The Mysterious Traveller

This blog post is dedicated to all the brave souls who have succumbed to the tyranny of flu (non- gender specific). For I have become a bed ridden blancmange and therefore missed vital studio time where I have been practicing the art of silicone moulding. But we are not here to wallow in my snotty pit of carcoon, as I have been inspired to divulge into the world of stop motion after recently watching an episode of the 1984 animated series of  The Wind in the Willows.  This was, of course, when Cosgrove Hall was in it's prime. But despite the closure of this legendary studio, the area surrounding this part of Manchester is still teaming with animated life;  a new hope  to young graduates. I have had the privilege of meeting and becoming acquainted with Barry Purves, director of The Wind in the Willows , so it's quite a different experience when watching these animations again because they feel even more personal (due to my career choice). I know about the length...

With the At-Issue project (almost) coming to a close, it has been all Thunderbirds are go  in the art department. The sets are coming on amazingly, and some of the props are so bloody realistic that the only possibly explanation to the awesome detail is a shrink ray. The SkyArts documentary was aired a few weeks ago and all of us minions managed to get some face time (or in my case, bobble hat time). It was put together very well and really captured the essence of the studio in under 10 minutes. It was also very handy to finally put some visuals to the hard work we've all been doing, especially to those folk who have no idea what stop motion is. Speaking of which, Sarah and myself were asked to animate on the film itself, which was such a great feeling because Drew trusts us to have a go with Bart (the puppet). My first shot was a flow of coffee being poured over a bowl of corn flakes. This was only 24 frames but it took me so long to literally get into the 'flow' of anima...