Month: May 2024

Stop motion wasn’t something I’d tried much prior to coming to CSM, and I wasn’t even really aware that it was an option on the course. However, after completing the module during the first year, I found the process very enjoyable and satisfying. Despite having a reputation for being a slow process, once you’re ready to shoot the results are obviously significantly quicker than producing line drawn work. It’s fun that you can play/interpret a scene with much greater ease than you can with other forms of animation, even if the puppet is limited by its construction and environment. 

In some respects I regret not producing a stop motion piece for my final film (given how much I enjoyed the LIAF project), but producing anything on a larger scale would have required working in a team, and potentially costly additional equipment. 

I’m not sure whether it’s a process that you would have to put in front of other animation work to find or produce work, and it feels like I would need to create other work/complete another stop motion specific course before standing a chance of working for a studio. 

However, if working for myself, it does seem a very viable way to produce work quickly and relatively cheaply for internet ads/corporate type work which could also be quite unique. It also seems like a good part time pursuit, as it may require less of a time commitment (I appreciate this may not be the case).

Equally, in contrast with the previous blog, I’d also enjoy the challenge of working for a larger studio. However, despite completing this course, I’m still not entirely sure that my technical drawing skills will ever be good enough to work at the higher end of 2D animation, but I’d be happy to fail by trying. I’d love to try and work for a London studio like Lupus, and I met with a few of the animators there this year. I understand they have a testing process for new animators, so I’d love to give it a go to see if I can make the entry grade. 

An experience like this would stand me in good stead for future work, even if working with a few others in a smaller studio setting, as a big production would expose me further to the mechanics of a producing a larger piece of work, and the various technical departments involved. I’d like to try to start at the clean up/colouring inbetweening role, but after completing my final project, I’ve realised that I really enjoy the challenge of animating a character and that would be ultimately what I would ideally do if I could find employment in this sector.  

Working for myself or in a small studio set up appeals to me, as it is something I have done before. Prior to starting this course I worked by myself, animating a number of corporate animations for various organisations. However, as I was self taught, I often felt that the work lacked both a creative and technical edge. After completing this course, and having listened to some of the lecturers who are more independent in their practice, I’d like to try and continue to work independently but explore different funding schemes from the arts council/BFI etc to see if I can create work that is more creative and diverse with an artistic bent.

Reframing myself as an artist/artisan is something that I am not entirely comfortable with as I’ve previously seen using the animation process as more of a means to an end than producing artistic work. However, I’m now hoping to embrace this side of myself more following on from this course. 

I’ve really enjoyed producing and creating my own work, especially the wearwolf and bodies films, and following a process through from conception to completion had always been very appealing. I’ve found the process of storytelling and creating ideas very fulfilling, which various lectures and modules on this course has really encouraged and helped me with. Working on side projects that I could submit to festivals while producing more lucrative work in the daytime would be ideal, if possible.