Sheen Mount School Fundraiser
For more info please download press release here. Cheers!
Austin Vince!
Great work on the film. I was at a school in Harrow from 1969-78 and
George was my PE teacher. The entire school did almost zero sport,
instead, just doing gymnastics ALL THE TIME!!!!
Naturally, as
children, we had no idea that this wasn't happening in schools across
the nation. We had a school gymnastics team that destroyed everyone else
at the NATIONAL championships.
Best wishes,
Austin Vince
Walk Tall gets audience vote (best docs) at the 5th British Shorts
Film Festival, Berlin!
More details here!
Recent Screenings:
NFTS, Beaconsfield, London:
Walk Tall was shown in a double bill with Chariots of Fire! It was a really lovely evening! Many thanks to everyone at The Beaconsfield Film Society.
Turned out that one of their members used to be taught gym class by George at John Lyon's school.
He told me a very funny story about George whacking pupils with a slipper if they didn't run fast enough. Heh - sounds about right!
International Premiere, Berlin:
Walk Tall had it's international premiere in Berlin this weekend at Lichtspielklub's Film Festival.
Concrete Gym Mats
Photo by dad.
Oh well We haven't made the BAFTA shortlist.
The film was very much liked by the panel but unfortunately the jury had to rule that it's just not a fiction film and so cannot go any further in the process.
(There's no short documentary category but there is a drama-doc loophole in the fiction one. As it was a highly stylised treatment of a story I hoped it it might just make it through)
Anyway Bafta were very nice about it all and even mentioned that they may think about reviewing the categories for next year
- so George may be end up being responsible for introducing shorts & mens' splits to the Olympics and a short documentary category to the BAFTAS!
Speaking of, he's not too disappointed personally. He laughed and said he didn't mind me telling the powers that be that the film is fictional - because he made it all up!
Best headline EVER / Must've been a very slow week day in Alveston / can't believe they printed my silly joke about trying to enter it into a different category!
And because I'm told that this website is supposed to be all about me showing off and not just me having a good old laugh at myself - here's some links to some very nice national press about the film - including a review in the Telegraph!:
The Lingo Show crossing to TV
About a year or so ago I designed the characters and some of the backgrounds (including the much liked stage/bugmobile contraption) for an online pre-school game, "The Lingo Show".
It got some great reviews and ratings and is now crossing to telly. You can find out more here!
Walk Tall Makes BAFTA Longlist for Best Short!
With hope in our hearts and wings on our heels - We've made the BAFTA longlist for best short!
Big huge Olympic-sized thank yous to everyone who helped make this possible.
In January we find out made the final five...
The Matt Lucas Awards
I've just started work on a really fun job - some animation for the title sequence designed and directed by Mal Hartley.
Quiff & Boot wins a BAFTA!
Quiff & Boot won a Children's Award for Primary Learning this week.
Cheers to The Bros McLeod - who nominated the production team - so I sort of can claim to have won a BAFTA - sort of - ish!
(I animated an episode on my todd which you can watch here)
Bleak Old Shop of Stuff
I've created an animated curiosity, designed to promote The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff
I don't have a clip ready to post yet, but when I do I'll also be crediting urchins Liz Baker and Kevin Baker-Bartlett for painstakingly animating BBC logo embossed flags and also Martin Davey for painting the watercolour sky, originally seen here.
(I'm such a Scrooge I wanted to avoid having to to pay him for a new one).
The animations will feature on the BBC comedy website and also as the show's Red Button content.
Here's a few stills:
East End Backpassages: An Explorer's Guide
Blimey! - Alan Gilbey's alternative history tours are now the subject of new book, soon to be published by quartet.
I've been photographing all sorts and creating a few collages too. More pics to come soon.
Walk Tall on Tour
Lorraine's keyboard stand.
Walk Tall's first gig post London Film Festival.
I'm so proud to be working alongside Lorraine Bowen!
Click here to go to the website
Walk Tall is being screened at the 55th BFI London Film Festival.
It's one of eight films in Film London's "London Calling" programme:
"A selection of recent shorts from some of the capital's most
exciting new filmmakers, supported by Film London's production schemes".
Many thanks to everyone that made the film possible.
Walk Tall gets second prize at Best of Borough Awards 2011
Walk Tall came a very close second and received a special jury mention at the Best of Borough Awards at BAFTA.
I worked closely with DoP
Ewan Mulligan on that final shot. There was lots that I wanted to achieve with it.
I'll spare you the essay for now - and just say that I'm glad that it seems to of worked and thanks for the compliments!
It's been really encouraging to receive praise for the more poetic/lyrical moments in the film.
It's been equally encouraging discover that the film's worked structurally too.
I've had the most lovely and inspiring feedback from audiences about it's overall shape.
