Well this is nice. Usually it's my job to give our loyal readers a flavour of life on on Planet CAA at the outset of a new edition of the Computer Animation Arts' Post With The Most, but current year one student, Vincent Lange, does a much better job in this rather handy little video....
After that lightening-quick tour of a day in the life of a CAA first year, let's find out what they're up to right now... Short version is they're all super-busy with their Fantastic Voyage project, a collaboration with science education consultant, Claire Saunders, who has challenged them to produce engaging and dynamic animations in response to a series of science-based scenarios - including the problem with plastic, the ten energy types, and evolution. A few days back, the students pitched their ideas and subsequent days have seen them responding to Claire's feedback and refining their proposals accordingly. The first years are required to accomplish a huge amount in a short time and the pressure is on, but with so many diverse and exciting ideas in the mix, we're all rather excited to see the results of their efforts in just a few weeks time.
The final year 2 project - Premise - represents a very different challenge to 'Fantastic Voyage' - this time, the raison d'être for the work originates entirely from the student themselves; indeed, Premise represents the beginning of the students' final year films and while it's true that students are often jumping up and down at the prospect of writing their own briefs, it's likewise true that many students freeze a little bit, caught in the blinding glare of a truly blank canvas. One of the characteristics of this brief is incubation - time given to establishing an idea for a final year film that represents a sweet-spot between the exigencies of employability and inarguable technical skill and a student's original vision. As processes go, it's not always straightforward and is rarely linear, and often requires an element of personal courage and disclosure as students commit to work that is more 'them' than anyone else. By way of an example, current year 2 student, Meg Robson, is developing an animated short in response to her own experience of 'over-thinking' and episodes of acute anxiety. What this film may ultimately 'be' is still very much to be pinned down, but it's always exciting when students share their 'not-knowing' through doing stuff - through visualisation, experimentation and play.
The life of a typical CAA third year is long days, repetition, and slog - leavened now and then by moments of rhapsodic revelation - as the thing they've been chipping away at for weeks on end becomes suddenly greater than the sum of its parts! Suddenly, they have a character with a life of its own, poised on the cusp of coming-to-life and performing their stories. Enjoy these updates from our final year students' projects.
Lost Boy / Graeme character rigging demo / Graeme Daly
Lost Boy / Graeme expressions #1 / Graeme Daly
Lost Boy / Graeme expressions #2 / Graeme Daly
Lost Boy / Graeme expressions #3 / Graeme Daly
Lost Boy / Graeme expressions demo / Graeme Daly
Lost Boy / Mrs Pratt expressions #1 / Graeme Daly
Lost Boy / Graeme expressions #2 / Graeme Daly
Lost Boy / Young Graeme expressions #1 / Graeme Daly
Lost Boy / Young Graeme expressions #2 / Graeme Daly
Lost Boy / Art room test render #1 / Graeme Daly
Lost Boy / Art room test render #2 / Graeme Daly
Lost Boy / Art room test render #3 / Graeme Daly
It's difficult to believe one month ago I was in France over-seeing the final performances of our animated visualisations of Hector Berlioz's Romeo & Juliet in the last hurrah of the 'ONE is more' collaboration with the Orchestra Network for Europe. To be honest, it was all rather bitter-sweet and Brexit-tinged - inevitably. I've so enjoyed working alongside all the musicians of the various European orchestras. This was the project that commissioned Red & The Kingdom Of Sound, which is still picking up festival selections and awards, most recently winning two awards at Athens Animfest. This was the project that saw me undertake a fifteen hundred mile road trip from Calais to Slovakia one snowy December to screen CAA's La création du monde animation in Zilina back in 2016. So many adventures and so many performances, and so many diverse audiences enjoying classical music - and animation too.
Waiting for rehearsals to begin at the Maison de la Culture, Amiens, France, March 4th, 2019
Preparing the projector at the Maison de la Culture / Amiens, France / March 4th, 2019
Preparing the projector at the Maison de la Culture #2 / Amiens, France / March 4th, 2019
'Love Scene' projected at the Maison de la Culture #2 / Amiens, France / March 4th, 2019
'Intro' projected at the Cité de la Musique et de la Danse, Soissons / March 5th, 2019
'Love Scene' projected at the Cité de la Musique et de la Danse, Soissons #1 / March 5th, 2019
'Love Scene' projected at the Cité de la Musique et de la Danse, Soissons #2 / March 5th, 2019
'Love Scene' projected at the Cité de la Musique et de la Danse, Soissons #3 / March 5th, 2019
'Love Scene' projected at the Cité de la Musique et de la Danse, Soissons #4 / March 5th, 2019
Keen-eyed readers of the PWTM may have noticed that it's come out a few days late this month; I do have an excuse! I've just this week been putting the finishing touches to Marcus & The Mystery of the Pudding Pans - our Heritage Lottery-funded animated short commissioned by the trustees of the Seaside Museum Herne Bay. A whole bunch of us - tutors and graduates - have been beetling away behind the scenes to get this film ready for its debut on Friday, April 5th at the museum's private view, and while it's never seemly to self-congratulate, let me just say we're all rather pleased with our latest animated endeavour - and likewise the museum trustees, which was rather the goal! I am very much looking forward to seeing the moment when our young voice-over artist, Lake Blumenthal, watches his cartoon counterpart arrive on screen!
Marcus & The Mystery of the Pudding Pans / Still #1 / A Geek Boutique Production 2019
Marcus & The Mystery of the Pudding Pans / Still #2 / A Geek Boutique Production 2019
Marcus & The Mystery of the Pudding Pans / Still #3 / A Geek Boutique Production 2019
Marcus & The Mystery of the Pudding Pans / Still #4 / A Geek Boutique Production 2019
Marcus & The Mystery of the Pudding Pans / Still #5 / A Geek Boutique Production 2019
Marcus & The Mystery of the Pudding Pans / Still #6 / A Geek Boutique Production 2019
Marcus & The Mystery of the Pudding Pans / Still #7 / A Geek Boutique Production 2019
Marcus & The Mystery of the Pudding Pans / Still #8/ A Geek Boutique Production 2019
Marcus & The Mystery of the Pudding Pans / Still #9 / A Geek Boutique Production 2019
Marcus & The Mystery of the Pudding Pans / Still #10/ A Geek Boutique Production 2019
Marcus & The Mystery of the Pudding Pans / Still #11 / A Geek Boutique Production 2019
Marcus & The Mystery of the Pudding Pans / Still #12 / A Geek Boutique Production 2019
Marcus & The Mystery of the Pudding Pans / Still #13 / A Geek Boutique Production 2019
Marcus & The Mystery of the Pudding Pans / Still #14 / A Geek Boutique Production 2019
Marcus & The Mystery of the Pudding Pans / Still #15 / A Geek Boutique Production 2019
The Last Word...
"At some point, you have to sit down and face the page alone. At some point, the final decisions need to be yours. At some point, you have to give yourself deadlines and stick to them." John McNally
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