daniella orsini

Being Bradford Dillman hits Liverpool..

2012-01-24T17:10:00.000-08:00

Molly and Bradford made their Merseyside debut tonight at FACT screening as part of the British Animation Awards. Molly even got a double photo front cover on the website. She's a lucky girl.

Hobby horses..

2012-01-20T07:36:00.000-08:00

Today I've been drawing and painting hobby horses. This hobby horse is going to have to gallop about and turn a bit so i've drawn a few turn-arounds for him. He's going to be used in the animated short film that I'm working on with the very clever Joe Orton (not that one).

I would have a few more things to show you if I hadn't smudged everything i'd been working on yesterday with my sleeve just as I was about to go to bed. Nevermind, this little guy is my favourite anyway.

Being Bradford Dillman in Imagine Animation Magazine..

2012-01-18T15:14:00.000-08:00

Did you see Being Bradford Dillman in the latest edition of Imagine Animation Magazine?

Our own Molly Flowers is the subject of a feature on social media. If you fancy having a look and a 'like' at what Molly has been up to on Facebook you can click ::here:: Or to hear her musings on Twitter you can follow her @BradfordDillman right ::here::

Bradford and the Berlinale!

2012-01-18T02:34:00.000-08:00

Being Bradford Dillman has received official selection at Berlin International Film Festival! I'm. So. Excited. It will be screening in the Generation Kplus programme on the 14th, 17th and 19th of February.

Look how happy Molly is. She's even got her winter coat ready.

Being Bradford Dillman festival update..

2012-01-18T02:30:00.000-08:00

The past few weeks have been quite exciting for Being Bradford Dillman! We were selected to screen at the London Short Film Festival which turned out to be a brilliant night! I think it might have been the best reception that we've had before, lots of laughing and it was nice to see a few friendly faces that I've missed.

As well as the LSFF screening we also received official selection for the 'British Shorts Film Festival', 'Charlotte Film Festival' and 'San Francisco Indie Festival'! Molly and Bradford are going to be jet lagged with all this travelling!

I haven't posted a photo of Molls in a while so here's a nice little one of her with her dinner.

Gucci..

2012-01-16T05:46:00.000-08:00

Last week I did a shoot for Gucci. Hopefully it'll be finished soon so I can show you it! I had to control the motion capture beast that you can see creeping up behind me. It's the first time I've worked with one before and I must say, I bloody loved it. Although I look terrified, I like this photo because I love being able to see the little make-shift bits and pieces I used to hold the pages open. It was mostly a combination of broken coat hangars, a variety of tapes, a bit of wood, a paint pot and some blu-tac.

Thanks for the help and the photo Peter James!

Molly & Bradford in LA (lucky little buggers)..

2011-12-19T08:16:00.000-08:00

We got a lovely Christmas treat today when we found out that Being Bradford Dillman had been selected for the New Film Makers Festival in LA! Oh, I'd very much like a bit of LA sun right about now please, I don't like wearing 3 pairs of socks at once.

It looks like a lovely little festival, so if you're in LA then pop along and show your support for Bradford. Here's the link to the festival website ::CLICK::

British Animation Awards 2012: Public Choice!

2011-12-15T02:53:00.000-08:00

Being Bradford Dillman has been selected as part of the British Animation Awards 2012: Public Choice! Hooray! It will be screening alongside Loose Moose Productions' other short, 'Tchiakovsky - An Elegy' by the ever amazing Barry Purves!

Have a look at the other selection of amazing films ::here::

The Public Choice category tours and screens all over the UK so have a little look on the right to see if it's going to be anywhere near you! (Clicking on the picure should make it nice and big to read!)

What a treat!

iNightingale Advert..

2011-12-12T02:26:00.000-08:00

Part of the Twittering Machine brief was to make a tv advert for the brand new must-have gadget the iNightingale! I animated it all on my multi-plane table using cut-out card and it was very kindly edited together by the super-brilliant Joe Patrick with voice over by Mark Whitaker.

Here are some screenshots and the final video.

I decided very early on that I wanted to get a star wipe effect in there.

Newsreader blinks..

2011-12-12T02:25:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite things about animating is making things blink. So here are some stills of the 3 newsreaders from the twittering machine animations blinking.

