Creative Research - Manchester Animation Festival

Near the start of the year, I attended Manchester Animation Festival with the college. This was great opportunity to become familiar with new practitioners and to see ones I was already familiar with. Over the three days, we attended a number of talks and screenings, which all proved to be extremely inspiring. There were some specific speakers, and animations that I took a particular interest in and feel I have gained a lot from.

Firstly, during one of the talks, I became familiar with Kilogramme Animation Studio, which is based in Manchester. Jon Turner, the Director of the studio talked about the studio itself and the work they produce. I became very intrigued, because I loved the look of the work they produce. They studio produces a range of 2D and 3D, which is something I found appealing, because I find it difficult to choose a favourite. We watched some examples of their recent work, one of these being an episode from the "Tall Tales" series.

I also became familiar with the work of Tom Moore, who runs the studio CartoonSaloon. I had not yet seen "The Song of the Sea" so getting to hear about the processes behind making this animation, made me all the more eager to see it!

Even before watching the film itself, I could tell this was one of the most visually stunning animations I had come across in a long time. I loved the fact that they brought traditional mediums and digital animation together. This is something that influenced the idea behind one of my collaborative projects later on in the year. 

Another reason I found this Festival so beneficial, was because it made me realise that networking and talking to people in the industry doesn't have to be scary. I wish I had plucked up the courage to talk to more people in person at the time, but I felt very unprepared as I didn't have my sketchbook or anything i could show or give to anybody. However this has made me realise what I need to do next year and it has made me all the more eager to go!