Creative Skillset have joined up with us to run our Animation Industry Event and we’ve got all manner of topics being covered, by special guests from a wide range of very different areas. Each of them are ready to impart their knowledge and answer your questions in four carefully chosen panel sessions. For anyone working in the industry, thinking of working in the industry or just plain curious these four sessions are indispensable.
Type ‘Animated Title Sequence’ into Google and you’ll get 2,150,000 results which is a measure of the popularity and impact it has. Distilling a movie or tv series offer into a few seconds needs skills in storyboarding, editing, and an acute understanding of the audiences tolerances and expectations. Take the Bond films as an example, and how they evolved, and how the audience’s expectations were raised each time, making it a status symbol to be asked to make one. For something so short there are often large teams and sometimes large budgets, and always large pressures.
We look under the bonnet of the film title sequence; and ask leading proponents how you get commissioned, who is in control, what are the pressures, and how much creative leeway do you have?
Chaired by Saint John Walker, Creative Skillset.
Other LIAF Animation Industry Events include: ‘To finity and beyond: The future of animation in the UK’; Moving Documentaries: animation, truth and lies’; ‘and ‘Sound in the Frame‘
Speakers
Paul Donnellon, creative director and animation director, VooDooDog.
Paul Donnellon, originally from Dublin, studied animation and graphic design at Dun Laoighaire College of Art and Design. Paul moved to London to work with TVC, the company who animated the Beatles’ ‘Yellow Submarine’ and ‘The Snowman’. Paul’s first animation work was seen in 1986 on Raymond Briggs’ ‘When the Wind Blows’. From 2000 to 2002 Paul worked at the Oscar winning company The Mill as the consultant director of 3D animation. He also directed several commercials for The Mill for clients JWT and BBDO New York. Since then he has established his own company VooDooDog with his producer David Obadiah. In 2005 Paul was nominated for an EMMY for his outstanding animated title sequence design and direction for the Golden Globe winning feature film ‘The Life and Death of Peter Sellers’. He also won the WORLD GOLD MEDAL at the New York Festivals for his outstanding direction of an animated title sequence. Paul’s feature film work for Working Title Films include his award winning animated title sequence for Emma Thompson’s film ‘Nanny McPhee’ and graphic sequence ‘Smokin Aces’. Paul has been commissioned by Channel 4 and the Royal Ballet to direct a stop motion film of Swan Lake due for transmission 2014.
Nic Benns, Momoco
Nic Benns is the co-founder, along with Miki Kato, of film design studio, Momoco. The firm has been making main titles and commercials for 12 years, gaining international recognition for its sequences. Nic has collaborated on theatrical opening sequences with directors such as Richard Curtis, Stephen Daldry, Lasse Halstrom, Kevin Spacey and recently Dustin Hoffman. His aesthetic is cinematic, texturally rich and layered. Film Credits include ‘Contraband’, ‘Salmon Fishing In The Yemen’, ‘The Three Musketeers’, ‘One Day’, ‘An Education’, ’30 Days of Night’, ‘Alien vs Predator’ and ‘Love Actually’. TV Credits include ‘Ripper Street’, ‘Misfits’, ‘Luther’, ‘The Fades’, and ‘Great Expectations’ for which he won the EMMY in 2012 for Outstanding Main Titles. His 30 minute Sci-Fi film, ‘Copelia’, starring Vincent Regan, Ralph Brown and Olivia Williams, was shown internationally and won awards in various festivals including best VFX.
Maria Manton Producer and Director at Munky
Maria Manton has over twenty-two years experience producing animation, live action and special effects. Her love for filmmaking has led to her working with almost every type of animation style and film making technique. She’s produced literally hundreds of commercials, and to date 13 multi International award winning short films – awards including many BAA’s, a BIFA and a BAFTA nomination. Maria has also produced cult TV and online series, branding and TV & film title sequences. Maria has produced at a number of the UK’s leading animation companies and in 2000 she co-founded Slinky Pictures, which she also ran for its award winning decade, as well as producing the majority of Slinky’s diverse output over that time. Maria has also produced many music videos as well as tour content, including the entire visual content for the U2 Elevation Tour and a film for live screening at the World Cup 2010 Kick Off Party. In addition to developing feature length projects, Maria has also found time to direct, her work includes the Bull animation for the feature, ‘Bunny and The Bull’, and, most recently, she was Animation Director on a special short for The Chapman Brothers. Maria is an occasional lecturer at The NFTS and The RCA, and often sits on juries for Film Festivals and BAFTA.