Bernie..

2011-12-12T02:18:00.001-08:00

I would very much like to introduce to you the newest and most beautiful member of the Orsini-Patrick household.. Our Bernie.

Just look at that face.

Photo by Joe.

Twittering machine animations

2011-12-08T16:00:00.000-08:00

This week I've been confined to the darkness of the spare room while I completed the animations I'm making for the new Horse + Bamboo production 'The Twittering Machine'. The animations are going to be projected in the show as tv adverts and news reports.

Here is a photo of the iNightingale character on my multi-plane table. The card underneath was curling and made a good shadow.

It is showing this week, December 10th-17th, so if you're up near Rossendale go, go, go!

Horse + Bamboo animation workshops

2011-12-02T06:51:00.000-08:00

So, my photo a day didn't last for too long.. but I have a valid reason, honest. I've been up North in Rossendale running animation workshops in some local primary schools. They've all gone well, i think i might have some competition! The animation workshops are to run alongside the new Horse + Bamboo production 'The Twittering Machine', a modern-day take on 'The Nightingale' by Hans Christian Andersen. The children have been creating and animating their own machines and birds which are going to be on display at the theatre during December.

As well as the animation classes, I'm also creating the animated projections for the production. So i've been a bit busy. Here is a screen grab of a rough test set up for one of the characters.

Almost winners..

2011-11-19T14:02:00.001-08:00

So we didn't win but we received an honorable mention at the 2011 Metropolitan New York Film Festival in the animation category! GO TEAM!

And we're on the front of the website, hooray!

Photo a day #11 (and explanation)..

2011-11-19T13:21:00.000-08:00

I'm animating a very secret project at the moment which I'm not allowed to talk about, take any photos of or put online when it's finished. Weird, huh? Well I took a photo of the only thing I could find that wasn't related to the product, this little orange tape cross to mark the camera position. So this is going to be my photo for today (and yesterday).. #11.

Photo a day #10..

2011-11-17T15:10:00.000-08:00

#10: Late night at Euston.

Photo a day #9..

2011-11-16T09:18:00.001-08:00

#9: birthday card creature

This is a birthday card I made for a Joes dad today.

Molly in Oz..

2011-11-16T01:01:00.000-08:00

One of my very best friends in the whole world is way too far away sunning herself in the beautiful land of Oz. But I woke up this morning to this lovely photo from her. Little Molly Flowers has made it all the way to Uluru!

Photo a day #8..

2011-11-15T11:35:00.001-08:00

#8: Home sweet home

Photo a day #7..

2011-11-14T14:08:00.000-08:00

#7: Test character design.

Photo a day #6..

2011-11-13T15:10:00.001-08:00

#6: Natural history museum

(go and see the wildlife photographer of the year exhibition it's amazing! Go go go!)

Photo a day #5..

2011-11-12T14:33:00.001-08:00

#5: Orsini Sandwiches.

I saw this shop today. It was closed or I would have said 'hi'. Maybe.

Photo a day #4..

2011-11-11T02:54:00.000-08:00

#4: Disco Duck.

We saw this duck in Ham.

Help save UK Animation..

2011-11-10T05:58:00.000-08:00

PLEASE can everyone sign this petition to help save the threatened UK Animation Industry. Please pass the link on so we can get as many signatures as possible!

"It may be the birthplace of classic children's characters such as Thomas the Tank Engine, Bob the Builder, Noddy and Peppa Pig, but now the UK's animation industry is warning that it will flee abroad faster than a flick-book figure unless it gets tax breaks.

More than three-quarters of Britain's 600-plus independent animation firms have either moved already or are considering shifting overseas, says a new report, Securing the Future of UK Animation. British stars such as Aardman Animations, creator of Wallace & Gromit, are pushing production work abroad to enjoy vital subsidies. The report estimates that animation conceived and produced in England alone has fallen from 83 per cent six years ago to 23 per cent.

The UK offers no support for the industry, which employs an estimated 4,500 people in the UK, and which, worldwide, is worth around £43bn." - Genevieve Roberts - The Independent

>> CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE PETITION <<

Photo a day #3..

2011-11-10T03:00:00.001-08:00

#3: Holiday feet

Photo a day #2..

