Episode 102 'Fantastic Demons (and how to get rid of them)'

It has been ten months since my time concluded on My Grandfather's Demons (Os  Demônios do meu Avô) where the final puppet was rigged and the last tie-down was painfully screwed into the bottom of Rosa's foot. These characters bear the visual aches and tears that the majority of the team felt throughout this production. This is by no means a slight against the film; it is simply the nature of such scale of work. But when you frantically start to use super glue to fix props to a puppets silicone hand, you know that things are looking bleak. For the record, we normally take the time to screw said prop into the 2mm access point in the palm of the hand, but on that particular day I definitely remember thinking fuck this shit (I can this perfectly in Portuguese; it's a frequent saying).

The feature film itself has been greatly received across the globe, being part of numerous international animation and film festivals including Annecy in France and Fantasia in Montreal, Quebec. Throughout this promotional journey it has even picked up nominations and awards of prestigious renown. It recently was nominated for a Goya award in Spain's main film festival, which is kind of the Spanish equivalent to the Academy Awards. It also won the Feature Film category at Portugal's very own Cinanima festival in Espinho, Porto. All the while generating more publicity for the studio, Sardinha em Late, and hopefully putting Portuguese stop motion on the map. 

I was part of the small team that made the long-winded trek up to Espinho to help assemble the exhibition that displayed the sets, puppets and props from My Grandfather's Demons. The exhibition itself is always a pleasure to behold (the scale 2 set of the village in particular is a true work of art) but the construction of it is absolutely bloody shattering. Unfortunately, I have yet to see the film in its entirety, but hopefully there will be a screening in Lisbon at one of the cinemas. It is Portugal's first ever stop motion feature film, after all. 

Now. This is where shit gets real. Because the irony of working on a film about demons is just that; you discover that every one has a little fucked up demon on their shoulder, bending your good nature and hard-working ethic into a thing of darkness. I am very proud to have worked on this production (it is also my first ever stop motion feature film) and I cannot thank the studio enough for giving me the opportunity, but my goodness it was hard work. The coordination and communication between departments was truly hanging by a thread, with arguments galore and an unhealthy level of tension. 

The production itself (sets, puppets, equipment, cameras and crew) had moved to a large warehouse on the outskirts of Lisbon in a small town called Prior Velho [old prior]. It was quite a unique experience; working in this cold, damp, badly ventilated, unsafe building with little to no basic facilities, green room, kitchen or functioning workshop. Imagine if a group of first year students were asked to assemble a fully operational stop motion studio in two days during the midst of freshers week. Absolute chaos, right?!

But despite all of the above you carry on with your job, don't you? This is ultimately our legacy, regardless of petty squabbles and questionable working conditions. You have to make it work, somehow. 

And, as you can see, the results are still spectacular.

The future of stop motion here in Portugal is quite interesting to witness. The aforementioned Cinanima festival is really a wonderful gathering of animation peers, enthusiasts and films. Lisbon hosts the Monstra animation festival; another great example of Portugal's enthusiasm for celebrating animation. This festival showed a 10 minute preview of Demons in 2022 and all of the team were invited to see. Although the film was not fully edited, with post production still chipping away frame by frame, this preview was a real spectacle for everybody involved. We had been through so much together, and to see our efforts on the big screen was quite emotional (at least, for me!). 

So what's next? What am I doing now?

In all honesty, I do feel a little lost. I consider moving to Portugal one of the greatest decisions of my life, but sometimes that sense of adventure and exploration still whispers to me from the horizon. I cannot imagine striking gold again, in regards to my job at the animation studio and living in such a beautiful country. I thought I had given up working in this industry, upon leaving Manchester, and yet here I am. The stop motion universe hasn't finished with me, it seems! 

But since the Demons film wrapped, the team moved onto other projects (still within Sardinha em Lata) back at the main studio headquarters in the city. Alice's Diary (the animated series I am currently working on) is one of these projects, where six-year old Alice uses her diary to explore, understand and enjoy the world around her. It is mixed media production, incorporating both 2D and stop motion elements. A typical day might begin with painting a 3D rainbow for Alice to go camping on and end with rigging an animatable crocodile head who guards the pink castle where the monkey-cat sleeps. You can see why this project appealed to me. 

A transformer that actually transforms 

from robot to spaceship

A Unicorn cloud. Classic Tuesday. 

Working hard on the rig for the monster truck sequence. 

Admiring the fields of flowers (all made out of felt by prop maker Paula Custodio)

There were two other stop motion productions in 2022; A Casa para guardar o tempo and Pietra. Both with various members of the Demon's team working on them. This is where things became a little bonkers. It all began when my fellow colleague from the rig department (Rig Leader aka Lord of the Rigs) had a motorcycle accident and would leave the Casa project indefinitely - understandably for treatment and physiotherapy. Being the only other rigger in the studio, I had to juggle myself between Alice and Casa in order for both productions to continue on schedule. I have never been so stressed and exhausted in my life! Oh, wait, yes I had... the previous year whilst working with a rather hot-headed DOP who gave me roughly 7 anxiety attacks per day. 

Getting right in there! Rigging for Casa

As the projects continued throughout 2022 it was apparent that the demons from Prior Velho still lingered, creating even more friction between various team dynamics. For full disclosure here, I am not taking pleasure in writing such a tale of woe. I just think it's important to stress the reality of this industry, like many other studios. Yes, we can create beautiful pieces of film, but fundamentally this is an environment with the same social and mental problems as any work place. On the surface it can look like we are having the time of our lives, but it is still a job.

As the summer began, members of each team began to finish their contracts and disperse. The stop motion department in its entirety was slowly dwindling over the year, and it was very disheartening to see. Rig Leader was gone. The Mother of Puppets had left. You could count the art department members on one hand (of a Simpson's character). 

And now it's January 2023. 

Of the once thriving stop motion department of this studio, made up of at least 18 incredibly talented artists, I am the sole survivor. How has this happened? I am not even from this country?! I have such strong feelings about this; imposter syndrome being one of them. Why me? You can find the answer to these questions in my upcoming book 'The Lone Grainger' [available only after my passing]. Projects come and go, it's true. There were times in Manchester where the studios would downsize to a skeleton crew because of the lack of production, or necessity for a big team, so I understand the logistics behind it. But I must say, it is terribly lonely!

On a much lighter and positive note, how fucking amazing is this stop motion waterfall?!!

I have no idea how this year will present itself. For now, the demons are still with me and I will need the most excellent of Spotify playlists to get me through each day. Perhaps I should stop listening to True Crime podcasts for a while; they usually end in some gruesome unsolved strife (I'm fine!).

There are some personal projects that I need to urgently address. These things need my love and attention, for they are unfortunately gathering dust and lacking the creative motivation to flourish. I've got a freakin' clay dragon sculpt in my wardrobe for heavens sake; a dinosaur children's book to write and illustrate and potentially a space at a nearby art exhibition in 9 months time... 

... let's see how this baby grows!

My Grandfather's Demons (Os  Demônios do meu Avô) will be screened at the 2023 Monstra Film Festival on Wednesday 15th March [click here for details].