Episode 112 'Annecy Animation Film Festival 2024'

I get overwhelmed very easily with the amount of projects I give myself. Some are commissioned pieces and some are actual jobs, but most are personal projects that blossom magnificently for their moment in the spotlight before getting shelved in place of another idea. I don't always believe this a bad thing because it's so clearly a healthy trait to indulge every creative idea that pops into your mind. They all deserve a sketch or treatment. 

    Right now I am faced with a plethora of thoughts and ideas, amalgamating into a very interesting looking soup (let's say). I am a big fan of soup, so if it can become a culinary metaphor (as well as a delicious lunch option) then everyone is a winner. So this pot of soup is simmering away and I am getting very excited about it (we are still in the metaphor, by the way). The problem is that I need to distinguish each ingredient (idea/project) before it all blends together to become an overwhelming (but tasty) bowl of food. I want to enjoy all the flavours individually before mixing. Hmmm. I think that's as far as I should go, or else we shall all go slightly bonkers. Essentially I need to just manage my time better. And consider lunch.

I blame Annecy. 

It has inspired me too much and now I have pages and pages of notes and concepts that all need revisiting and developing. I already have an expanding watercolour project and a commissioned painting that desperately needs finishing (I am so sorry Luana). So I have surrendered myself to the process of developing these ideas until the end of the week; giving me four days to bask in the aftermath of Annecy and inject my own wild imagination into these pages of scruffy notes. 

Sardinha em Lata pitched their feature film Speransa (hope)
at Annecy aiming to get more interest and contributors. 
I think people liked what they saw!

Let's talk about the festival. My goodness, it was on a scale much larger than I had initially imagined, attracting over 17,000 people from across the globe and each harbouring a love for the animation industry. The vibe was electric. The crew from Sardinha em Lata (my former studio, for now) had booked an apartment in the town, myself included, where we based ourselves for the six days of attendance. It was a relatively small apartment, but cosy and very close to the action. And action we had, because the town of Annecy seemed to have exploded into a mass pilgrimage of animation students, directors, producers, film makers and animators who (pleasantly, with no fuss) took over the town for the week. It's similar to how Glastonbury becomes the UK's seventh largest city due to the influx of festival goers. But animation is a little less Top of the Pops and a little more comic book convention. We're all nerds here. 

Myself, Stephen and Hazel

Proud member of Rig Squadron

Some of these nerds I had not seen for over ten years and it was incredibly humbling to have people tap you on the shoulder because they remembered working with you back in the day. Yamination Studios was my first entry into the stop motion industry; a wealth of learning experiences and gaining new contacts. Stephen Spencer and Hazel O'Brien (from the photograph above) are two of the folk I originally met at Yamination Studios who I bumped into at Annecy, now working in Thailand. Tom Carey (Instagram) was another member of the team whom I saw, now animating at Laika, no less.

I have all the time in the world for Niccolò Gioia, stop motion animator and absolutely wonderful guy (Instagram)  

Stuart Messinger (Instagram) was there! Course leader at Aardman Accademy and former tutor at my University at Staffordshire. My goodness this man is a charismatic soul to be around. He invited me to the Aardman picnic where I spoke to students and alumni alike about puppets, rigging and, of course, the return of Feathers McGraw. I was accompanied by my partner in crime Gonçalo Marques (Rig Leader) who had the idea of printing our matching t-shirts, of which went down rather well at the stop motion picnic (there were a lot of bloody picnics). With word pun opportunities like One Rig to hold them all, Gettin' Riggy with it, Rigged for your pleasure and Rig squadron it's hard not to capitalise on the potential merchandise. I (Rig Five) made some Rig Squadron pin badges, alongside some Alice's Diary and Sardinha em Lata pins, not only to show off but to give us some additional credentials for VIP entry. Turns out they needed to see our actual identification. Not as weak minded as we first assumed. 

    A couple of highlights for me (when it comes to celebrity status in the animation world) was to bump into the mischievous legend that is Tim Allen (Instagram) and to finally meet the charming Joseph Wallace (Instagram) after years of online admiration. No, that does not sound weird. Stop thinking it sounds weird!