2011-11-09T07:31:00.000-08:00

#2: Little Tony Lightswitch (in our lounge)

A photo a day.. #1

2011-11-08T02:19:00.001-08:00

I've decided that I'm going to start posting a photo a day that I have taken. So this is my first day.

#1: Two zombies.

Passing the time at Hackney Wick train station.

War Child animation set up..

2011-11-08T01:49:00.000-08:00

I've just finished the animation I've been working on and here is a photo of my very tiny set-up. I like that you can create an animation in such a small space but it does some times get a bit crowded when you start falling over lights and getting tangled up in wires. I'm hoping to set my big multi-plane stand up at some point in the future, but not just yet, when we've got a bit more space. So for now I'll make mini animations.

An oldie..

2011-11-08T01:43:00.000-08:00

This is an old photo that I just found buried in the depths of an old camera SD card. I forgot I had it and I really like it. So thought I'd pop it on here so I don't lose it again.

(Feet models own)

Good luck from Uganda

2011-11-02T06:32:00.000-07:00

I got a nice surprise this morning when I received this lovely little fella in the post. He is a good luck flamingo from Uganda. The project I'm working on at the moment is an international animation collaboration with people in Uganda. It will be up online soon and then I can tell you a bit more about it!

Polar bears

2011-10-25T03:35:00.000-07:00

I was given a mere few hours to put together an animation test as part of a project pitch (we didn't get it so I'm allowed to put it on here).

Secret new project..

2011-10-21T05:12:00.000-07:00

I've just started a new small animation project so I have officially taken over the spare room (thanks Joe) and it's now my studio. One desk for animating on and one desk for making stuff on. So the pencils and scissors have been sharpened and card-cutting-out is in full flow again.

"Are you on Facebook? No? Oh.."

2011-10-21T02:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I now have a Facebook animation page. How about having a little look? It's a mix of my work and other stuff that I find brilliant and funny. Just click HERE.

The joys of animating in a real life kitchen..

2011-10-19T01:49:00.000-07:00

At the moment I'm animating a 1 minute piece for an Italian floor tiling company. It's all stop motion captured in camera, in a real kitchen.. no compositing, no green screen.. just good old fashioned blu-tac, invisible thread and tears. It was also a bit of an obstacle course trying to climb over the lights to get to the milk for a cuppa! I've only got a phone photo at the moment but maybe it'll give you a little idea of the look of it.

BFI Screenings

2011-10-19T01:32:00.001-07:00

Last week Being Bradford Dillman made it's screen debut at the London Film Festival. Yeah! I was getting so nervous just before it started but thankfully it went down really well and got laughs in the right places, phew. Jayne Pilling put together a brilliant selection of animations, it was a complete mix of cut out, hand drawn, stop motion and cgi which were all lovely to watch!

We've got a poster up at the BFI too so if you're down there keep your eyes peeled for it. I tried to get a photo but, alas, my phone was having none of it. I did get a cool pass though.

A good Monday..

2011-10-03T01:33:00.000-07:00

The very kind Stopmotion Pro Team have featured an interview with me on their website. If you fancy taking a break or being distracted then have a look at it >>here<<

And we also just found out today that 'Being Bradford Dillman' has been selected for the New York No Limits Film Festival! Good morning all round!

The life of a freelance animator...

2011-09-29T03:12:00.000-07:00

Today has been a good day so far. I was woken up by a phone call about a potential job (fingers crossed). Then I had some Milk Tray for breakfast and went to the Raindance Animation Screening which was very inspiring. Then when I finally got home (after being stuck on a broken down tube) I drew a bear and a fox on an old envelope. So all-in-all, quite a good'un.

Imagine Animation Magazine

2011-09-27T01:52:00.000-07:00

We've got a lovely 'Being Bradford Dillman' 3 page spread in the Autumn Edition of Imagine Animation Magazine. It's a diary piece from the day it all began through to the screening night, and all the mishaps and successes along the way.

London based F Animator WLTM fellow Animators with GSOH..

2011-09-22T06:02:00.000-07:00

Being an animator is always an up-and-down temperamental job, especially at the moment! So whilst I'm in-between work I'm trying to keep myself motived by doing odd bits and bobs here and there, but it can get a bit lonely. I thought on here might be a good place to say.. if anyone fancies collaborating on a project or just needs an extra pair of hands on anything let me know. It's always more fun to work with other people than working on your own. And making new friends is always a nice thing.

