Ian Livingstone

Ian Livingstone CBE is an English fantasy author and entrepreneur. Along with his friend Steve Jackson, he is the co-founder of the popular and influential series of "Fighting Fantasy"roleplaying gamebooks and the author of many books within that series. He is also one of the co-founders of the prominent games company "Games Workshop".

Livingstone co-founded "Games Workshop" in early 1975 with flatmates John Peake and Steve Jackson. They started publishing a monthly newsletter tilted "Own and Weasel", and sent copies of the first issue to subscribers of the recently defunct fanzine "Albion", Brian Blume received one of these copies and so sent them a copy of the new game "Dungeons and Dragons" in return. Livingstone and Jackson felt that this game was more imaginative than anything being produced in the UK at the time, and so worked out an arrangement with Blume for an exclusive deal to sell "Dungeons and Dragons" in Europe.

In the late 1975, Livingstone and Jackson organised their first convention, the first "Games Day". While selling game products directly out of their flat, their landlord eventually evicted them after people kept coming to the property looking for a store that did not exist. But while they were living in a tiny trailer, the two were expanded "Games Workshop" from being a bedroom mail order company to a successful gaming manufacturer and retail chain, with the first store opening in Hammersmith in 1977.

Sadly in 1976, Peake, who had no interest in the new role-playing game industry, saw that "Games Workshop" was getting more involved with RPGs and decided to leave the company.

 

In 1980, Livingstone and Jackson began to develop the concept of the Fighting Fantasy game book series, the first volume of "Fighting Fantasy" was published by Puffin in 1982. While the two co-wrote the first book together in the series, the pair began writing subsequent books separately upon receiving instruction from publishers "Penguin" to write more books faster.

In the mid 1980s, Livingstone did some design work for video game publisher Domark, and in 1993, he returned to the company, this time as a major investor and board member. In 1995, Domark was acquired by the video technology company Eidos plc, which formed the major part of the newly created Eidos Interactive. In 2005, Eidos was taken over by SCi and Livingstone was the only former board member to be retained, taking on the role of product acquisition director.

Livingstone secured many of the company's major franchises, including "Tomb Raider" and "Hitman". He has especially been with the former series since the very beginning, proudly watching as it became the huge commercial success it is today.

More recently, the Livingstone Foundation is trying to gain permission from the government to build a publish school in Hammersmith that would specialise in teaching 800 students aged 11-18 STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics. The idea emerged as Livingstone, then Life President of Eidos, launched the next Gen skills campaign, which successfully lobbied government to add computer science to the national curriculum. If the Livingstone School is approved, it should open next year and begin teaching kids not just how to use technology, but how to create with it as well!

Livingstone wants to teach computer science to the next generation in a different way. He wants to move away from what he calls the "Victoria broadcast model of talk and chalk" to "actual learning". This, he says, is essential to the UK's economy, digital future and, hopefully, the video game industry. "We're educating children for jobs that don't even exist today".

Despite the fatigue I was experiencing that day as I rushed to meet a deadline for a certain school module (Same old, same old...), I really did find myself enjoying this talk and frankly found it to be rather different to the past ones I had attended. I thought it was a splendid idea that he is planning to open a school for children that teaches computer science, and I suppose I envy those children once they get the chance to enrol there.

Honestly all I really knew about Ian Livingstone before I attended this talk was his involvement with the "Tomb Raider" series, but it is pretty amazing to know how much he has contributed to the game industry over the last few decades, I am even tempted to pick up a few of those "Fighting Fantasy" books now.

James G. Wall

James G. Wall is freelancing film maker and a recent graduate from (From 2010 to be exact) Leeds College of Art. "The Truth About Romance" came out in 2013 on Youtube and was his debut feature film (After having worked on a number of short films back during his college years), it was shot over 14 days in July 2012 under a budget of only 250 sterlings.

It probably doesn't sound like much when you hear that a film was made under such a small budget in such a short period of time, but imagine that this was your first ever feature film and that you aren't actually a big name to anyone around you. Imagine how difficult it is to get an entire cast and crew to work with you until the end unless you have some decent enough connections. Image that you are still a small timer and that most people just won't even spare you any attention. Just... imagine if you had started it all on your own.

While we probably could do most of the voice acting for our own animations (If we are good enough). When it comes to films, different actors and actresses are most definitely needed. It just really helped that James already knew a fairly decent network of people to work alongside him on this project, as well as other people that specialise in other areas, such as camera work.

