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!

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.

Breaking the Mould

Great news! Rebecca Manley and Luca Paulli's Breaking the Mould (2007) completed as part of the University of Wales Newport’s Animator in Residence scheme, where a filmmaker spends one month in the university working with the students, has been shortlisted for DepicT! 2008.


Breaking the Mould from Luca Paulli on Vimeo

To vote for the film go here: http://www.depict.org/shortlists/232

To find out more about Rebecca, Luca and the film go here: http://www.depict.org/news/92

Newport's Animator in Residence scheme is funded by Skillset Screen Academy Wales.

Homeland performed with live music!

Last month Jonay's graduation film Homeland (2007) was screened at the ICA in London as part of the Open Rehearsal and the Cultural Olympiad launch. Homeland was screened, as Jonay originally intended, with the live original music for prepared piano performed by the composer and Big Bang Lab director Sergio López Figueroa. Homeland has been well received by the festival circuit and has to date been screened at the following festivals:

-St. Petersburg Open Student Film Festival (Russia) : Sept 25-30
-Animasyros Animation Festival (Greece) : Sept 19-21
-Animadrid Animation Festival (Spain): Sept 30th
-Balkanima animation festival (Serbia) : Oct 7th -11th
-Optica Paris (France) : Oct 4th.
-Canarias Mediafest (Spain) : Oct 28th - Nov 1st.
London International Animation Festival (UK)
Melbourne International Animation Festival (Australia)
Animofest Animation Festival (Slovakia)
London Spanish Film Festival (UK)
Huesca International Shortfilm Festival (Spain)
Animated Exeter (UK)
Proyectaragon (Spain)
Optica Festival (Spain)
Finest Films, University of Wales, Newport (UK)
Adobe Media Event in London (UK)
Scife short film festival (Spain)
Black&White short film festival (Portugal)
Hebden Bridge Festival (UK)
Imaginaria Film Festival (Italy)
Asolo Art Film Festival (Italy)
VII Muestra de Cortos Aragoneses (Spain)

To keep up to date about Jonay and his film, browse to http://www.thisishomeland.com/. Below is Jonay's latest showreel:


Jonay O Urbina reel sept08 from Jonay O Urbina on Vimeo.

Into The Inkwell (2007)

During the first semester of their second year, students are given a chance to attend workshops in 2D, CG or Stop-Motion animation. They are then required to produce a 30 second film using their chosen discipline.

Into The Inkwell was created by Rhiannon Evans. It was made using Stop Motion Pro and edited with Avid. The music was created by Mark Boden, a student at the Royal Welsh College Of Music And Drama.

Winner at Annecy 2 years in a row!

Congratulations to both Tom Brown and Daniel Gray on their continued success with their graduation film t.o.m. (2006). Last month they were awarded a prestigious Annecy Crystal for Best Graduation Film at the Annecy International Animation Festival 2007. That now makes Newport the only UK college to win 2 years in a row (last year Matthew Walker celebrated this success with his graduate film Astronauts). A full list of Annecy Prize Winners 2007.

"Annecy is definitely the 'Cannes' of the animation world..."

Adam Elliot, Director of Oscar winning Harvie Krumpet.

Here is a (very) short clip of the tail end of Tom and Dan's acceptance speech:



Further great news, t.o.m. is one of only five European films shortlisted to compete for the Cartoon d'Or 2007, the annual award that recognises the work of new talents in the European animation industry. This accolade, along with the global festival success of t.o.m., further underlines the international success of our graduate films.

What others have to say:

"There seems to be many films in this year's BIFF line-up featuring odd, troubled children and Snow Ben is a perfect example. Another is the animated boy Tom in 't.o.m.' , who takes us through his most bizarre daily routine from waking in the morning to arriving at school. To say anymore of this three-minute short would be to ruin it. It simply left me feeling uncomfortable for both Tom and myself."

Tania Theriault, ROYAL GAZETTE

"The prize of Best Student Film goes to a film that impresses for it's strong design, eccentric humor and highly accomplished storytelling, t. o. m. by Tom Brown and Daniel Gray"

Jury's comments, Norwich Int'l Animation Festival 06

"...a very short, beautifully drawn animation with a really very haunting story, of quite some psychological depth. It's an unusual, indeed singular piece of work that stays in one's memory. The sensitivity of the art work, the strange, vaguely Asperger's syndrome fastidiousness of the voice-over and the quite startling ending suggest a pair of film makers who really have a lot to say for themselves."

Tim Vaughan, Royal Television Society Awards 2006

"Beautifully drawn, it has a somewhat trippy feel"

IMAGINE MAGAZINE

"Want to get out of going to school? Simple. Take all your clothes off!...Okay, it's very odd behavior, but Tom is a lovable character regardless of that high pitch voice that grates away at you. You have to give the unusual plot top marks and the animation is seamless with a hand-painted background look adding to the child-like innocence of the film. It's a film you're not quite sure what to make of. But, if nothing else, its worthy of a watch as you could spend hours trying to imitate Tom's funny voice."

Sirkka Huish, BERMUDA SUN

t.o.m. (2006)

Mentioned many times on this blog already, two graduates from last year, Dan Gray and Tom Brown, have been enjoying endless success with their multi award-winning graduate film t.o.m.

Here's a trailer...



Awards - UPDATED!

