I attended the screening for LIAF’s ‘Into the Dark’ competition programme – this was a great opportunity not only to see my own work on a big screen but also to watch a lineup of films based on themes I tend to lean towards in my work. I was able to watch some amazing films made by independent filmmakers and listened to a couple of the directors speak before the screening. The films were varied in content, length and crew, with some being made by just a handful of people and others with an extensive list of credits. It made me realise that animation is a very collaborative process and there are a lot of people with different skills who can be brought into a production to make a film better and reduce work load for the director. I noticed that some directors had worked with post-production studios, and a lot of the films were funded by the BFI. I had a look into this and found that the BFI offers a number of funding options form development to completion, and they also have a network which supports new filmmakers looking to start their career. This would be a great source for me to look into if I decide to become an animation director.
Sharing my progress, development and research during my animation studies at Central Saint Martins
Month: November 2022
Categories
Paint on Glass Animation
During the second part Unit 2 I had a close focus on paint-on-glass animation, both using the technique for my project and analysing the film I had been using as my main reference. This guided me towards a variety of films that have been made in the medium and provided me with an insight as to where their artists are working. I have found that paint-on-glass animation is seen as an experimental animation technique, alongside other material techniques such as clay and sand. These methods are rarely employed in animation studios (likely due to their lengthy process and solitary nature) and are more often used by independent filmmakers. During this project, there are 3 artists whose work and careers I find most relevant to my research.
Carine Khalife
A multidisciplinary artist with a specialism in traditional art forms such as painting and charcoal drawing, Carine Khalife has created amazing work using the technique of oil-on-glass. She began her career as a graphic designer and art director for and marketing agency Paris, but for most of her career she has worked as a freelancer. Working with companies such as Framestore, TKNL (virtual experience makers) and cadabra, her work consists of self-directed projects including music videos, immersive experiences, films and documentaries. She is mostly based in Montreal have previously studied in both England and the USA (LinkedIn, 2022).
Em Cooper
Em Cooper is an Emmy nominated British director and animator specialising in combining oil-painted animation with live-action film. Her critically acclaimed method of filmmaking is highly distinctive and has seen huge success in both independent and commercial animation. Her work includes a music video for The Beatles, TV commercials for Stella Artois, Berghaus and Andrex, film and documentary sequences, installations and short films. She works as a freelance animation director, commercially represented by UK agency Jelly London (Cooper, 2022).
Caroline Leaf
Caroline Leaf is a Canadian-American filmmaker, animator, director, tutor and artist. She has produced numerous short animated films and her work has been recognised worldwide. Her films employ a variety of experimental techniques, such as beach sand manipulated on a lightbox, watercolor and gouache fingerpainting on glass, and images made by scratching in the soft emulsion of exposed color 35mm and 70mm film stock. Caroline is best known as one of the pioneering filmmakers at the National Film Board of Canada. She worked at the NFB from 1972 to 1991, creating many independent films during her time there. She has also made a small number of commercial animations, working with Montreal-based studio Pascal Blais Productions and Acme Filmworks in Los Angeles (Leaf, 2022).
From following these artists and their work, I have understood that although the medium of painting on glass is not a common animation technique, it definitely has a place in the industry and can be highly recognised when used effectively. The artists I have researched have each made a career for themselves through freelancing as animation directors, working with a variety of clients in various countries. One aspect of this that I was not very aware of is the option of finding agency representation like Em Cooper. Agencies such as Jelly Cat create networks of talented artists and put them onto relevant projects for clients and brands, providing the artist with great opportunities whilst fulfilling the needs of the project. This seems like it would be a great option for an independent artist and is definitely something I would like to look into as I build my identity as an animator.
References
About (2022) Em Cooper. Available at: https://www.emcooper.com/about/ (Accessed: November 27, 2022).
Carine Khalife – Directrice artistique – films camera oscura | linkedin (2022). Available at: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/carine-khalife (Accessed: November 27, 2022).
Leaf, C. (2022) Work biography, Caroline Leaf. Available at: http://www.carolineleaf.com/work_bio.php (Accessed: November 27, 2022).