I'll even buy you a milkshake.

Here's my showreel just in case you want to see what kinda work I do.

Bradford in the BFI Programme

2011-09-17T04:30:00.000-07:00

Just a quickie.. here is the BFI LFF programme and here is 'Being Bradford Dillman' right at the top. It is the first film to be screened in the International Animation Panorama 1 section. So that's good I think.

:::UPDATE:::

All the tickets for both International Animation Panorama 1 Screenings on October 13th and 16th are sold out!

Televisual Magazine

2011-09-16T05:23:00.000-07:00

I don't have a very good photo because I couldn't get my little mitts on Televisual magazine but 'Being Bradford Dillman' has been featured in the latest issue!

We've got another very exciting article coming out soon so watch this space!

London Film Festival (Press Launch) - hooray!

2011-09-07T07:35:00.000-07:00

This morning I went to the London Film Festival Press Launch (where they have very lovely leopard print seats)..

And I can very happily (with nervous tummy butterflies) say that our stop motion animation 'Being Bradford Dillman' has been selected for the Festival to screen as part of the International Animation Panorama - Programme 1.

If y'fancy coming to the screenings they are at BFI Southbank on:

Thursday 13th Oct - 13.30

Sunday 16th Oct - 18.15

Click HERE to take a look at the Official Film Festival website and to book tickets!

Loose Moose Director...

2011-09-05T09:12:00.000-07:00

Well I am very happy and excited to say that I am now a Director represented by the very brilliant animation production company Loose Moose in Soho, London! It's amazing to be there alongside some incredibly talented Animators and Directors, including the ever brilliant Barry Purves.

Take a little look at the website HERE to see an embarrassing baby photo of me, as well as all the amazing work Loose Moose makes.

Monday, Tuesday, Hackey days..

2011-09-01T04:21:00.000-07:00

Annoyingly some little blighter has hacked the 'being bradford dillman' website, so it's down at the mo. But fear not, you can still watch the trailer for the film riiight here...

cut-out cards..

2011-08-31T01:10:00.000-07:00

It was my boyfriends birthday the other day so I made him a birthday card. After spending all day making one and then deciding I hated it, I started again and came up with this one.

I've always liked making cards so I think I'm going to start a range of cards like this little fella and then open up a shop online.

experimental animation..

2011-08-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

I began a bit of experimenting today on the 'Angus McPhee' animation that I am making for the Horse + Bamboo Theatre production. After getting past the initial mind blank I decided I'd try out a technique I haven't used before... I began by scribbling the silhouette of a horse. I'm excited about getting started on it now and really getting stuck into the animating!

Stopmotion Pro interview

2011-08-23T05:34:00.001-07:00

Emma and I were interviewed by the very nice team at Stopmotion Pro, because this is the software that I used to animate 'Being Bradford Dillman'. It was a nice surprise to see it on the front page of the Stopmotion Pro website alongside animations by Aardman!

You can read the full interview here..

home-made peg bar

2011-08-18T03:23:00.001-07:00

I find working from home a bit of a challenge, so I try to find different things to make to keep me occupied. I've set up my animation rostrum so decided that I'd give some hand drawn animation a go. I'm more of a cut-out gal m'self but it's always good to try new things. For hand drawn animation the most important bit-o-kit is a peg bar. Traditional peg bars aren't expensive but it's the special hole puncher that makes it a bit pricey. So i made my own that will fit just a normal hole punch. It doesn't look particularly sturdy, but I like it!

Barbican: watch me move

2011-08-18T03:20:00.000-07:00

The other day, thanks to 'Animate Projects' I won 2 tickets to the Barbican: Watch me Move 'Experimental Animation' talk and screening. It was great to see work from such talented artists and to hear their perspective on animation and the films they've made. We saw work from Chris Shepherd, Lizzy Hobbs, Tim Webb and Stuart Hilton. All the films were very different but equally fascinating to watch.

If you can get your mitts on them, try and have a look!

Chris Shepherd: 'Dad's Dead'

Tim Webb: '15th February'

Elizabeth Hobbs: 'The Emperor'

Stuart Hilton: 'Save Me'

If you haven't had a chance to go to the Barbican exhibition I'd definitely recommend you pop down before it finishes. They've also got the armature from 'The Curse of the Were-Rabbit'! It's brilliant.

a good night of photography-ing

2011-08-17T05:51:00.000-07:00

Last night we decided to go to the park opposite our flat, cameras in hand. I borrowed Joe's 50mm lens, it's lovely. Here are a few photos from the adventure.

Charlie wolf-dogg

2011-07-29T05:43:00.000-07:00

I was feeling a bit uninspired today so I sat at my desk for a bit, did nothing, had a cup of tea, put my head in my hands, sat up, put the radio on and finally started doing some work. I didn't know what I was making while I was making it, but this little fella was the end result.. Charlie Wolf-Dogg.

Maccy D's advert

2011-07-29T05:39:00.000-07:00

I finally saw the McDonalds advert today and even though it's been cut short, it was a nice surprise to see that now it's just the "E is for Eggs" bit that I animated.

Being Bradford Dillman screening night

2011-07-20T09:37:00.000-07:00

On Thursday night the candle-lit cellar of Jaguar Shoes Bar played host to the first private screening of new animated short film “Being Bradford Dillman”. The film combines cut-out stop motion characters composited into a model world. “Being Bradford Dillman” was written by Emma Burch & Pete Williamson, Animated by Daniella Orsini and Directed and Produced by Emma Burch.

Little blue headphone lights began to glow, the film was about to begin…

Photo Copyright Mark R Bennett - Silent Disco UK

The night was sponsored by Silent Disco UK, who provided wireless headphones for everyone to wear during the screening. Throughout the night the film was repeated every half an hour, which was lucky because it was so packed that not everybody could fit in to see it first time round! It received a fantastic response with laughter and sad faces in the appropriate places, which is always a relief.

Spot lit and waiting patiently on the wall were framed original Molly and Bradford puppets, which were used in the animation. These were on display for people to look at and fall in love with before they would be auctioned off to raise money for Barnardo’s Charity.

Photo Copyright Sarah Doody - Space of Mind

With the frames starting prices at £30, the room was turning electric as the bids kept getting higher and higher and began reaching prices of £450 each. Frank Doody was the auctioneer and after whipping everyone up into a frenzy we raised over £2000!

Photo Copyright Mark R Bennett - Silent Disco UK

Overall it was a great night and hopefully there will be more screenings of “Being Bradford Dillman” to come!

"Hello You Creatives" have been kind enough to post this write up on their very addictive blog. It's definitely worth a look!

shiny new showreel

2011-07-09T08:29:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the magical editing skills of Joseph Patrick, I finally have a brand-spanking new showreel!

Imagine Animation Magazine: Q & A

2011-07-08T08:00:00.001-07:00

Well today has been a busy day for Bradford!

The lovely people at Imagine Animation have done a feature Q & A with the writers and director of 'Being Bradford Dillman'

Have a good old read of the interview HERE.

Little White Lies: Grass Roots interview

2011-07-08T03:08:00.000-07:00

Little White Lies have put an interview with me on their Grass Roots blog. It was a nice surprise to brighten up a rainy friday. Have a look at the interview here.

bit-a twitter

2011-07-07T05:25:00.000-07:00

'Being Bradford Dillman' is now on twitter! Come and give us a little follow and say hello to @BradfordDillman

Frames in progress...

2011-06-28T10:16:00.000-07:00

After almost having a nervous breakdown over the printer, I have finally managed to get the backgrounds for the frames printed! Here are some puppets in progress photos.

Happy potter craft fair

2011-06-24T04:30:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to the happy potter craft fair and sold my ‘I heart tea’ badges, accompanied by some of Jens very lovely cakes!

here are the badges in progress..

and the finished ones..

Angus Mcphee: weaver of grass animated projections

2011-06-24T04:28:00.000-07:00

I am starting a new project with Horse + Bamboo theatre which is very exciting. They are developing a new production about Angus McPhee, a crofter and 'weaver of grass' from the Outer Hebrides of the Scotland, the island of South Uist, who spent 50 years in a Highlands psychiatric hospital. I am going to be creating animated sections which will be projected throughout the show. So I'm looking forward to getting researching and making!

mcdonalds a-z advert..

