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[ Text Only: Homepage ]
[ Graphical: Channel4 Homepage ]
Locked in a studio and given just 72 hours to produce a one minute animation film - this was the gruelling experience for the five chosen participants to Celmates Animarathon, competing for a prize for the final film. The given theme was 'Breaking Out', a fitting preoccupation as, short on sleep and with outside contact limited to phone calls to a sound designer to discuss their soundtrack, the five had to work in the same space and under the full glare of the cameras.
See how they got on ....
Leigh Hodgkinson got into animation because it fused her studies in graphic design and illustration, a love of storytelling - she's been writing poems and stories since childhood - and a keen sense of rhythm and movement, having been involved in ballet, theatre, music, orchestras and bands.
After college she worked as 'donut monitor' at the Museum of the Moving Image - home of C4's Animator in Residence scheme- helping kids make zooetrope strips. Then she went to the National Film and Television School. There she enjoyed developing working relationships with others in different disciplines, which has continued, as in a recent collaboration with sound designer Barnaby Templar on 'an imaginary animated documentary', Matryoshka. Her graduation film Novelty has been doing well on the international festival circuit.
For Leigh, the Animarathon experience was interesting as an insight into how the filmmaking process differed from individual to individual. 'Some were more traditionalist, putting more emphasis on the movement, others took more time over script and animatics. Some worked through it quite methodically and almost seemed in control (very suspicious!) while for others (like me!) it felt more spontaneous, almost creating a type of improvisational animation!'
At school Steve Smith loved English and art and credits the late night C4 four-mations animation series - 'I could do that ... couldn't I?' - for getting him into animation. 'The combination of storytelling and drawing seemed ideal'.
He studied animation at Farnham, then at the Royal College of Art. His graduation film, Last Best Friend, has done well on the international festival circuit. 'College gave me a flood of influences, information and practical experience. And going to the RCA made me employable ... no one trusted me after finishing Farnham'.
Since college he has been represented by Sherbet Films for commercials, which he has variously animated and directed. He has worked on pilots for series such as Mr. Bean, done a few pitches, designs, Flash work (for the web and TV), and developed his own work, culminating in winning a place on the C4/MOMI animator-in-residence scheme.
He confesses to a hidden desire to make live action films: 'I think it's got something to do with the face, the subtleties of expression you just can't get in animation. Animation is bold, fierce. Essentially, animation is one step removed from real life enabling us to watch it from a safe distance, which is why it can be provocative, surprising and instructive.'
Steve May has had a passion for drawing as far back as he can remember. After a first degree in fine arts, he freelanced for some years as an illustrator and comics artist, before going to the Royal College of Art to study animation. Looking at the sophisticated retro-chic graphic look of his graduation film, Gut, a comic gastric nightmare about a gourmand who swallows a live lizard, you would think he had always wanted to make cartoons. Not so.
Oddly, for a 2D animator, his interest in animation grew from the model and object animated films of Ray Harryhausen, the Brothers Quay, and Czech surrealist Jan Svankmajer. Gradually he found his way back to classic cartoons and 2D.
Having spent time around live action filmmaking, he has no aspirations in that direction - 'all that standing around is so tedious' - and besides, animation offers the 'megalomaniac pleasures of total control!'.
Steve has assistant directed a TV series, continues to illustrate, is currently working on an interactive project, and is represented by Picasso Pictures for commercials.
He enjoyed the way the Animarathon's time pressure 'stopped you being precious' and was pleasantly surprised by the supportive rather than competitive atmosphere he had expected.
Initially trained in civil engineering, Oliver Murray's move to animation makes him unusual in comparison to his celmates. But there was logic to the leap. Economic recession hit just as he graduated, so engineering jobs were thin on the ground. Since he had always drawn and contributed comic strips to the student newspaper, he decided to take an MA in computer graphics, which would combine his artistic flair with his technical skills. He also thought it would improve his employment prospects at the same time. He was right: his first job was in computer games, which were starting to take off in a big way. For the last four years he has worked at Impossible Animations, making mainly character-based animation for comedy and children's TV and late night material for Channel 4's 4Later. Working under pressure was nothing new for Oliver: 'Working on Impossible's topical animated sketch show we even animated stuff on the day of transmission.' But directing was a new experience and in future he would like to 'try my hand at more writing and directing, and work on lots of different projects'. He would also like to develop his Celmates characters further, or use them in another programme, 'like a kids show'.
At a very early age Paul Hilton decided he wanted to become a background artist and work at Disney: but he has subsequently discovered that what he really loves is working with both 2D and 3D.
'I'd hate to be doing just one thing. And I really enjoy illustration, modelling, texturing. It's the best of both worlds.'
He experimented with various animation techniques, including plasticene models, while still at school, then took an HND at Bournemouth Art College which has a strong emphasis on traditional craft skills.
Two years ago he got a job he loves at the Lightimage multi-media studio in Shaftesbury, working on TV commercials, and animation for the internet and CD Rom.
On the Animarathon, he missed the 'everyone working together' aspect he is used to at the ever-busy studio, but relished the autonomy, since on commercials everything is continually referred back for approval. 'Working on your own from start to finish was the big surprise'. He also particularly enjoyed the collaboration with the sound designers, since again, most of his usual work is to pre-determined voice or music tracks.
He would like to get involved with full motion computer games, interactive TV, and special effects in feature films.
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