How do you develop and keep your style and passion for animation when you become commercial and do what you love for a living? Are clients always wanting you to repeat your last work? How do you keep your style fresh and come up with surprising new imagery? We ask a range of animators working in pop promos and shorts who have developed their own unique look and processes to tell us how they balance the commercial imperative with time for experimentation, play and research and keep sane!
Panellists
Moderator: Saint John Walker, Dean/Director of Industry Engagement at Escape Studios
Saint is the author of the Core Skills of VFX Handbook and has designed and run VFX courses across the UK. He has been LIAF’s industry panel coordinator and chair for several years, as well as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. At Escape he has chaired panel discussions for the annual VFX Festival, and has taken part in many Access:VFX activities online and in person.
Tony Comley
Tony directs animation from Crystal Palace and Bali. He graduated from the Royal College of Art and has made many exciting works with Google, The BBC and Netflix. He does art when he can and is the face of a Door manufacturer in North East China called Sibling Wood.
Chris Ullens
Chris is a Belgian director who lives and works in London. After graduating in Brussels, Chris completed his masters degree in London at Central St-Martins with distinction. He then started working as a stop motion animator. A few years on, he transitioned to directing working on high-end commercials and his music videos are known for their bold, creative and playful character which have earned him multiple awards in festivals across the globe. Chris continues to experiment with his multi-disciplinary skills in order to find fresh, weird and exciting projects.
Balázs Simon
Balázs has a great body of work which speaks the language of cinema and has a deep understanding of how to create a feeling through film craft, both in camera and VFX. It’s no wonder he’s received global recognition for several music videos over the years ranging from nominations at SXSW and the UKMVAs including for his music video ” Light Of Day” for electronic powerhouse Odesza to recently winning best visual effects at AICP and best animation at the Young British Arrows for the Blinkink produced BBC Sport – Extreme By Nature winter olympics intro. He has also dipped his toes into the live action world having directed David Guetta’s music video, Save My Life.
How do you develop and keep your style and passion for animation when you become commercial and do what you love for a living? Are clients always wanting you to repeat your last work? How do you keep your style fresh and come up with surprising new imagery? We ask a range of animators working in pop promos and shorts who have developed their own unique look and processes to tell us how they balance the commercial imperative with time for experimentation, play and research and keep sane!
Panellists
Moderator: Saint John Walker, Dean/Director of Industry Engagement at Escape Studios
Saint is the author of the Core Skills of VFX Handbook and has designed and run VFX courses across the UK. He has been LIAF’s industry panel coordinator and chair for several years, as well as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. At Escape he has chaired panel discussions for the annual VFX Festival, and has taken part in many Access:VFX activities online and in person.
Tony Comley
Tony directs animation from Crystal Palace and Bali. He graduated from the Royal College of Art and has made many exciting works with Google, The BBC and Netflix. He does art when he can and is the face of a Door manufacturer in North East China called Sibling Wood.
Chris Ullens
Chris is a Belgian director who lives and works in London. After graduating in Brussels, Chris completed his masters degree in London at Central St-Martins with distinction. He then started working as a stop motion animator. A few years on, he transitioned to directing working on high-end commercials and his music videos are known for their bold, creative and playful character which have earned him multiple awards in festivals across the globe. Chris continues to experiment with his multi-disciplinary skills in order to find fresh, weird and exciting projects.
Balázs Simon
Balázs has a great body of work which speaks the language of cinema and has a deep understanding of how to create a feeling through film craft, both in camera and VFX. It’s no wonder he’s received global recognition for several music videos over the years ranging from nominations at SXSW and the UKMVAs including for his music video ” Light Of Day” for electronic powerhouse Odesza to recently winning best visual effects at AICP and best animation at the Young British Arrows for the Blinkink produced BBC Sport – Extreme By Nature winter olympics intro. He has also dipped his toes into the live action world having directed David Guetta’s music video, Save My Life.