2011-06-15T03:08:00.001-07:00

So the McDonalds advert that I animated part of is now on tv, hooray! I animated the 'E is for Eggs, Free Range Eggs!' bit. If you haven't seen it on tv (like me) then you can see it right here...

Being Bradford Dillman TRAILER!

2011-06-08T14:53:00.001-07:00

Being Bradford Dillman is the stop-motion short film that I have been animating at Loose Moose Productions. It is produced and directed by Emma Burch, written by Emma Burch and Pete Williamson and also illustrated by Pete Williamson.

And here is the brand-spanking new trailer for it!

Deloitte Animation

2011-06-08T13:37:00.000-07:00

The other week I animated a short stop-motion section for the new corporate video. It involved spelling out two words using rope. This was achieved with the help of a LOT of pins and possibly more plasters than I've ever seen on one persons hand!

Here are a few work in progress shots..

And here is my animated section from the final piece...

new 'being bradford dillman' website..

2011-06-08T11:35:00.000-07:00

And the new Being Bradford Dillman website is officially....LIVE!

- www.beingbradforddillman.com -

'Being Bradford Dillman' Animation Screening and Auction!

2011-06-07T07:08:00.000-07:00

We've now set a screening date for 'Being Bradford Dillman' Hooray! As well as the screening we are going to be auctioning off the original puppets used in the animation to raise money for Barnardo's Children's Charity. So at the moment I'm reassembling the characters and am ear deep in hundreds and thousands of bits of cut-out paper limbs, eyes, hands, socks.. the list goes on.

These are only about a quarter of the bits. I have to do it in shifts to keep my sanity.

But secretly I actually love doing it.

McDonalds eggcellent animation shoot..

2011-05-05T05:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was assistant animator on a stop-motion animation shoot for the new McDonalds tv advert, so keep your eyes peeled for the eggy fair ground! The location was amazing, it was on a lovely farm surrounded by horses.

And we got to shoot it on a lovely 35mm camera.

making of the 'android avengers'..

2011-05-02T03:02:00.000-07:00

So, after being awake for about 30 hours we were about to feature in our very own video 'the making of the android avengers'. Thankfully we were very kindly given a nice coffee and a cake to help wake us up a little bit.

ps. We don't usually look this nerdy in real life.

introducing... 'the android avengers'

2011-04-27T08:06:00.001-07:00

Joe Patrick and I have been commissioned by Vodafone to make a stop-motion animated advert to launch their new rage of Smart Phones. I animated it and Joe did the voiceover and the funny words. We were given the task of making the phones into Superheroes, so we decided to make a film trailer for them. Take a look and see what you think.

While it was being animated in the studio we had a little visitor come in and film us, so somewhere there's a making of video which i'll post when i get my mitts on it.

'being bradford dillman' work in progress photees...

2011-04-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

so the model shoot is finally over and now it's time to composite the animation and backgrounds together, add sound, make the final tweaks and hey presto.... we'll have a film! But for now, here are a few rough comps for you. Even though they look lovely, they'll look even nicer when they're finished.

We've also set up a 'being bradford dillman' facebook page so you can keep up to date with whats going on, and lots of nice new photos. if you're on facebook (which i'm sure you are) click on the link, have a little look at the page and then give it a nice ol' thumbs up 'like'.

click HERE to have a look at the Bradford page...

The Girl is Mime at Cannes!

2011-04-15T09:46:00.000-07:00

The Girl is Mime has been official listed for the Cannes Film Festival 2011! It's possibly one of the most exciting things that has ever happened. ever.

Filmapalooza 2011

2011-03-17T13:25:00.000-07:00

We went to The Miami Film Festival and now we're home. But while we were there we only bloody won!

It was the best night, we saw so many brilliant films and met so many amazing people from all over the world. The next stop now for 'The Girl is Mime' is The Cannes Film Festival! Watch this space..

new showreel...

2011-03-07T16:59:00.000-08:00

I have more to add very soon, but for now here is my brand-spanking-new showreel...

MIAMI!!!

