"Did you have a mentor when you were starting out?
I worked with some great illustrators when i started. We shared a building with the Central Illustration Agency and so met and listened to a few of them. Brian Grimwood, Simon Spilsbury, Robert Shadbolt, Geoff Grandfield. At the time illustration was being battered a bit because everything was going digital. But as we always say – good art will always find a way.
What's your process for writing a treatment?
We like to try new things whenever we can, so it's about getting the idea and pushing to see what we can do with it. And we like to get something drawn or made or modelled quite quickly. One piece of art will always inspire you to the next step we find.
Do you often collaborate in the early stages or do you work alone?
There are 20 of us at 12foot6 and we all do slightly different things, so everyone has to rely on everyone else – all we ever do is collaborate.
Pencil & Paper or iPad ?
it's a bit hard to send an email with a pencil and pen. But i know what you mean. We find there is a pretty simple rule in animation, in fact with any work I think – you get out what you put in. Put good art in and you stand a good chance of coming out with something you'll be happy with. Use whatever tools you like, as long as it works."
(Millie Ross, 13.07.2012, Jotta)
[The Animation/Illustration agency 12foot6 was started by Dave Anderson and Tom Mortimer. Their name was derived from their collective heights i.e. (6 foot 3) * 2]
"deadmau5 and Imogen Heap have set up a global competition for animators to produce a segment of the official video to 'Telemiscommunications'. ...
We want to find 20 animators to make this video with. Each animator will be able to take ownership over their own segment, working in their own styles and mediums and with their own character and background designs. A selected few will also have a brief appearance at the end to tie all the characters into the same scene when they receive the text. We have created a sketch for the length of the video with the position of the character on the screen including a 3D plane so you can see what the camera is doing. This way we can connect the animations together. Also you'll see below each clip we've chosen a colour palette and given some direction for the mood we'd like to have in that section."
(Joel Thomas Zimmerman and Imogen Heap)
"A tax credit scheme for TV production and animation firms is to be introduced, in a bid to keep creative talent in Britain. Chancellor George Osborne announced the plans in Parliament as part of the new Budget for 2012. Mr Osborne said it was the government's 'determined policy' to keep Wallace and Gromit animators Aardman in Britain. Last month, Aardman bosses admitted they had been considering moving production abroad where it was cheaper. In reaction to the news, Aardman said the tax credit would be 'transformational for our industry'. 'We have seen a dramatic decline on UK television of home produced animation and we now have a shot a reversing that trend,' said Miles Bullough, head of broadcast and development. 'The credit will create thousands of UK jobs and our research shows that there will be a long term financial gain the for the UK.'"
(BBC Entertainment & Arts, 21 March 2012)
Fig.1 Mikey Please (2011), "The Eagleman Stag", Trailer for the BAFTA award winning short. Featuring the esteemed vocal talents of David Cann, with sound and score Benedict Please.
"Animate Projects, with support from the Jerwood Charitable Foundation, invites UK–based artists and animators to submit proposals for films that – in a broad sense – explore, question, subvert or confound our expectations of art and the 'digital'.
To apply, read the guidelines and download the submission form from the Opportunities section. The deadline for proposals is 4pm, 24 August 2011.
The Digitalis Commissions are part of Digitalis, a strand of activities for 2011 that focus on the potential of the digital space as a site for artistic production."
(Animate Projects)
Fig.1 Teaser for "AnimateTV – 20 Years of Experimental Animation from the UK" (DVD features acclaimed works by key figures in British artists' animation, including Phil Mulloy, Paul Bush, Sarah Cox, Tim Macmillan, Run Wrake, Petra Freeman, Ruth Lingford, Jonathan Hodgson, AL and AL, Keith Piper, Andrew Kötting, Semiconductor, Chris Shepherd, David Shrigley, Stephen Irwin and Simon Faithfull).
Fig.2 Young–Hae Chang Heavy Industries (2008). "I'm Sucking on a Tailpipe in Seoul"
"The Animator's Survival Kit – Animated is about how things move, and specific work methods used to make characters live, breathe, think and give a sustained commanding performance. Williams demonstrates his points with drawing, performance and over 400 specially animated examples – many from his best–selling book."
(Richard Williams Animation Masterclass, 2008)