Francis' Future...

After graduating I plan to either work in industry or take on the Masters level course in Directing Animation at the NFTS.  I have collected a number of contacts within the stop-motion industry who may recommend/hire me for future work and the A+C studio based in Margate has expressed interest in taking me on full time once I complete my course at Staffordshire University.

In the case I fail to find a place in industry after University, I would like to take on a Masters course at the NFTS.  The course specific to directing animation interests me as it would enhance my repertoire and better prepare me to start up my own studio once I graduate.  As I have worked in my families Children's Entertaining company for a number of years, I have some understanding of what is required in starting up a home business.  The knowledge I have developed in this area will hopefully be transferable if I start up my own animation studio.
The course will be taking on applicants later this year.

The NFTS are based in Beaconsfield near London and are one of the best places to study for stop-motion animation in the UK.  Graduate films have received numerous awards in recent years. 

Click Here to check out the NFTS website.

I also have a portfolio website which I provide when I am in correspondence with prospective animation studios and educational institutions.  It can be viewed Here.

Aardman and the Bristol Stop-Motion Scene

In June of 2018 I took on an animation internship at Aardman Animations.  I worked under Supervising Animators Lloyd Price and Grant Maisey, producing a series of short animated segments with a puppet fabricated by Aardman's in-house model makers.  During the hour long lunch breaks, I had the opportunity to talk with some of the best and brightest of the stop motion animation world.  It was interesting to discover that a number of model makers and animators also do occasional puppet performance work.  As a children's entertainer myself, I found it refreshing to hear that Aardman's own stop motion animators involve themselves in the world of physical performance in front of live audiences.


This is a collection of animated segments I put together over the 3 week internship period.

Aardman is Bristol’s most thriving animation company.  In the 80s and 90s Bristol had a greater variety of stop motion studios than are around today.  It was after the release of Chicken Run that Aardman overtook many of these smaller studios with people either being hired by Aardman or producing work elsewhere.  Dave Alex Riddett is one such artist who was originally co-creator of the Bristol based Bolex Brothers animation studio but has now been working at Aardman for over 20 years as Director of Photography.

You can check out Aardman's website here.

Bristol also hosts the Encounters film and animation festival which showcases animated films from around the world and also features Q&As from a host of top industry experts.  These talks are perfect for animation students wishing to meet and showcase their work to prospective employers as well as animation professionals looking to engage with other professionals in a creative environment.  When I was there in 2017, I managed to catch Q&As from famed animation director, Michael Dudok De Wit and Pierre Coffin, creator of the Minions and director of Despicable Me.  Both of these men gave in-depth talks on the crafting of their work. 

This is a publicity shot of the stairs leading up to the screening areas where the latest animated shorts are featured.

You can also check out the Encounters Festivial website here.

Sculpting at Animortal Studio

Over the summer of 2017 I had the opportunity to work on the stop motion film, Chuck Steel, Night of the Trampires in Bridgend near Cardiff.  Although originally brought on for work experience, I was later hired to sculpt plasticine replacement heads of the principal characters.  The company producing the film was Animortal Studio which was founded by Mike Mort who was also the director on the picture.  Mike had previously extensively worked in Television, producing the stop motion series, The Gogs.  Many of the crew on the film had previously worked with Aardman and some even commuted from Bristol every morning.

Within this sequence, I sculpted a few of the Chuck and Van Rental heads as well as animate the bouncing, exploding gonads. Oh-dear!

While working in the puppet department over the summer of 2017, I celebrated my 26^th birthday with a surprise birthday cake!

Click Here to go to the Animortal Studio website.

A+C Studio Summer Work

Over the summer of 2018 I worked at A+C studios.  This company is based in Margate which located on the far south eastern tip of the UK.  The studio is headed by Dan Roberts who started his carrier working for Aardman and the smaller stop motion Bristol studio, ScaryCat Studios.  A+C has produced animations for Pringles crisps and Lego’s YouTube page.  This studio does provide 2D digital animation but not 3D CG animation.  I worked here for just over a month, producing sculpted puppets as well as rigging origami and paper puppets.

I also attended one of A+C team building workshops, where I facilitated participants who were tasked to work in teams to create a Lego stop-motion short.

This is a picture I took of the A+C building.  It is only five minutes’ walk from Margate town centre and the company provided me with accommodation which was only two minutes’ walk away!

Click Here for the A+C website.

Stuttgart 48 hour challenge and Annecy - European Animation Festivals

In the May of 2017, Giulia Marcolini and I entered the 48 hour "Crazy Horse" competition at the Stuttgart Animation Festival in Germany.

We arrived with two suitcases of equipment, puppets and sets and after two days of work and 3 hours of sleep, we submitted the film.  I produced the puppets, set and animation for the "horse with newspaper" segment of the film and Guilia provided all the animation for the paper cut-out section.  After this event we were able to enjoy the rest of the festival and make some connections with other animators from around Europe.

Before returning home, Guilia and I took a quick photo with the Palestinian winners of the 48 hour competition!

In June of 2018 I traveled to the week long Annecy Animation Festival in France.  Here I attended the world premiere of Chuck Steel - Night of the Trampires and finally saw the film I worked on the previous year.  (I am pictured here, fourth from the right.)

You can check out the festival websites in links below!

https://www.annecy.org/home

https://www.itfs.de/en/

Animation scene in Cardiff

Whilst working at Animortal Studio I also spent some time checking out the Cardiff animation scene.  Cardiff is a hot-spot for animation as many companies work and reside there.  Cloth Cat is one such studio which produces 3D and 2D animated work.  I managed to attend one of the Cardiff Animation Nights which are held once a month.  This is a great opportunity to meet fellow professionals within the area.  The same team who hosted these animation nights has now gone on to form the New Cardiff Animation Festival which started up in 2018.

Click here to see the festival website.

Manchester Stop-Motion Scene

In May of 2018 I was invited for a tour the Mackinnon & Saunders puppet fabrication studio based in Manchester.
During my time here I got to meet some highly talented artist and spend some time discussing techniques for puppet making.
Mackinnon & Saunders is arguably the greatest stop-motion puppet fabrication studio in the world.  The founders of this studio, Ian Mackinnon and Peter Saunders have worked in the industry since the 70s and 80s, when the company primarily produced puppets for children’s television programs and specials.  The company has since branched out into feature films having worked on; Corpse Bride, Fantastic Mr Fox, Frankenweeni and Isle of Dogs, just to name a few. (See Below)

Factory Create is a stop motion animation studio based in Manchester and primarily produces animation for children’s television.  Both Factory and Mackinnon & Saunders nurture strong ties with one another.  Mackinnon and Saunders have previously produced puppets for Factory’s animators to animate.  Factory does also have its own facilities for puppet fabrication as well as set design and fabrication.

Here are a few links to the aforementioned companies:
http://www.factorycreate.com/
https://www.mackinnonandsaunders.com/