2011-03-07T07:38:00.000-08:00

So, on Wednesday we are going to the MIAMI FILM FESTIVAL thanks to the film 'The Girl is Mime'- winner of the London 48 hour film competition, starring the one and only Martin Freeman. As a mime. Yes!(we can't actually put the film online yet as it's still being entered into Festivals... But there's a behind the scenes documentary on the website)

Production photos from the Microsoft Animations...

2011-03-07T07:13:00.001-08:00

Microsoft Animations..

2011-03-07T07:02:00.000-08:00

Since completing my animating on Being Bradford Dillman I have been commissioned to make 2 bespoke animations for Microsoft... Using only Powerpoint 2010. Yes, you heard correctly. It was a challenge but Joseph Patrick and I successfully completed it after going through numerous cups of tea and excessive amounts of paper. Phew.

Take a look and see what you think...

Being Bradford Dillman has officially gone into Post Production!

2011-03-07T07:01:00.000-08:00

Hurrah!

accidental faces..

2010-12-13T14:00:00.001-08:00

i've recently discovered that when i'm changing over characters and i take off their faces (yes, weird) a new little face is made by accident. i like these faces so i'm going to start documenting them.

accidental face #1

accidental face #2

accidental face #3

accidental face #4

Studio photos..

2010-12-13T13:53:00.001-08:00

As promised, here are a few photos from the studio..

Molly and Bradford.

Bradford on fire.

Molly, Bradford and mum messy shot setting up.

Little Molly.

Aardman talk..

2010-12-13T13:26:00.000-08:00

I went to a talk at the Apple Shop in Covent Garden with Nick Park, Peter Lord and David Sproxton. It was so good to see them and to hear about new projects they're working on. I even managed to get an autograph and a little drawing of Gromit from Nick Park. Lucky.

Meet The Fingerlings!

2010-11-03T12:19:00.000-07:00

This is a video Joe and I made for the Nokia N8 phone.

And here is us filming it.....

Being Bradford Dillman update...

2010-11-03T12:08:00.000-07:00

So I haven't really written much about how Molly and Bradford are getting on. well, I'm happy to say they are both doing very well. Just as a little teaser for you, here is a picture of Molly drawing in her bed.....

The storyboard wall is also getting slowly crossed off which is nice to see..

Now we've had a bit of a change of plan with the backgrounds. They were originally going to be drawn in the same style as Molly and Bradford but now we've decided to make real life sets and incorporate hand drawn elements. this is just a test photo at the moment but i love it.

I'll put some more photos up soon...

my new camera..

2010-11-03T12:03:00.000-07:00

For my birthday i was very kindly taken on a Lomo Photography workshop. We bought the nice black and blue camera to use... and about an hour later I won the amazing pink one in a game of pass the parcel! lucky. that was a good day.

new horse and bamboo website!

2010-09-05T01:42:00.000-07:00

hurrah! i have been working on re-designing the new horse and bamboo puppet theatre website and i'm happy to say that it is now finished! you can have a look at it here www.horseandbamboo.org.

thank's so much to Sam Manser for helping make it happen.

here are some stills of the site...

index page.

horse and bamboo page.

the boo page.

mailing list page.

just some photos from the studio..

2010-09-02T14:32:00.001-07:00

just making Molly some 'surprised' eyelids.

this is my step i have to stand on to animate.

one of my favourite things is cutting the storyboard up and crossing each shot off when it's done.

lips for lip syncing.

dope sheet in progress and a good pen.

party hard.

2010-09-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

so this is what we get up to in the evenings...

music video plans..

2010-08-04T22:17:00.000-07:00

so the next plan (once 'Being Bradford Dillman' has been animated) is to animate a music video for a band called The Miserable Rich (www.myspace.com/themiserablerich). They are from Brighton and are amazing, so i can't wait for that! I've started to think of a few ideas but nothing for definite just yet. Let's see..

a few photos of my walk to work.. in order of appearance

2010-08-04T14:32:00.001-07:00

instead of getting the tube to work, i walk. it's cheaper, less busy and just nice really. the problem is i can't help but get distracted and do a little bit of sightseeing everyday.

here is a very small selection of photos of things i've seen along the way.

update.... Loose Moose

2010-08-04T13:56:00.000-07:00

i haven't updated this in a while so here goes...

since my last post i have:

1.) quit my job in manchester

2.) moved down to london

and

3.) got an animation job at Loose Moose Productions (have a look at them) in soho.

i'm currently working on animating a 12 minute short film called 'Being Bradford Dillman' using cut-out multi plane animation. here are some photos of the setup in the studio. it has been written by Emma Burch and Pete Williamson and also illustrated by Pete Williamson, look at his illustrations he's basically amazing.

animation stand

lighting setup.