Thank
you Ewan, thank you jury, thank you George!
If you'd like to read more about the film you can do so here and on Facebook.
Cheers Alan!
Not only has Walk Tall been nominated for a Best of Borough Award but thanks to Alan Gilbey's lovely bit of writing, George and I have also been nominated to carry the Olympic torch!
You can read more about it all here
Walk Tall is nominated for a Best of Borough Award!
"What a lovely piece of art - fantastic!" The British Gymnastics Association.
Walk Tall (my first short film) has been nominated for a Best of Borough award!
The Best of boroughs Film Awards (BoBs) celebrate films made through the London Borough Film Fund Challenge over the past year. Two cash prizes of £2,000 are up for grabs for the winners of the jury Award and the Audience Award.
You can watch the film by clicking the logo below:
The awards are held on the 7th September. Please help me recoup some costs by voting for it!
You can read more about the film by clicking here
Many thanks to a fantastic crew:
Sound Recordist: Ian Painter
Camera: Manuel Fernandes de Sa
Camera Assistant: Simonluca Fraioli
Art Department: Ray Punyer
Compositor: Chris Forrester
Sound Designer Jamie Gordon at Sound Disposition
Dubbing Mixer Roland Heap at Sound Disposition
Runner: Alex Warman
Producer: Lucy McDermott
Executive Producer: Anton Califano
You can read more about the film by clicking here
Walk Tall on Facebook:
The Lingo Show
Above: 'Lingo' has become a permanent feature on the CBeebies' banner
"CBeebies' brand new online game The Lingo Show is proving a huge hit with the nation's little language learners, attracting a massive 238,000 unique users in the week of its launch with nearly a quarter of all unique users on the CBeebies' site visiting The Lingo Show's games page."
You can read more here
Above: 'Lingo" voiced by Lewis MacLeod .
I designed and all the characters and the majority of the back grounds (including the insects stage/contraption) for this very successful brand-new CBeebies interactive game.
If you'd like to see the game on the CBeebies' website, please click here
Cornershop:
A promo I camera assisted on a while ago has recently been released and given a great review in Promo News.
Shot summer 2010. Produced by Doireann de Buitlear & Marie Remy, directed by
Chris Hemming and DOP'd by Julian Hodgeson.
Feb/March/April 2011
Walk Tall:
I'm very happy to be able to announce that the Eastern Edge Film Fund and Film London are funding my live action/animated documentary short, 'Walk Tall'.
Above: 85 year old George, (not stuck) up a tree.
No sponsorship, one kidney, tuberculosis, a broken back...
All set for the 1948 London Olympics...
More about the funding:
The Eastern Edge Film Fund is a training through production scheme delivered by the London Boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Redbridge and Waltham Forest (through Apex Arts) in partnership with Film London.
The fund is part of the London Borough Film Fund Challenge which was initiated and is led by Film London.
Film London is the capital's public agency for feature film, television, commercials and other interactive content, including games. Their aim is simple: to ensure London has a thriving film sector that enriches the capital's businesses and its people. Film London is supported by the UK Film Council and the London Development Agency, also receiving significant support from Arts Council England London, the Mayor of London and Skillset.
The Lingo Show:
I'VE DESIGNED A WHOLE SHOW!
Okay it's just a game really, but IT'S GOT THE WORD 'SHOW' IN THE TITLE!
Launched in February 2011, it introduces different languages to a pre-school audience.
Above: Linguaphone meets Glee, with bugs.
Some of my character designs. (I also designed the BG - sorry to show off).
The game's aimed at both mother-tongue speakers of English as well as children who speak other languages.
You can have a go here
People keep asking me how I made the translucent wings. They're actually just Tesco's bags scanned into Photoshop.
Anyway, the show was great fun working with producer Nicole Seymour, who was happy for me to contribute lots on the visualisation / development/tone side of things.
Some more credits…
Voice Artists:
Jargonaise - Aurelie Harp
Kikli - Anita Rani
Jaadoo - Bhasker Patel
Wei -Jia Liu
Queso - Fran Canals
Dyzio - Alex Novak
Blodwen - Elen Rhys
Subah - Fawsia Abukar
Animation:
Charlie Trevan
Game Developers:
Complete Control
Not In My Book:
Storyboard and direction of a taster tape based on the successful and v. v funny Edinburgh show, written by and starring Abigail Burdess and Cicely Giddings.
Book cover designs by Pete Le May
BBC Webwise:
(Glasshead/BBC)
Don't know how to log on to the internet? Well why not log on to BBC Webwise and... hang on a sec...
Animation and storyboard of three public information-style films, starring by Maggie Philbin.
The films are designed to help those who haven't really got to grips with the web yet.