Promoting his film was another incredibly stressful and tiring process, which James did not let up on. When he had held his first fundraiser (Obviously for such things as travelling costs and equipment), luck was unfortunately not on his side as a bid deal charity had came out at exactly the same time, and so he had to try again a little while later when his first time failed.

Not surprisingly (Up to this point), social media played an incredibly big part, it was also through there that he had received a surprising amount of support and promoting from folks he didn't know (Even through Instagram), as compared to people he knew in real life... that unfortunately didn't give him the faith and support he really needed for such a project. 

James never stopped promoting his film, making sure that he would reach every single person he knew in life, spending late nights just emailing folks and kindly asking if they could do some preview reviews of his film (That they will of course post on their own blogs, or whatever social media they happen to use the most) too as a another way to spread the word and generate interest.

During filming, there were many issues that he and his crew had many issues to deal with, such as locations, bad weather, or even worse, when one of his actors or actresses decide to pull out at the last minute due to better offers. But despite all of that, despite how he probably groaned a little in dismay each morning he woke up after a short period of rest, James had admitted that it had probably been the best time of his life, seeing that this was after all what he had trained himself to do, and isn't that one of the most important things to remember when we push ourselves to the brink of insanity working on such huge projects? To remember that we really loved it in the first place?

While James makes more money freelancing than he did when he use to work full time, it still wasn't as easy as that from the beginning, before he could actually leave his previous job, he first had to make sure that his freelancing career would actually kick off, that there were enough folks that would like him to hire him on a more regular basis.

All in all, social media is once again known to create the biggest impact when one wishes to get themselves into their desired industry. One needs to get as many connections as possible, have a professional side to them (Especially when it comes to the social medias they reach out form), and relentlessly work away at promoting themselves.

Of course, you must also remember not to act like an overconfident douche who thinks he is better than everyone, and be courteous and respectful to everyone (Especially the professionals). It will take a lot of hard work, but it will be worth it in the end

Cannon Busters Kickstarter

I have probably mentioned this way too many times during my short time here, but I have always looked up to LeSean Thomas and saw him as a role model for when I had begun my studies in Animation. And so I was absolutely ecstatic to hear that there was a Kickstarter to create an animated version of one of his passion projects, "The Cannon Busters".

"The Cannon Busters" follows the adventures and exploits of S.A.M, a high-end, royal-class friendship droid who is joined by a quirky, discarded maintenance robot and a brash, deadly fugitive. Together, the trio embark on an unforgettable journey in a fantastic and dangerous world in search of S.A.M's best friend, the heir to a powerful kingdom under siege.

Over the past few weeks, I have seen so many big names coming in to work on this project, be they writers, animators, concept artists, voice actors... as well as folks like Peter Chung, creator of "Aeon Flux" spreading the good word. It is also recently that Eric Calderon, a writer and co-producer of "Afro Samurai" has joined as a writer for this pilot.

While my knowledge of Kickstarter remains limited, when it comes to animators or anyone in the design industry, the global crowd funding platform in a way truly helps to motivate deserving folks to bring their creative projects to life. I know the Kickstarter with the potato salad might have turned off a lot of people, but we can't forget about other amazing projects, such as Aardman's "Morph", who returned only recently for a few adorable shorts. And then there's "Urbance", an incredibly unique looking animated action series written and directed by Joel Dos Reis Viegas and Sebastien Larroude... 

It is most definitely a considerably controversial thing, seeing how easily it can be abused, by supposedly anyone (Like Amanda Palmer and Zach Braff). But then there are gems like these buried underneath all that crap... which is unfortunate for deserving folks, if they already don't have a large enough following in other social medias.

All I'm saying is, I have never been more excited for any Kickstarter than LeSean's, and I absolutely hope that it will meet its goal over the next few days! (Honestly, I would have pledged more money, but alas, the life of a student...) I don't think I have seen many artists as passionate as him, especially in the animation industry.

But yes, if you haven't already, you can back it here.

Double Negative with Chris McLaughlin

It was no surprise that this was going to be one my must-attend talks for this year, especially after I deeply enjoyed last year's insightful one with Nathan Ortiz (I might have to repost that post... because for some reason it disappeared on my blog?), and ho ho... it looks like the festival director knew of that, saving the best for last...

Chris McLaughlin is the Sequence Supervisor at Double Negative, having joined the studio in 2010. He works in Lighting TD, CG Sequence Lead and CG Sequence Supervisor on such works as "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2", "Paul", "The Bourne Legacy", "Fast and Furious 6" and "Rush". Most recently, Chris completed work on "Hercules" as CG Sequence Supervisor where he was responsible for all environment sequences along with the three-headed Cerberus. He is currently Sequence Supervising on next year's "Terminator: Genisys" (Yay!). But anyway back to the creature production of "Hercules".

The Nemean Lion was one of their proudest works, despite it being one of
the longest to render due to its detailed fur.

While "Hercules" (Featuring Dwayne Johnson, AKA, The Rock) might be one of their least popular works (Which is understandable considering all the other blockbusters that were released around the same time... still, I have read that it was able to beat out "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" during its third week), clearly a lot of love was put into the designs of the creatures and environments that were assigned to the DNeg crew.

Interestingly enough, the wolf from the "Bourne Legacy" was used as reference during the development of the 3 wolves, which definitely made things a little easier when it came to working on them. Needless to say, reference is incredibly important and any professional will immediately tell you the exact same thing, regardless of what you are working on. So gather as much reference as you can, gather photos, watch documentaries, just don't attempt to create something out of the blue and expect it to be good!

Zbrush sculpts were first sent over to the studio by their clients during the development of the creatures, from there, Chris and his crew begin working on these designs, to not just improve on their design (Making them not just appealing, but fiercer and more intimidating), but to also to adjust the anatomy to be more accurate. Walking/Running cycles were then used to see how realistic their movements are as well physics of their skin and fur (A little more on that later).

Previs (Or Previsualization) comes in all forms depending on what media it is being used for (Eg, storyboards and concept art). 3D animated previsualization has been used in the VFX industry since the 1980s and remains popular to this day. In a way, they resemble game cutscenes that are perfect for figuring out lighting, camera angles, etc.

Challenges involve the creation of hair/fur, water/swamp creature, realistic interaction between the actors and these effects. Several custom shaders and renderers were created even for the water and snow and hilariously a 'baby oil' shader was specially made for Dwayne Johnson himself (Seeing that he applies them throughout the movie). There were just a lot of tool that Chris mentioned during his presentation, and it was pretty hard to catch it all, but needless to say, I was awed but how much went into just the creatures alone.

Hercules had a digital double that was used clearly for more dangerous stunts or considerably impossible scenes (Particularly during the fight with the Erymanthian Boar), or when the real actor's interaction did not match the object it was interacting with (Such as the hands). They also had to keep in consideration about making sure details matched that of the actor himself, such as dirt, wounds, costumes... and babyoil.

While the Lernaean Hydra didn't have fur like the other creatures, other details were considered such as the more realistic stretching of their scaly skin (A volume rig was used for the surface of the body to do so). Not only that, a majority of the setting was also redone, using the blue screen for the environment (Seeing that swamp is mostly green anyway), the water area was actually extended, with extra details such as blood added into it. But that doesn't mean that the live shots are then deemed completely useless, they can of course be referred to when recreating that scene.

Green suited actors are also used as placements for these creatures (I'm sorry, I can't find the one that was shown in the presentation), to give the idea of weight for the actors, as miming won't always work.

And so my respect continues to grow for this studio, not just because they have worked on so many of my favourite movies, but also for the fact that they truly do go all out when it comes to what they do. A part of me wishes to learn more about VFX (To better understand the softwares used for it, especially when it comes to the brushes, shaders and renderers that are used) and perhaps get the chance to work with amazing folks like them someday, but the wiser part of me knows that that probably won't happen for awhile...

Despite their amazing contributions however, the VFX department seems to be the least respected out of all the departments in the film industry (As Mr Paul Wells so states), perhaps still being the youngest and all... 

But Chris McLaughlin also has a point, taking it as the biggest compliment when their visual effects actually go unnoticed by the viewers (Like "Rush", because that totally wowed me), they know they are doing great work, and if it helps, there are folks like us who deeply appreciate their hard work...

Slumberless

"Slumberless" happens to be another animation that attempts to mix 3D computer and stop motion together, only to be a little more successful as compared to "Etoile". The story focuses on a sleep deprived man who also continues to grieve over the loss of a loved one, one night however he is paid a visit by a strange creature.

I always heard that puppets from Mackinnon and Saunders tend to cost an arm and a leg, and so I can't really imagine how much the budget was for this animation short. If I remembered correctly, only the creature's wings were animated in 3D (Or was it the other way round?). Either way, I suppose the mixture of techniques doesn't look as awkward in this animation due to there being lesser 3D effects used, and perhaps even the dark lighting, that can better hide any possible flaws.

The ending was a little odd, I assumed that the creature was in some way a harbinger of death (Or just some scary as frag sleep fairy...), instead of helping the human fall asleep, he pretty much just puts him to rest from what I can see, in the nicest possible way at least (I mean, who doesn't mind turning into a mist of glitter and soft lights when they die?), as a way to repay him for helping him. Though I do believe that much more time and effort would have been needed if the creator had attempted a different ending where the human had lived on (The one that I have been thinking of that is).

Despite the somewhat rushed story, it still was a pretty little animation (Not surprising really especially since he was able to get high quality puppets for it), it had a nice and compelling atmosphere to it, with an effective enough soundtrack. Overall, I enjoyed it.

Etoile

"Etoil" is a 3D computer animation (With photos being used for most of their backgrounds) that follows the title character who lives with her family and her dog Rex in Morocco, Casablanca. During that time, Jewish girls from around the neighbourhood are kidnapped, when the opportunity to leave Morocco arises, Etoil and her family decides to take it.

So, what can I say about the story... Despite the seemingly cheerful music that plays and fairly cute style used for this animation, I know something sad was going to happen (Like most of the animations shown in this festival...). And once I figured out that the dog was going to be an important part of the story... for the rest of the film, I was just dying inside, knowing what would happen, and when it did...

'

Though I suppose it could be worse, it could be like "The Black Dog's Progress" (Created by the same guy who did "The Obvious Child")...

While the backgrounds are most probably stop motion (And sometimes 3D props are added in), I just find the mixture to be a little odd, the 3D characters don't blend in all that well with the backgrounds used. But it isn't really that bad, it was just something I found myself noticing as I watched, some interactions just aren't that believable, it really didn't look like the character was placing her foot down onto the step when she did. 

Still, it was a good attempt (This is coming from someone that only started learning about 3D animation), the character models looked alright I suppose, with the dog easily being my favourite (NOT because I'm bias, but his design looked the least awkward too compared to the humans), the main character's design could have been a little better.

It was interesting however to see others trying to mix  these different techniques together, and I can see that it is a lot more challenging than it looks, not many have been incredibly successful when it comes to executing it, but really, this was pretty good aside from a few flaws here and there.

Interview

Interview from The Animation Workshop on Vimeo.

"Interview" is a Danish 3D computer animation directed by Mikkel Okholm as Bachelor film project as part of the Animation Workshop, the short focuses on a young man who is interviewing for the most important job of all time... without even knowing what is it.

I just realised that I haven't really gotten the chance to talk about many 3D animations, and looking back on my past posts, so far it has mainly been 2D or stop motion ones. In all honesty, all the 3D and stop motion works were fantastic in this screening, or were at least far more enjoyable as compared to the 2D/traditionally animated ones... But yes going back to this wonderful animation...

If you haven't already watched the video provided in the very beginning, then do so now. This was well animated, well voice acted, and is overall a well written little piece of comedy (The pacing is just perfect, especially for each joke), and I couldn't help but enjoy it even more when I rewatched it (Especially when you are able to connect what happens in the beginning now that you know what happens in the end).

Every aspect of this animation was simply wonderful, even the details (Especially at the ending), lighting and camera angles (That especially makes things hilariously dramatic at times) were so well done.

100 Things Every Game Student should Know with Kaye Elling

I liked the fact that she mentioned she was a cosplayer.

Kaye Elling is a Lecturer in Computer Games at the University of Bradford and is the Course Leader for BA Graphics for Games, where she teaches observational drawing, digital sculpting and many other creative subjects. Kaye's background is in game development where she spent some 13 years working as a Character Artist and Art Manager for companies including Infogrames, Sony and Blitz Game Studios. She has created 3D graphics, and lead teams of artists and animators, on titles including the Premier Manager series, the Bratz series and the Encleverment Experiment on XBLA.

It was unfortunate that this was the only game development talk I was able to attend during my entire week there, but I was glad that it was this one as my friend and I were laughing throughout it. It was funny, frank and rather insightful talk into the video game industry. Kaye Elling was just such a joy to listen to, and it felt like time flew by so fast as we did.

