Empty Space featured on Jawbone TV

See Firman's film here

Success at the Bristol Encounters Festival

2 Newport Graduate films have been selected for the Encounters 'Emerging Talent' programme.

Sh*t Happens (2008) by Andy grindle and Heartstrings by Rhiannon Evans(2009)..

Screening is on Wed 18th Nov, 20.30 or Friday 19th at 12.30

http://www.encounters-festival.org.uk/2009-programme/Competition-Screenings/4mations-emerging-talent-2.html

Joe flies the flag for Welsh animation at prestigious European training workshop

A student from the University of Wales, Newport will get a boot-camp style taste of European animation training when he starts his journey through the prestigious Animation Sans Frontieres workshop series later this month.

The 8-week programme is run by and at four of the leading animation film schools in Europe: Filmakademie (Germany), MOME (Budapest), Les Gobelins (Paris) and The Animation Workshop (Denmark). The MEDIA-funded workshop, designed to strengthen networks between education and industry, will put students from across Europe through their paces with over-night presentations, industry pitches and studio visits over four workshop during the next 6 months.

Joseph Wallace, 21, studies BA Animation at the University of Wales, Newport, a lead partner of the Skillset Screen Academy Wales. A promising animator and a keen networker, Joseph has received funding support from both his university and Screen Academy Wales to act as an ambassador for Welsh animation education.

“It is a massive honour to be selected to represent my university and the Screen Academy Wales network”, Joe explained. “There is a sense of pressure but I’m so looking forward to working with students from all over Europe and learning from these amazing animation schools.”

A group of 16 students will travel to each the partner institutions for a two week learning module that will give an overview of the entire animation film production process, from concept development through to actual production management.

Bristol-born Joe currently specialises in 2D stop motion, and uses his flair for illustration to express his ideas. Outside of university, his passion for animation has been heavily influenced by the theatrical, with involvement in promotional artwork and directing at the Old Vic Theatre, and more recently in an off-beat animation theatre project for the Tabacco Factory, which integrates animation into live performance through puppetry.

His tutor, Caroline Parsons of University of Wales, Newport, explained: “Joe is one of only two students in the UK to have been offered a place on the ASF programme. It will provide an excellent opportunity for him to get a flavour of the European animation industry, and his taking part will help to establish links between Wales and the South West and animation schools in Europe. We’re confident that Joe will be a great ambassador for the University of Wales, Newport and Screen Academy Wales.”

Screen Academy Wales Project Manager, Hannah Raybould, added: “Joe is an enthusiastic member of our Student Panel and passionate about animation. We were delighted to help fund his participation in the programme and hope that he will be the first of many Screen Academy Wales students to champion Welsh animation within the ASF network.”

Written by Alex St.George

RAPUNZEL'S FLIGHT by GUSTAVO ARTEAGA wins London International Animation Festival best film: UK Panorama.

Gus Arteaga, MA Animation graduate from 2007 has won the best UK film prize at the London International Animation Festival.

http://www.liaf.org.uk/2009/program.html

Mexican by birth, Gus settled in the UK many moons ago. He came to the medium of animation via photography, bringing with him a sensibility of lens-based image making, and thereby a sophisticated use of the camera apparatus in animated 3D stop Motion film. He incorporates ocular trickery, using disorientating angles and distortions, shadows and silhouettes, focus pulling and other visual illusions, creating a strange, otherworldly viewing experience. Perhaps his magic realist style is attributable to his mexican roots, coupled with his links to the renowned Estonian Nuku film Studios, where he worked for a short period of time in 2005.

Gus graduated from the MA Animation programme at Newport in 2007, after completing the Newport BA Animation programme.

A judge’s comment :

‘In some way this film reminded me of the work of the late, great Oliver Postgate - which is one of the biggest compliments I can give. By skillfully combining traditional storytelling, simple but effective puppet animation and beautiful abstract photography, the director has created an atmospheric and magical world, evoking a child-like sense of innocence and wonder’.