Fun To Be a Fish:
I'm having a great time co-writing and directing a 3D live-action/animated promo starring Lorraine Bowen
Free:
I'm writing and directing a live-action pop promo for the The Entertainment
The pop vid-style story centres on a squirrel who escapes his diorama at the Horniman Museum and heads off across town back to Epping Forest.
By the way, we need a cute looking stuffed squirrel for the video so if you have one for hire please let me know, (red or grey- not fussed) - Cheers!
Sadly the video wont be featuring any of my personal collection as they're looking a bit 'Svankmajer' these days and according to several stuffed squirrel experts they might also be death-traps!
bove: Arsenic & Old Fur. Photo's nicked from my all-time favourite website, crappy taxidermy.com
I was using them as comedy bookends until I was told that their moulting arsenic-laden fur might actually be slowly killing me. Apparently I should have never removed them from their air-tight case. Whoops! Anyway now they're safely stored in an extremely air-tight bag.
When I get a moment I'm going to give them a tasteful send off - probably cremation - probably film it in 3D.
Over the years I've made props for and generally been roped into Alan Gilbey's comedy history shows. I'm about to start Photoshoping a few photo-collage style illustrations for his very funny new book about East End history.
PAST WORK
London Short Film Festival:
A film, (Gen XXX.14), I animated for Lorraine Clarke in back in 2007 is still doing the rounds at festivals.It's just been screened as part of the 'Rich Pickings' program at the
September - November 2010:
I'm still designing and developing an online show for CBeebies.
August 2010:
Quiff & Boot:
I animated a whole episode of BBC Bitesize's, 'Quiff & Boot'. The series was written, designed and directed by The Brothers McLeod
The episode I worked on was all about approximation, (and the dangers of shopping at Accessorize).
June/July 2010
Camera Assistant - Cornershop Promo, Passion Pictures (Dir Chris Hemming).
April/May 2010:
Magical History Tour:
In this picture: My Bagel Logo, (the show was bagel/beigel themed).
Also, (in the foreground), the cast: Amelia Robinson and Steve Wells. Dunno where Alan Gilbey is.
March/April 2010:
Steve and Jenny's Baby Diary:
I've been illustrating Steve and Jenny's Baby Diary, which was written by Emily Watson Howes. Below are some links to episodes featured on the BBC's Comedy Blog.
(You can see this picture on the BBC's Comedy Blog page by clicking here)
February 2010:
The Marriage Ref:
Above: A nice Screen-cap (not sure who drew this frame - I didn't).
Feb 2010 'Clean Up' of title sequence animation for Jerry Seinfeld's Marriage Ref. The animation was directed by Chris Hemming and Tim Hope, (Passion Pictures).
Jan 2010:
Design development for Glasshead/BBC Raw:
Above: One of my designs, (created using stock footage).
Dec 2009
The News at Bedtime:
I've, designed, directed and animated a sketch, (which you can watch here and/or here.) to accompany Nick Newman and Ian Hislop's Radio Four series The News at Bedtime (beginning Christmas eve).
Martin Davey painted all the wonderful backgrounds and Chris Forrester did all the brilliant compositing.
The sketches are produced by Simon Nicholls. They star Jack Dee, Peter Capaldi and Vicki Pepperdine.
Here's a still from the sketch. The book was designed by me and painted by Martin Davey.
Oct 2009
CBeebies:
I've been developing character and background designs for a new CBeebies multi-platform project. The website has been commissioned, so I'm looking forward to doing a bit more work on that next year.
March 2009
That Mitchell & Webb Look:
Here's a still from some animation I did recently:
Design, direction and animation by me.
Watercolour sea and beach backgrounds by Martin Davey.
That Mitchell and Webb Look, (series 3), BBC2 - red button and online content.
The sketch was originally broadcast on the BBC Radio 4 show, That Mitchell and Webb Sound.
I hope you might enjoy watching it here and/or here.
On going:
(not that one, I mean the one who writes a lot of really funny stuff featured on
various 6 Music shows), on various bits and bobs
2009
Mr Happy:
An animated sketch which I designed, directed, storyboarded and animated has been inducted into the
Youtube BBC Comedy Greats hall of fame.
Oct 2009
Kato:
for a new kids' cartoon show, based on the popular game Mini Ninjas.
Our script was very well received by Jon Doyle, Firestep, Impossible Pictures and Eidos
Films for Lorraine:
Lorraine Clarke asked me to animate some of her artwork. One of the resulting films* has recently been screened at the Lumen festival and The Old Truman Brewery's Boiler House. Another film/installation/oddity was part of The WW Gallery's "Is There Anybody There?", exhibition.
*This film, (Gen XXX.14) is currently being screened via
Millimages:
