Ring of Light

Ring of Light!

To visit Wikipedia to search for the term ‘halo’ it’s quite astonishing the multitude of listings one is presented with.  From the most recognized – (that would be a ring of light that surrounds an object in religious iconography) – to the ‘halo’ found in medicine, in gaming, in music, the military, science and technology, and of course in the ‘superhero’ realm -- the word itself has a way of garnering attention.  The same can be said for Sydney-based animation company Halo Pictures.  Headed by Chris Hauge, the company is making great strides as an animation facility at the forefront of production techniques, design, and direction across all animated content.     

An accomplished animation and live-action director, Hauge has followed an eclectic career path fueled by a desire to work on projects of quality backed by creatively driven teams.  Spending several years in San Francisco with Colossal Pictures as a resident commercials director on award-winning campaigns for Coke, United Airlines, Cheerios and MTV, Hauge would move on to London in the mid 1990’s to join Uli Meyer as a lead character animator on Warner Bros feature Space Jam. From there Hauge eventually joined the ranks of the internationally recognized UK animation studio Passion Pictures where he served as the resident commercials director for several years.  In late 1999, with a young family in tow, Hauge returned to Australia and co-founded the niche animation studio, Halo Pictures, allowing him to continue to feed his desire to work on renowned animation projects such as Gorillaz, Mr. Bean, and Higglytown Heroes.

Today, Halo Pictures holds the unique position of attracting international projects across both pre-production and production to Australia.  Established on the foundations of creativity, engagement, innovation, and communication, Halo has proven its prowess across all visual mediums – from film, television, internet, gaming, and mobile phones. 

Recently SourceEcreative posed a few questions to Hauge about the work, his passion, and exceptional Halo team.  Here’s how he weighed in:

Q: Your experience in the animation world speaks volumes.  What do you think of your talents/skills and why do advertisers come to you?
A: I think agencies and brands enjoy working with Team Halo because every frame on screen counts to every person working on that job - from design to colour styling to animation to live-action to the sound track. It’s such a collaborative experience. We live and breathe modern storytelling and I think agencies and brands ‘get’ the passion.

Q: Traditional animation vs. the ever-evolving technically-driven animation landscape:  When/why to use one over the other - and do you prefer a particular approach over another?
A: Great question.  To be truthful when choosing an approach for a client it’s a combination of script suitability, budget, time, and sometimes a brand’s willingness to leap into unknown territory and break some new ground with us. Youth brands like Pepsi are great for letting us flex our creative muscles, as well as some smaller agencies. I don’t personally have a preferred approach, but I do like to be surprised by options from emerging technologies.

Q: Is the line blurring between animation, design, and motion graphics?
A: ABSOLUTELY.  Sometimes in a good way -- and sometimes in a way that is not so great.  I’m not a fan of ‘flaylamation’ (moving something around for no other reason than because ‘you can’ – and yes, I did make that word up).  I do believe strong aesthetics are almost as important as strong animation because audiences not only want to be informed and entertained, but in some cases, inspired as well.

Q: What is the defining line for advertisers to choose the ‘animation’ route over the ‘live-action’ route?
A: Again I think it comes back to the storytelling, and animation is still the best medium for telling stories which require exaggeration in either character design, acting, or FX to drive a compelling idea.  Agency creatives understand that.

Q: What would you like to incorporate into the process that you’re not doing now?
A: More surf time!!

Q: What is the secret to your success?
A: Surf.

Q: What’s next?
A: Career-wise I’m looking at a couple of early stage film offers and Halo’s Commercials Division is extending into live-action with award winning producer Baz Milas and FX director Jarrod Linton, which I’m excited to be apart of.  Then on the personal front, I’m walking the Kokoda Trail in early ‘08 in Papua, New Guinea.  Can I just say, it’s going to be great!