Programme Leader Caroline Parsons's Comment :

Caroline says : This success is significant because Gus’s work invites us to return to a pre-digital, altogether more innocent form of filmic storytelling, which celebrates puppet animation at a time when it is most threatened. He clearly champions film making as craft, a position that has been become rarefied by the predominance of digital production.

Gus, Matt and Felix at London International Animational Festival

Newport dominates the London Film Festival British panorama!

3 recent films from Newport graduates can be seen in the British panorama programme of the London International animation festival 2009:
Gustavo Arteaga : Rapunzel's flight
Matthew Walker/ Ben Lole : Little Face
Felix Massie : The Surprise Demise of Francis Cooper

The screening is on sat. 5th September, 7pm at the Renoir ..

Check LIAF for more details

Pixel Film:Oo.

Pixel Film:Oo. from garth+ginny on Vimeo.

Garth and Ginny's 3rd Pixel Film with 100% more golf. Enjoy!

MA showreel ....

Hot off the presses - the all new ma showreel!

Student Work in Spike and Mike's new show!

Spike in Annecy

BLUUUURGH!

Pete Millard, second year BA student, has been talent spotted by Spike, (of the famous Spike and Mike twisted films duo), who has selected his film Bluuuurgh! to be screened in the all new Spike and Mike programme of films shortly to be screened in San Diego :

Spike of Spike and Mike announces a whole new dimension of his Animation Film Festival. Spike is bringing a rebooted Festival to San Diego Comic-Con. This is not your 20th Century Festival but a whole New Generation Animation. Getting back to the roots of the original Spike and Mike’s Animation Festival this show will have sophisticated, humor innovative and brilliant films including award winning films as well as new outstanding student shorts.

Spike & Mike @ San Diego Comic-Con
Friday, JULY 24
10:00pm-12:00am
ROOM 6BCF

Double Faeture!!
First screening: "New Generation Animation" about 10:00 start
Second Screening: "Sick & Twisted" about 11:00 start

check out - http://www.comic-con.org/cci/

annecy 2009

Mysteries of Pig City Revealed!

After it's recent appearance at the New York International Children's Film Festival - being watched by the likes of Rob Minkoff, John Turturro, Susan Sarandon, Matthew Modine and Gus Van Sant -The Mystery of Pig City has made it onto this weeks installment of Channel Frederator.

Here is Garth's interview:

http://frederatorblogs.com/channel_frederator/2009/06/10/mystery-of-pig-city/

MA/MFA show - 1st - 6th June, Riverfront, Newport. Open 11-7 daily.

workshop with Jody Meredith

ATEM goes to rio!

Gordon Emanuel's film ATEM has been successfully selected for the Anima Mundi Festival in Brazil...picture to follow..

New Pixel Film:!// for garth+ginny

Pixel Film:!// from Ginny Robertson on Vimeo.

Here is Garth and Ginny latest little film, it was screened on the side of the Yo!Sushi building in Brighton as part of the Fringe Festival. We hope you like it!

Animator in Residence 2009 launched!

We are pleased to announce the launch of our Animator in Residence scheme for 2009. Now in its 4th year, this highly successful scheme offers a one month residency to an experienced animator/director starting mid-May to mid-June 2009 (exact start date to be negotiated with the successful applicant). The successful applicant will work in-house with a small group of students to complete a 30-90 seconds film of their own design.

Deadline for submission is 20th April 2009. For further information, application details and to view previous AiR alumni please visit our AiR scheme website which is temporarily housed here.

All the best with your application! Any further details required please contact us directly.

Felix Massie's new film

Felix Massie (with funding from the UK Film Council, South West Screen and Aardman) completed his second film last year. It's called, 'The surprise demise of Francis Cooper's mother' and is the story of Francis Cooper and his mother; Emily Maddison and that man's face; and Craig MacKay and his cat.

You can see a short clip below and a complete list of credits and promotional stills here.



It has so far been shown at Animex, Encounters and the Northern Lights Film Festivals and is also being shown at Animated Exeter this weekend in the Screen Out Loud category (Sunday 15th, 4.30pm) and in competition at Florida Film Festival in April.