    I have known Tim for many years after working with him at Yamination Studios for the short film At-Tissue with Drew Roper. If you are an avid and committed fan of the blog then you may recall such a production all those years ago (try episode 57) where I specifically chose NOT to divulge a particular camera nudging incident. But now it's confession time; and Tim knows all about it. I was mildly hungover one morning and asked to perform some set dressing before the camera (which was on a slider) reached that part of the set as it tracked puppet Bart running down the street. Of course, I bumped the camera with my dozy elbow and reached a tremendous height of panic that I have rarely experienced since. But instead of thinking rationally or logically, I decided to take it upon myself to adjust the camera manually (toggling between frames) but couldn't fathom why I was unable to correct my clumsiness. All axis of the camera were diabolically meddled with before the tragic epiphany hit me that I only need to slide the camera back to where I originally nudged it...

... I locked the studio door and sat in the darkness for half an hour before speaking with Drew. 

Oh Tim. I promise that I have much more competence in the studio environment now, ten years on!

This cheeky bastard!

My truly beautiful friends from Sardinha em Lata

Rig Squadron on tour!

Sara and Cynthia; two incredibly talented
animation directors and university lecturers.  

Portugal was the chosen country for the festival to focus on this year, and it was great to see the selection of films and general presence this rising star in animation had. There were tributes, film sessions, talks and cocktail parties galore - all celebrating Portuguese animation.

    Since I have been working in Portugal I have seen so much growth and opportunities from not only the studios but individuals who pitch many fantastic ideas for short/feature films. Unfortunately, some films were not included in the line up but deserve a place of honour. My dear friends Sara Naves and Cynthia Levitan (see photo above) both have short films that you ought to check out. So please visit their Instagram pages for more details (Instagram links; Sara and Cynthia). Like and subscribe!

    I would have liked to see more films over the week that I was at Annecy, but I cannot disparage the experience by any means. I have already decided to return next year. Who knows; maybe even with my own pitch? Like I said, I am working on many ideas at the moment. My yearning to write is out of control (giving you two blog posts within three days - that's insane) and the poems and stories I am coming up with continue to excite me. I also have an upcoming project where I need to construct two life-size robots for a live-action commercial. Blimey, I should stop and breath. 

And here we are; Sardinha em Lata 
A merry group of artistic talent. 

One a side note - it came to my attention that my last blog entry (and perhaps a couple of posts prior) had been a little too forward with my emotional subtilty. I always imagined that this blog would concentrate solely on my artwork and travel adventures. But my passion for writing can often lead me astray, because I feel very comfortable here. I mean not to publish my innermost thoughts and deepest turmoil, however, I do treat my blog as a therapeutic outlet for me (I think I have mentioned this before). I also have a very nostalgic and romanticised way of narrating my life, where emotional obstacles and creative enlightenment become a plot twist or a cliff-hanger that needs to be resolved. And I drop these sentimental hints amidst my literature because it's simply the way I write; creativity can sometimes come from joy, sometimes from boredom and sometimes from pain. They each have their own place.

I assure you, my wonderful readers, that I am in a much better place after my #vanlife trip. If you dwell on the sadness it can become a part of you. And despite my journey and expectations upon returning to Lisbon, the universe has got different plans for me. There is a word in Portuguese that I find quite fitting here. It can be hard to directly translate, but the sentiment is there.

Saudade - "the memory of something with a desire for it" or “the love that remains”

*cough* Anyway, enough of that!

Back to Annecy. I shall sign off soon, but not before dropping some animated film mentions. I was not able to watch all of these, unfortunately, but their reputation was shimmering through the crowds of Annecy like a strong westerly breeze. I was most upset after missing Adam Elliot's new feature Memoir of a Snail; but hopefully I shall find an opportunity at another animation festival. For now we have only the trailer.

The Most Precious of Cargoes (Jean-Claude Grumberg) and Return to Hairy Hill (Daniel Gies) were two films that I particularly enjoyed. The emotive nature of the characters hit me very hard, joining forces with the extraordinary art direction and music to make even the most seasoned deadpan to shed a tear. I must admit, it is incredible what you can do with 3D animation. Gonçalo and I spent the first five minutes bewildered at whether we were witnessing stop motion puppets or not. We were not! But actually, instead of dismay (LONG LIVE STOP MOTION!), I was filled with inspiration to attempt such a style of puppetry. The design and the movement was gorgeous!

    I recommend checking out the Annecy website (HERE) and go through the list of films. Not all are readily available for viewing, but you can at least watch a trailer or gather information on where to watch them. 

Well there we go folks. Much more animation talk on this episode. I hope you enjoyed. 

See you, Space Cowboy.