Aside from how video game students should think and act during their time at university (Pretty obvious stuff to be honest, it still saddens me how hubristic most students can be...), we were reminded on how it is that we should present ourselves when we later on have to go out there. You need to earn the respects of the professionals, so commute with skill and integrity, be passionate, and of course, show that you actually know what you are talking about (Terminologies are pretty damn important).

Roles in the industry once again comes into discussion during this talk, clearly to make that decision on what it is you wish to specialise in, you have to make sure that you are absolutely passionate about it. Anyone can have ideas, but during recent times, you need some skills to back it up, don't be the one that talks and not do. To get a better chance at being hired, it of course also helps to pick up some other skills to show some flexibility.

And when working as part of the video game industry, do not make that mistake of thinking like a consumer (A mistake many of us clearly make), think like a developer. Read industry press, not consumer press, "Gamergate" is a consumer revolt, and not a developer one.

It was hilarious to see how this talk had intimidated quite a few of the attendants, because seriously, what'd you expect? Everything she said made absolute sense, and if you have the passion for it, there is no need at all to be afraid of the truths that she had laid out. And as usual, we were encouraged to focus on our portfolios, something I am really intent on working on, hopefully during the Easter holidays next year.

Seeing that Kaye Elling had to compress this list for this talk, the entire list can be found here, for those who are interested in reading further.

BAF 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award with Claire Jennings

Claire Jennings is one of the world's leading animation producers, having produced Aardman's "Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of The Were-Rabbit" in 2005, and worked together with Willem Thyseen to produce "Father and Daughter" in 2001. Claire Jennings first began her career in 1989, working for John Coates at TVC London, during her five year tenure, she worked on such productions as "Father Christmas" and "The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends". Subsequently, she embarked on her productions in the UK, producing Academy Award-nominated animated shorts "Jolly Roger" and  "The Canterbury Tales", which were nominated for and won BAFTA Awards, respectively.

Honestly though, she has a pretty darn impressive filmography (It was especially a pleasant surprise to learn that she had been a producer for "The Big Knights").

It was a pity that I couldn't stay all the way until the end (Especially when she was to finally receive her award), but I am glad I was able to catch whatever I could while I was there. I suppose there's still so much that I need to know when it comes to being a producer or director, both of them are so important, but have to uptake such different tasks from one another. I suppose one of the tasks that stood out the most to me when taking on the role of a producer is being the one to put together to team and to keep a fairly peaceful working environment (If there were to be any conflicts, she would see to getting it settled promptly). 

It was humorously stated that during the making of "Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit", Claire practically felt like a punching bag when settling matters between Aardman and Dreamworks studios. At times she had to aggressively convince Dreamworks to give them more time, it only makes sense for such issues to occur when two studios with completely different cultures attempt to collaborate with one another, and Claire Jennings did a fine job keeping them together while also making sure a quality animation came out of it all.

"Stressed Eric" was an idea brought forth by Scottish comedian Peter Baikie, while he has written for several live-action comedy shows, this was going to be his first animated project, and so Claire Jennings was hired to aid him in that area.

As mentioned in another post, Laika was clearly struggling a little when they started on their first ever animated feature film "Coraline", with the schedule and budget just not working out for the entire crew and progress coming along very slowly, Henry Selick decided that it was time to seek out the assistance of Claire Jennings. An experienced hand was simply needed as most of the crew for this film, despite how talented they were, had little experience in handling such a big project.

Being a producer, Claire's hard work is not as celebrated as it should be, due to always getting things done behind the scenes (We have already seen how much trouble the film "Coraline" was actually in, despite how seemingly magical and fun the Laika crew had made it sound in one of their making-of videos). But thankfully, since her return to the UK, Claire remains highly recognised by many people in the industry, and so most of them end up going to her instead of the other way round.

"It was creativity with a gun held to your head."

Roles in Animation

When it comes down to it, there are a lot of roles that need to be filled when making an animation, especially when working on feature length films. Seeing all the roles we had listed down during a brief brainstorming session, we really are reminded of just how much work we actually do, as we practically take up nearly 90% of these roles with each animation we have worked on in the previous year.

Pre-Production, directors and producers are possibly
the two roles that will see everything all the way
to the end.

Production

Post Production, and this is really just scratching the
surface.

