Book your ticket here.

The wonderful Marcelo Cervone ( musician and composer for my film Difficulty) has put my film up on his website and gives a short account of working with my self. Check out his site and indeed his impressive work, he is a busy fella.

His music made my film, the soundscape he made was hark back to every stop-motion film i loved from my childhood whilst still being utterly orginal. He was a pleasure to work with, and his personal character and attitude is a joy to experience!

BUILD Charity Promotional Film

I was approached by Amy Willet the Producer/Director of this Promotional film to create the animated type for the names and questions for the film. The type face was created by Erika Lewis.

Un-Advent calendar banner!

I was asked by the nice guys at Skwigly Magazine to create a banner for the Un-Advent Calendar, so i came up with this little homarge to Aadman co-founder Peter Lord, anitmed by my good friend Ben Mitchell . I also received some rather nice comments form some rather big names, which was great! 

Difficulty!

My short film Difficulty completed during my graduate year at Cambridge school of art has been screened in Breda in the Netherlands and is to be screened at the Barbican in London, in February 2014. Yay!

Here is a link to the production blog http://difficultydiary.tumblr.com/

Working late on 'Difficulty'.

Poster for 'Difficulty'

Skwigly 2013

Well it's been almost a year since i started writing for the fantastic Skwigly online animation magazine. The Magazine it's self has come on leaps and bounds providing excellent content for there audience.

During this year I've had the opportunity to meet, greet and talk to some real legends of animation as well as some personal heros, I'm going to post some links to some of my favourite article and interviews i've conducted this year as i've not been updating this blog regularly enough. 

The excellent Ainslie Henderson was one of my first interviews, and it felt like i'd reached my goals already, now up for his second BAFTA, this talented stop-motion animator was joy and privilege to interview: Ainslie Henderson Interview.

During my Visit to Stuttgart International animtional festival (which Skwigly was one of my finance provders, securing me a press pass for the event) I was able to interview PIXAR director Saschka Unseld about his short film Blue Umbrella, a ground braking animation demonstration showcasing the highest level of CGI animation PIXar has to offer: Interview with Saschka Unseld 

One of the films that created a massive wave of excitement in 2013 was the felted stop motion animation  "oh willy". During my Stuttgart visit I was able to interview co-director Marc Roels, he was a extremely funny and genuine fella: Interview with Marc Roels

This was just very exciting altogether, combining the music i love with animation, Perfection. Queens of the stone age '...like clockwork' music video review. 

I was also asked to attend a preview screening of Dispicable Me 2, who doesn't love those little yellow guys: Despicable Me 2 Review

This was a fun, and kinda popular, article i wrote about the pit falls of working for free as a recent graduate: Should I Work for Free article

I also had the wonderful opportunity to interview Australian animator Michael Cusack, about his new film, which i swear is picking up every award going, he is genuinely one of the most lovely guy's I have ever met and he a can spin a yarn like no other, it was great to meet him also at encounter film festival in Bristol. Interview with Michael Cusack

And of course what year of writing about animation would be complete without my own interview with the Lord of stop-motion, Mr Peter Lord of Aadman animation studio on his recent Morph Kickstarter Campaign which I covered from start to finish. Interview with Peter Lord

I also had the pleasure of meeting other heros of animation such as Mackinnon and Saunders, Barry Purves and the wonderful Adam Elliot which I have to say I think may have been a highlight of my life! as well as this i've got to know and get far more involved with the Skwigly team as a whole and I believe I have met friends and colleges for life, it has really been a great adventure and I hope it continues in the new year!