The Merits of the Short Film
Talented Independent Artists Gain Valuable Industry Experience
Jul 21, 2009
The primary animation market in America is comprised of either the techniques of companies such as Pixar and Dreamworks, or the variety of more simplified styles found in e-cards, on network programming, and general broadcasts such as TV intros and commercials. While commercial gain is desirable, its pursuit does not represent the only aspect of the animation industry in the United States.
Many professional animators also independently create short films, thus giving themselves the opportunity to enhance their technical skills, while simultaneously conveying personal ideas and perspectives. With such productions, the animator has the opportunity to play a variety of roles, such as director, producer, artist and technician. Many universities in the United States, Canada and Europe understand the merit of short filmmaking, and require that students create at least one short prior to graduation.
Recipe for Success
London’s Royal College of Art has been responsible for producing many successful short animated films, including Anthony Hodgson’s 1992 stop motion film Hilary, and Johnny Kelly’s more recent works, Procrastination and The Seed. Hodgson, now an animation supervisor at Dreamworks, has played a role in the creation of projects such as Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa and Shrek the Third. The success of Kelly’s films has garnered him praise at a variety of international festivals, and he is currently represented by London's Nexus Productions, as both an animator and director.
The methods employed at the respected London graduate school have been carried over to the United States by Jeremy and Deborah Moorshead, both animation professors at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), and former affiliates of the Royal College of Art. He has been the producer of numerous short films, including, but not limited to El Caminante, which was nominated for a BAFTA in 1997. Directed and animated by Debra Moorshead for England’s Channel 4, the film is set “…in a Spanish town (as) the people prepare for a great feast day, when a tightrope walker will cross the valley on a high wire. The events are depicted in pastels on paper with blazing colors subsiding into the cool of sunset.”
Festivals and Professionals
Drawing upon their years of experience, the duo instills in students the importance of skilled animation technique, as well as the freedom and creativity of independent production. Recently, their collaboration has led to the success of Pixar animators Becki Tower and Neil Helm, as well as short filmmakers such as Paul Tillery, whose SCAD production Window Pains will be featured in the Computer Animation Festival at this year’s SIGGRAPH (Special Interest Group on GRAPHics and Interactive Techniques) conference.
Shorts are frequently screened at film and animation festivals. They are provided with an even larger audience by websites such as Hulu, which holds a large catalogue of these generally more obscure works in its library. Short filmmaking prepares the animator for a life of networking, and conveys just how grueling, yet rewarding, the filmmaking process can be. As the above individuals have proven, these small films can also pave the way for individual success in the greater commercial industry.
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