While I suppose a large part of me really does want to do it all, I know deep down I will still need assistance in many areas, such as sound and music design. While we are told to figure out the areas we truly wish to specialise in during our studies here, we were also told that that choice can only truly be made after we graduate, and when we are finally out there working in the industry. They do say that our time at school is going to be one of the best and most enjoyable time in our lives, so we might as well enjoy everything while we still can.

Thankfully, there are most definitely a few areas that I wish to specialise in, and so I do plan on getting some personal works done for my portfolio/showreel before that time comes (Especially when I'm starting to realise now how this year's curriculum isn't giving us much of an opportunity to create new works like last year, it took me this long to figure out that it is more of a dissertation year with lots of thinking and writing, than doing).

A great site to refer to better understand the available roles in the industry is Creative Skillset.

Beauty

"An examination of the most important emotions of life, from birth to death, from love to sexuality and from pain to fear. A tribute and its disarming beauty." 

~ Rino Stefano Tagliafierro

Another animation that I have seen around for awhile now online, "Beauty" showcases a remarkable list of some of Europe's most beautiful classic paintings being brought to life using the 2.5D effect.

The 2.5D effect (Also known as the animated photo effect) for this, was used mainly in the video game industry, used to describe either 2D graphical projections and similar techniques used to cause a series of images (Or scenes) to simulate the appearance of being three-dimensional (3D) when in fact they are not, or gameplay in an otherwise three-dimensional video game that is restricted to a two-dimensional place.

Needless to say, this was incredibly impressive and awing to watch, with its incredibly soft subtle movements, if almost feels like you are slowly being pulled into these paintings the longer you stare. Seeing that the animation comprises mainly of compositing and editing through After Effects or Final Cut, there are some very small instances where some parts look a tad awkward (Seeing as their limbs can't exactly be stretched or squashed without getting some major editing done outside of the previously mentioned softwares)...

*squints*

Nonetheless, much like its title, "Beauty" is an eerie piece of animation that you can't help but quietly admire all the way through, the animation is just fabulously done (While I have already stated that there are some very small instances of awkward looking movements, most of it is actually very lifelike... in a dreamy sort of way), and I can't imagine how much time it took to recreate parts of paintings that had been covered by the parts that they chose to animate, especially for the darker and more violent paintings.

The blood splatter is really subtle, but it really works.

To be honest, even before all of these paintings came in (Before things got real), I already felt a sense of foreboding right at the beginning, even when they were just showing the more fairytale-like paintings, though I suppose this is due to the type of music they decided to use for it (Obviously, music and sounds can create an even bigger impact on any animation when done right... and that includes silence).

Very neat use of filters here.

... This use to be one of my favourite paintings too.

Suddenly the perception of immortality becomes reality.

365

I have been hearing a lot things about the Brothers McLeod since I started studying here, but amazingly enough, despite the fact that "365" may have been shared all over the internet for what felt like decades now (That even my friend had soon enough gotten sick of them...), it wasn't only until recently did I finally get the chance to watch it in the theatres.

The Brother McLeod are illustrator Greg McLeod and writer Myles McLeod. They are English filmmakers of 2D animation, predominantly in the comedy genre (As you will soon see). The brothers had won a BAFTA and Webby over the last few years.

Aside from how amusing the whole thing actually is ("Maurice" gets me every time), it is just so darn impressive and inspiring to see the Brothers McLeod stay so committed to such as project, managing to animate something every single day (And let's not include the little bit they specially did for the trailer) for an entire year. What else is there to say really aside that they have a really quirky and colourful style that works so well with their sense of humor? It is just an enjoyable, clever and cute project overall, and I'm glad that I finally had the chance to watch it.

Through the Hawthorn

"Through the Hawthorn" was a British rotoscope animation directed by Anna Benner, Pia Borg and Gemma Burditt, the story focuses on a young schizophrenic patient named Sam who has stopped taking his medication, refusing to believe that he needs them. His mother is fraught after finding him naked in a freezing lake in the middle of the night. The doctor himself believes that Sam should try a different type of medication.

What definitely drew my attention to this piece was the animation style used for it. I feel that I have been talking about a lot of rotoscope animations recently, and I suppose it is because I found myself curious over the different ways people are able to utilise such a technique. This was a really interesting collaboration project as each director was assigned one character's perspective each for the animation, so to convey different realities from one another.