Peter Ellmore set up the lights and taught me loads about it so i'm going to try out some different lighting effects during the shoot. Have a look at some of Peters stuff, he's very good (www.peterellmore.co.uk).

I got the dope sheet back the other day...

here it is balanced on my knee.

it definitely makes everything feel a bit more real when you see 12 minutes of animation on paper.

and last but not least... here is Molly, sitting on my notebook.

i'll let you know how it goes..

New Showreel!

2010-05-05T04:51:00.000-07:00

Another Horse and Bamboo project...

2010-04-27T23:27:00.001-07:00

At the moment I'm working on re-designing the Horse and Bamboo website... watch this space!

Horse and Bamboo Theatre

2010-04-27T03:36:00.001-07:00

Hello, I've been a bit slack on the old updating so here goes..

I've been doing a little bit of design work for a lovely theatre company called the Horse and Bamboo Theare. I have made an A5 flyer for their production 'Storm in a Teacup', which is about a Lighthouse Keeper, a supply boat captain and a pesky seagull. You should have a look at the tour dates on their website!

I have also made a children's education resource booklet to go along with it, I'll put some photos up when I get a copy of it!

finished animation!

2009-12-01T12:07:00.000-08:00

My animation for Reading Single Homeless Project is now finished!
So i can have a little rest for a bit zzzzzz.

(it's best to let it stream all the way first because it goes a bit jumpy)

my animation set up...

2009-11-30T03:27:00.000-08:00

Here is a photo of my animation table and of the set spread over the different glass layers....

Kin - featured profile

2009-11-16T02:39:00.001-08:00

so i went onto the Kin website today and got a nice surprise when i saw that my profile is this months featured portfolio!

IdeasTap fundinggggg

2009-09-30T04:36:00.000-07:00

Well I should have updated this ages ago because in July I got some funding from IdeasTap to make my very own animation. To get the funding the proposal had to meet certain criteria, and one of those was working with a charity. I decided to work again with RSHP (the Reading single homeless project) and to make an animation for them to celebrate their 30th Anniversary. So, for this I trekked down to Reading to speak to people who work at the charity and people who have been helped by them and what they think about it all. It was really good to meet everyone and at the moment I'm just working on sorting out all the sound we recorded. I'll keep you posted on how it's going..

animation screening

2009-09-23T06:24:00.000-07:00

i have just received an email saying that my animation 'celebrate' starring bob ordello is going to be shown at the children's matinee on Bold Street in Liverpool. That was a nice surprise...

so at the moment...

2009-04-21T13:47:00.000-07:00

After getting back from London i'm feeling inspired, so i'm working on designing myself a shiny new website, ooh ahhh. i think i'm going to stick with a similar style to my current one and also to the RSHP one. i like the handmade, messy kind of look.

After that i think i'm going to start writing a short animation. I have one small idea at the minute but it needs quite a bit of working out! I have recently acquired a basic camera frame that i can use for my stop motion so i'm looking forward to trying that out too!

RSHP website redesign

2009-04-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

In february i was commissioned by the Reading Single Homeless Project to redesign their website. The old one was quite plain, clinical and there was too much to read so i changed the design to something a bit more interesting.... a pin board! Take a look at their brand spanking new website here!

cards commission!

2009-04-21T13:43:00.002-07:00

Microzine (a shop in Liverpool and London) has comissioned me to make cards to sell in store as well as at the Wimbledon tennis championship and at the Golf Open!

ctrl, alt, shift

2009-04-21T13:43:00.001-07:00

Last week i was working in London as a production designer on a short film starring Julian Barrett and Martin Freeman! This involved sorting out props, sets and continuity. It was brilliant and i'd definitely love to do it again! Can't wait to see the final film!