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4Talent Interview

Wed, Nov 5th 2008, 20:43

Here's an interview with Greg on the 4Talent site. Greg was talking with Ian Ravenscroft at the UK premiere of Codswallop at 7 Inch Cinema.

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Short Flip Interview

Tue, Nov 25th 2008, 11:38

Here's a short interview I did after the Flip Animation Festival on Doctor Who Animation that I chaired. Featured panelists were James Goss formely of the BBC Doctor Who website, Jonathan Doyle of Firestep and formely Cosgrove Hall, and Rob Ritchie, a fan film animator from the North East.

Flip Animation Festival 2008 - Myles McLeod on Doctor Who from Kate Spragg on Vimeo.

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TBM on BBC Midlands Today

Mon, Jan 19th 2009, 22:44

The Brothers McLeod feature on BBC Midlands Today. We were interviewed today by Giles Latcham for our local BBC news bulletin. Cool! Rather strangely Gary the camera man was the same guy that filmed us last year for BBC's Inside Out.

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Is 2D dead?

Wed, Mar 25th 2009, 08:50

Occasionally we are asked by students to answer questions for their research. Here's some questions posed by Sonja from the University of Sunderland in January 08 and the answers I gave.

Sonja: Do you think that anyone and everyone being able to create animations in programs such as Flash is a good or a bad thing?

Myles: I think that the democratisation of artistic expression is a good thing. That doesn't mean everything produced will be good. But if it gives individuals satisfaction then it is a good thing. Who cares if no-one else ever sees it, or if no one else likes it? How many people don't like Constable or Keats or Tolkien… plenty I'm sure, and they are considered masters of their fields. It is likely their main drive was to satisfy their own desire to create works of art.

John Constable, Weymouth Bay

Flash and such programs also make it more possible for talented people with energy and drive, but also with limited means, the ability to break into the animation market.

Ultimately the best animations will still emerge from the mass, and be passed around more, or recommended more, or bought on DVD, or watched over and over, or licensed by TV commissioners. Those that do not have mass appeal will not be seen so widely, so a natural sorting mechanism remains however much animation is produced.

Sonja: Does 2D animation have a future in gaming? What draws you to a 2D game over a 3D one and vice versa? and...

Sonja: Do you think that 2D animation will have a future in television for much longer?

Myles: I think I'll answer these together. I think 2D does have a future. There is a general idea out there in the ether that 2D is old hat and 3D will ultimately replace it as though 2D is like some moribund red squirrel miserably waiting for it's grey beefier cousin to barge it out of existence. Perhaps the inventors of the television are still awaiting the death of radio. Or the inventors of the video phone the death of the regular audio phone. Perhaps people creating holograms are anticipating the death of oil painting. I think they'll all be waiting a very long time. 2D is a form of art. 3D doesn't replace it; it simply offers an alternative. This is my pancake theory. I once met a chef who made the most delicious Canadian pancakes. She was very scathing about French crepes. My attitude was 'why choose, when you can have both!'

There are other reasons too. 2D is still a lot cheaper to produce than 3D and for the foreseeable future that will remain the case. Also, I know from experience that writing for 2D animation means you can do crazier stuff inside a TV series budget.

I think it is also an aesthetic thing. Some people undoubtedly prefer 3D, others prefer 2D. At the moment I still prefer 2D in the main, but I like to be impressed by amazing 3D work. Jo Jo in the Stars was a wonderful bit of 3D. Also, most of the Pixar stuff is just wonderful. In the end it's more about the quality of work, imagination and execution than whether it's 2 or 3D.

Sonja: Does ease of distribution of animations on the internet mean that 2D animation is left more in the hands of independent animators and/or amateur animators?

Myles: I'm not sure this will remain the case as the TV companies switch on to to the power of net distribution more and more. I think advertisers are already there. The Skittles advertising campaign we were involved in is a case in point. They harnessed that independent handmade spirit to advertise online.

Sonja: What do you think are the advantages of 2D animation over 3D, if any?

Myles: I think the main advantage for me is that 2D design can be more interpretive, more representative and less literal than 3D. 3D often moves towards being 'realistic' and almost a replacement for live action. Obviously that's just my opinion!

Sonja: How much is nostalgia a factor in 2D animation's popularity?

Myles: I think this definitely plays a role, and is probably partly related to comics as well as TV programmes from people's childhoods. However, I don't think it's a make or break factor. 2D will persist irrespective of this.

Interview ends.

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Lineboil interview with Samantha Moore

Fri, May 15th 2009, 07:54

When I'm not blogging here I occasionally blog for Lineboil run by Cold Hard Flash's Aaron Simpson. Since it's difficult to find a news story that Aaron doesn't already know about, I thought I might have a go at an interview. My first interviewee is fellow Midlands animator Samantha Moore who is currently working on a new film, An Eyeful of Sound. Read the whole interview at Lineboil.

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4mations Interview

Tue, Jun 16th 2009, 18:38

Here's an interview about our in production short film The Moon Bird on the 4mations blog. The blog is in the very capable hands of Suspicious Productions' Madévi Dailly and Andy Fielding.

4mations has recently had a revamp, using their main site as a blog and a hub for their activities, while setting up a new YouTube channel to showcase some of their favourite animations.

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Serenaded

Mon, Jul 6th 2009, 12:10

Here's a photograph by Alexandre Dubosc from the Annecy festival. I don't know about you, but in this photograph it looks like Serge Bromberg the festival director is singing to me and Greg. I look a little embarrassed about it and Greg seems to be enjoying the song. Of course, we are actually being interviewed by Serge. Somewhere there's a video of it all, but I don't think it's been published on the web.