While the doctor clearly lives in a black and white world of sorts, Sam's mother is in a more murky but still stable enough sort of reality as she is clearly emotionally distressed over her son's schizophrenia. Sam's reality, as expected, seems to change constantly (Notable from not just the abstract visuals seen in his frame, but the constant change in art style). It was an overall an impressive piece of work (Though if it wasn't, it wouldn't even be in the Professional showreel now, would it?).

Strange Hill High with Mark Oswin and Tim Jones

While puppet animation is honestly not an area I wish to pursue in the future, it was definitely a wonderful opportunity getting to attend this talk, aside from gaining a little insight into how puppet animation works, useful tips on how to effectively write for  children shows was also shared by one of the show's writers.

"Strange Hill High" is a children's animated series for CBBC that first premiered on the 8th May 2013, animation techniques include puppets, Japanese vinyl toys and digital effects (Notably for the characters' mouths and eyes). The show follows students Mitchell Tanner, Becky Butters and Templeton as they explore their extraordinary school, uncovering absurd and outrageous occurrences as they go. It is written by Josh Weinstein, who is best known for his work on "The Simpsons" (During the golden age) and "Futurama".

Mark Oswin is a TV comedy writer who has written for numerous animations and live action comedy shows over the years. In 2011, he joined the show's writing team, writing six episodes over two seasons. He later went on to work on the development of monster/horror animation "Scream Street", and is currently writing for the new series of "Danger Mouse".

I believe there was one thing that really stood out to me when Mark shared with us on how episodes were written, and that was simply the fact that all you truly need to do is write what makes YOU laugh, don't try to water it down and patronise children, because honestly, they are smarter than most people realise. A lot of cultural references are made, mainly for the enjoyment of the older audience and the writers themselves, but in a way, if it makes the kids laugh and draw their attention, they will later on go on their own to find out the meaning behind those jokes. So write what you think is funny... of course, just don't include any sex or violence into it (Still, I suppose that can't stop you from including sexual innuendos like the old cartoons did).

Tim Jones is a professional puppeteer, puppet maker and character designer and is currently the Lead Puppeteer for the show. Before that, Jones has done a number of one-man theatre shows. A qualified sculptor, Tim has recently discovered the combined joys of chain-saw carving (Whoa) and Radio 4 Extra.

So it was not surprising to hear that the puppets were made by Mackinnon and Saunders, these puppets cost so much that, despite how often they were used, were handled with the utmost care by its puppeteers. These puppets were made out of wood with many precise hinges that only the animators were familiar with (It probably took them a tiny bit of practice too to familiarise themselves with them), while the costumes were machine sewn.

I can't imagine how tiring it must be (And how much arm muscles they gained) animating these puppets, though of course things most probably have to be done much faster than stop-motion as it isn't shot frame by frame and are instead done in several takes, seeing that they are puppeteering below the stage, they can only refer to the TV screens by their sides for reference, and obviously the direction they wish to move their puppets tends to work in reverse, much like how a mac mouse would.

It was only recently that I had finally gotten the chance to check out the first episode in the series, and well I will admit, that it is pretty funny, I was able to get a lot of the vague references and slightly grown up jokes they made... no wonder my lecturers enjoyed this show so much. Well, I will try to catch up on the rest of the series when I can.

Laika's Behind the Scenes of the Boxtrolls Mark Shapiro

No studio has ever gotten me to appreciate stop-motion like Laika did (Shh shh, I love you too, Aardman), while it is still a considerably new animation studio compared to so many others, for some reason Laika continues to win me over with each feature film they have been releasing over the last few years. And whilst have already caught "The Boxtrolls" back at home during the summer, I know this was going to be a real treat for me.

In the late 1990s, Will Vinton Studios sought funds for more feature-length fils and brought in outside investors such as Nike, Ink owner, Phil Knight. It was in 1998 that Knight made his initial investment and his son Travis started working at the studio as an animator. In 2002, Phil acquired the financially struggling studio to pursue feature-length productions, and during the following year, Henry Selick, director of The Nightmare Before Christmas, joined the studio as a supervising director. It was by July 2005 where Laika became the successor to Will Vinton Studios.

Mark Shapiro had joined the studio in 2007, where he manages brand strategies, including the marketing efforts for Laika's corporate identity as well as the company's feature films. Before then, Shapiro's diverse marketing and communications career had taken him across the US, working in brand development, advertising, public relations, film production and writing for companies including Nike, Town & Country Magazine and Upper Deck.