Norwich International Animation Festival 2006:
Best Student Film

Encounters Int. Short Film Festival 2006:
Cartoon D'or Nomination

Sundance 2007:
Honorable Mention for Short Filmmaking,

Ffresh Moving Image Festival 2007:
Ffresh Animation

Royal Television Society, Wales Centre Student Television Awards 2006: Undergraduate Animation

Animated Exeter 2007:
South West Screen Emerging Talent 2007

Bermuda International Film Festival 2007
Special Jury Mention

Celtic Film Festival 2007:
Best Student Animation


Festivals

Norwich International Animation Festival 2006
Bradford Animation Festival 2006
Cardiff Film Festival 2006
Encounters Short Film Festival 2006
7 Inch Cinema Tour 2006
Signals Shorts (Colchester) 2007
Sundance Film Festival 2007
FlatPack Film Festival 2007
Ffresh Moving Image Festival 2007
Animated Exeter 2007
Bermuda International Films Festival 2007
HBO Comedy Film Festival 2007
31st Cleveland International Film Festival
San Francisco International Film Festival 2007


Follow the links below for further info on this film, the film-makers themselves and their ongoing success. Well done!

http://www.tdotodotm.com
http://www.myspace.com/tdotodotm

Dan
http://daninski.deviantart.com/
www.myspace.com/daninski

Tom
www.brownian-motion.com
www.myspace.com/tomshqui

Astronauts (2005)

Considering this year's under-graduates are getting ready to journey to the prestigious Annecy International Animated Film Festival, it seemed only proper to celebrate last years' success, Astronauts. Matthew Walker, who graduated from Newport in 2005, championed an international selection to win Best Graduation Film 2006 at last year's event. Well done Matthew!



Matthew's graduation film has enjoyed a worldwide reception and and has been recognised for its excellence!

Awards

Winner Best Graduation Film at Annecy Animation Festival 2006
Winner Best Animated Short at Melbourne International Animation Festival 2006
Winner Best Student Film at the British Animation Awards 2006
Winner Best Animation at the Ffresh Student Awards 2006
Winner Best First Film at the Castelli Animati Film Festival 2005
Winner Best Screenplay at the Lineout Can Film Festival 2005
Winner Best Film at the Rough Cut Film Festival 2005
South Wales Regional Winner Best Undergraduate Animation at the Royal Television Awards 2005
Honourable Mention for Animation at the Curtas Vila do Conde International Film Festival 2006
Winner Best Film and Best Script at the International Film School Wales (IFSW) Finest Films Awards
Short listed for BBC Talent New Animator Award 2005
Runner-up at Rushes Soho Shorts Awards, Animated Shorts Category 2006

"Astronauts (Matthew Walker) has a lovely tactile feel to its CG, like the characters and all their surroundings are made out of foam rubber. Beautifully timed visual and verbal gags, and a neatly understated punchline: it's the sort of comedy short that should get Pixar taking notice."

http://www.gleeson0.demon.co.uk/baa2006.htm

Screenings

Rough Cut Film Festival 2005, 11 October, London, UK
Animacor 2005, 25 – 30 October, Cordoba, Spain
Can Film Festival 2005, 28 – 30 October, Leicester, UK
PISAF 2005, 4 – 11 November, Korea
Brief Encounters 2005, 23 – 27 November, Bristol, UK
Anchorage Film Festival 2005
Bang! Short Film Festival 2005
Cardiff Screen Festival 2005
Animated Exeter 2005, 13 – 26 February, Exeter, UK
Con-Can Film Festival (passed for preliminary screening) 2006, 24 February, Japan
Annecy 2006, 5 – 9 June, France
Hiroshima Animation Festival 2006, 23 – 28 August, Japan
DOK Liepzig 2006, Germany
Ottawa 2006, Canada
CICDAF 2006, China
CURTAS Vila do Conde 2006, Portugal
Taiwan International Animation Festival 2006, China
International Film Festival Catalunya 2006, Spain
Showcomotion 2006, UK
Signals International Short Film Festival 2006, UK
Commonwealth Film Festival 2006, UK
Uppsala Kortfilmfestival 2006, Sweden
Norwich International Animation Festival 2006, UK
International Kurz Film Festival 2006, Germany
International Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen 2006, Germany

"…For its understated comedy about human nature – whether it be in the Stone Age or the Space Age: Give him a “push”!"

Castelli Animati Judges response to film, 2005

Matthew Walker is currently working as a Director at ArthurCox in Bristol.

The Filling Station (1998)

Travelling back in time is a marvelous thing. Here is a graduate film from almost 10 years ago, The Filling Station by Rosie Pedlow.



In collaboration with fellow graduate Joe King, Rosie co-founded FOLK///projects an arts initiative to promote work that pushes boundaries and crosses disciplines.

Tulips at Dawn ©2002 Rosie Pedlow

Immortal Stories ©2006 Roderick Mills & Rosie Pedlow

Morp! (2006)

Another graduate film enjoying the festival scene is Morp! by Nick Rodgers and Matthew Tempest. Morp! is currently in competition at Animated Exeter along with 3 other graduate films from University of Wales, Newport. All the best with that!


Unfortunately our "tubed" version has sync issues though a better quality version is available for download at www.morpthefilm.co.uk. Whilst completing this piece, Nick and Matt kept a blog entitled Surreal Friends Blog, an informative insight into the film-making process! Both Nick and Matt are currently employed at Blitz Games.

Satisfactory (2006)

During the second semester of their second year, students get an opportunity to work on a group project. As our current second years are just starting this project, here is an example from last year.



Satisfactory was created by Joe Paine, Jonay Ortiz De Urbina, Felix Massie, and Eurico Da Costa NG. It was made with Flash, After Effects and Photoshop and took about 8 weeks. The soundtrack was made with FruityLoops.