Carolina Melis

Recently I had a chance to work with Animator and Illustrator Carolina Melis - who has been commissioned by Animate Projects to make a new work in response to the historic gardens at National Trust property, Ham House and Garden. I acted as a Technical Assistant in a workshop she held for the Ham Woman's Multicultural Group.

Ham House © Alex Creed

It was work experience for me, which was part of my current curriculum. It was almost an art workshop for the families, with small bits of animation thrown in for good measure. It was a chance for the children of the families to get some insight into the world of animation - how it works, the processes and (what turned most people off) the amount of time it takes to make even a short piece.

Inside one of the secret garden huts © Alex Creed 

All in all, it was a good experience. It was nice to meet Carolina and spend time at Ham House, which has some incredible gardens. Lots of lovely photo opportunities!

For more info on Carolina Melis, her Animate Projects commission and Ham House, heres a good article by Animate Projects - Just Click Here!

Whenever I Get My Hands on a Dollar Bill

I was doing some marketing/poster/graphic design/Bill Murray research and I came across this which I rather liked. 

Good 'ol Bill

I watched What About Bob? last night. One of Bill's (and Dreyfuss') more underrated comedies.

What The Hell Have I Been Working On?

In case some of you wanted to keep up to date on my current directorial project, you can check the blog for Kotka, my latest film. Just click here!

There'll be more info and artwork going up soon...

But meanwhile, here are a few character designs.

Main character. Have been calling him Edward, but not sure I like that name.

Ed's neighbour...

To learn more about Kotka, just check out the blog.

Successful Hills Are Here to Stay

As part of our curriculum for FdA Animation Year 2 at LCC, every student has to pitch film concepts. After that, the class votes for which films they like the most, and which they'd prefer to work on. We had our presentations today! Most people (including myself) were insanely nervous - the prospect of being judged and voted on is fairly daunting.

Everyone did really well though, and there was some stiff competition. But out of 19 people in the class, only 4 or 5 of them would be chosen to go into production next year. Some people were bound to be disappointed.

After a long day of presentations, and once the votes had been cast, it was time to reveal the chosen films. They were

Acoustic Memory - Dir: Henry Butcher
Shoes! - Dir: Katie Sommers
Mr Prigley's Musicbox - Dir: James O'Neill
Sentient Race - Dir: Alistair Seamer
Kotka - Dir: Alexander Creed (Me!)

I'll post some pre-production work of my film on here in a bit, just so you can get a taste of what it's all about.

The Radio is Moaning

Whenever I want to chill-out, The Doors always work.

Climbing up my Stairs...

For my final project last year I decided to try my hand at a bit of stop-motion animation. It's something I've wanted to do for a while, and I decided to do it before it was too late. I knew I wouldn't have time during my second year to properly experiment with the technique. Here's a slideshow of some set building and model making.

My first real foray into stop-motion animation. I was inspired by classic horror films that had intense atmospheres. Kubrick's 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' and Dario Argenta's 'Suspiria' were my main influences. I was lucky enough to get to work with a sound designer, Justin Dolby, who was very passionate about the project and especially the theme. At the end of it all, I had this:



One of the most enjoyable parts of the film was the pixellation shots. It involved rigging clear fishing line to the underneath of the keys. It was intricate to say the least.

In the studio, rigging up the hooks to the (borrowed) typewriter

Being really careful

The delicate hooks

Look at Them Smile

Let me introduce you to a film I worked on last year.

Directed by Perrie Murphy, 'This is Colin' follows one mans berserk fall from a subservient and conservative life to a more simple, yet fulfilling existence. We see Colin confront those who have wronged him in his life, whether they did so inadvertently or on purpose. But before I spoil any more of the film, here it is:



Jen Newman and myself were production assistants on the film. As part of our FdA Animation course at London College of Communication, we had to work on a film from a higher year. We were both charmed by the concept and it was a fantastic film to work on.