I don't want to talk too much about this film and its behind the scenes (Honestly I would like to save it for future blog posts that I can use for other modules), so I will just try to talk about the bits that interested me the most (Which was nearly everything, ugh). 

Green and blue screens were used throughout the film, particularly for the more action based scenes, it is just exhausting wondering how many times they have to switch between real settings and blue/green screens. Even if a more action based sequence was to take place in a proper setting, blue/green props have to be used for when they are animating a character jumping off a railing (And of course they have to make it look believable).

Compositing was also used for crowd scenes to save time, and frankly, it is really well done, especially since you will have to squint real hard to notice that the characters all the way at the back aren't actually moving.

It was just so amazing getting to know the techniques that were used to create the certain effects in this film, especially when it comes to the water and fire (Because at times, they really do look real). For the water in the sewers, rotating lights were simply placed under a textured shower glass, creating the illusion of light reflecting off water. Unlike past films, the fire couldn't be done in the same way (Where a more cartoony fire was actually 3D printed in "Coraline"), and a more realistic look had to be achieved, to do so, a mini ipad fire app was specially built, that would later on be placed into the little compartment of where the fire should be (Such as behind the grill of the machine used by Snatcher), and is after that enhanced ever so slightly with CGI.

I think we all know by now how much effort is put into every single one of their stop-motion puppets (Dozens of copies are even made of each of the characters), there are actually separate departments that specialise in areas such as clothing and hair (I wouldn't be too surprised if there was a little one for applying make up too, hehe). It was also interesting to know that these folks came from different backgrounds, for the hair department, the ladies that comprised of it actually came from a jewellery making background instead (Really makes you think).

And while the costumes were made from scratch with real fabric, wires were still placed under them so that they could be properly posed during the animating process, which must have been incredibly challenging, especially when attempting to achieve the realistic movement of flowing fabric.

As I mentioned before, I continue to remain astounded by how much love Laika puts into each of their films, and another aspect that also stands out about them is how they are more than happy to show us their process in whatever way they can, be it in trailers, behind-the-scenes, and even in the films themselves. It's a wonderful way to give better insight into the world of stop motion. They might have struggled a little in the beginning with "Coraline", but they clearly have come a long way since then.

Airy Me

This feels like a really sad animation to end on for "Girls on the Run", but nonetheless, I just knew I had to include this one, while the 'wired rabbit' that smiles as it lights up an otherwise pitch black room isn't all that disturbing compared to what we have already seen, it already gave us a hint on what will soon unfold further in. The cutesy anime expression is just both incredibly creepy and heartbreaking to look at, especially when they are later on seen on some weird creatures that go after the main female lead.

Yoko Kuno had taken two years to work on this animation as her graduation assignment when she was still in university, with the animation consisting of 3000 hand-drawn frames. Perhaps it would be easier to understand the meaning behind this animation if the english translation of the lyrics were available somewhere... I don't necessarily want to immediately assume that the female lead has been horribly abused in some way (Enough with the sexual abuse). It seems to me that she is struggling more with the fear of losing those that she is trying so hard to save, such as the patient that she dutifully takes care of each day.

While I felt that I had seen enough gory and disturbing animations for one day, I could still appreciate the amazing amount of effort put into this piece, with all the outstanding camera angles that had been traditionally drawn in instead of digitally animated, to know that every single frame was drawn by hand, just utterly amazes me (And humorously enough, I believe Yoko Kuno had actually put the rest of her classmates to shame during its showcase).

Usawaltz

This is abstract and conceptual as any animation can get, and there's honestly nothing really disturbing in it to boot (I kinda felt that the aim of most of these animations is to get people to think by pushing disturbing visuals right into their faces, haha).

It is cute and charming, but other than that, I can't really understand what this has to do with the "josei" theme, what are these little rabbit creatures meant to represent, and why are all these creatures flowing peacefully through a black abyss? All that was said in her summary on youtube is: 

"In the black and white world with so many animals relaxing, there are small rabbits called 'usa' dancing in their world."

And don't bother, usa is pretty much a short version of usagi, the japanese word for rabbit. The closest thing I can think of is that it has something to do with fertility...  But really, while I couldn't understand this one or make any theories out of it, it really was a lovely piece of animation, and I suppose there's nothing wrong with that, right? Maybe it wasn't really meant to mean anything..

"- doesn't really mean anything." ~ E, Blackadder