The Animaton Focus

AI-driven tools, deepfakes, real-time 3D game engines and improvements in kinetic typography – a whole bunch of new technologies have been impacting the art of animation. Yet there’s a lot of love for simple stop-motion and old-school 2D drawings. This month, shots speaks to masters in the medium about trends in toonworld.

Talent

Anna Ginsburg: Drawing from life

From intimate explorations of the female body to psychedelic tales of millennial medusas, animator and Strange Beast Creative Director Anna Ginsburg has carved out a space for fiercely personal, emotionally resonant storytelling. She talks to Amy Hey at OFFF Festival about her creative evolution and the power of animation in presenting sensitive subjects.

Insight

Animators, AI, and the human artistry that will keep our industry alive

LOBO Managing Director Luis Ribeiro examines why human vision remains essential as AI reshapes animation.

Craft

How Eliza McNitt and AI connected the intimate with the infinite

In ANCESTRA, Chromista director Eliza McNitt merges the miracle of childbirth with the mysteries of the cosmos, crafting a live-action/AI short brought to life by hundreds of hands translating vision into poetry. Here, she speaks to shots about the film’s ambitious process and the human collaboration behind the machine.

Insight

Animation and effects: Are we losing the human touch?

The worlds of animation and VFX are joined at the hip by technology and imagination, but are we in danger of giving tech the upper hand? Tim Cumming talks to animators and VFX experts about old-school techniques, new-school technology, and the bold new talents breaking though.

Talent

Materials girl: Hayley Morris

From cut paper and clay, to repurposed lace doilies and foraged leaves, stop-motion animator Hayley Morris revels in rich textures - embracing a joyfully analogue approach to bringing her miniature masterpieces to life.

Insight

What does worldbuilding mean when the real world is collapsing?

Drawing on their animated, fictional documentary Acid City, Hornet animation directors and Laser Days co-founders Jack Wedge and Will Freudenheim consider what “worldbuilding” means when climate collapse makes reality feel stranger than fiction.

Talent

Fromm Studio's animated world of whimsy

From scanning Staffordshire statues to creating folklore-inspired window displays for Selfridges, Partizan 3D studio Fromm shares the joy of creating wonderfully wonky animations.

Insight

The revolution will be animated: Why animation is my Molotov cocktail

With the ability to go beyond the limitations of live-action and set fire to perceived social norms, Carl Jones, Co-Founder of animation studio Martian Blueberry, explains why animation isn't just for kids.

Inspiration

Peer Review: Clara Bacou

With a varied career that has transported her from digital art experiments to stadium-filling visuals and immersive AR experiences, Partizan Studio animation director Clara Bacou shares the designers and directors who inspire her and why curiosity, collaboration, and adaptability are at the heart of her craft.

Inspiration

Peer Review: Andy & Adeena

BLINKINK animation directors Andy & Adeena celebrate the tactile, surreal and delightfully odd world of stop-motion, from formative favourites Wallace and Gromit and Coraline to artists Mikey Please, Nina Gantz and Stevie Gee.

Inspiration

Peer Review: Chris Welsby

Coffee & TV Animator Chris Welsby reflects on the work and creatives that have inspired his career, including Disney's Glen Keane, the expressive CG of Arcane and the emotional realism of Life of Pi’s tiger.

Craft

How the BBC and Blinkink sculpted excitement for the UEFA Women’s Euro

Handmade down to the last thumbprint, the BBC’s UEFA Women’s Euro trailer brings football’s biggest stars to life in an intricate and action-packed claymation. We spoke to BLINKINK producer Rebecca Little about painstaking craft, uplifting tone, and why traditional techniques still score big in an increasingly digital world.

Talent

From Kanye to Beyoncé: Joe Perez’s visual alchemy

From designing albums and branding for clients from Beck to Kim Kardashian, Joe Perez is the creative mind behind some of contemporary culture’s most iconic visuals. He talks to Amy Hey at OFFF Festival about the intensity of his Kanye days, the myths and symbolism that have shaped his work, and the peace he’s learning to protect.

Inspiration

Peer Review: Natalie Labarre

From painterly pictures and broadway puppets to punky autobiographical films, Hornet animator and director Natalie Labarre shares work that pushes the hand drawn elements of animation and packs a surreal, metaphorical gut-punch.

Insight

To infinity and beyond: The enduring appeal of stop-motion

In 1995 Toy Story burst onto cinema screens, apparently heralding the end of stop-motion as an art form. That proved not to be the case, and Not to Scale director Anthony Farquhar-Smith examines the ongoing appeal and artistic merit of stop-motion animation.

Inspiration

On My Radar: Joe Kinch

Joe Kinch, a director at Blue Zoo Animation London, talks YouTube's creative triggers, Netflix's animated eye-candy, and demon daddy long legs', as he reveals what's on his creative radar.

Talent

The Amazing World of Antoine Perez

From cult cartoon show The Amazing World of Gumball to experimental game concepts and anime trailers inspired by Japanese woodcuts, Antoine Perez, director and art director at THE LINE, is a master at marrying the technical and artistic.

Work

How Anthony Dickenson made months of monoprints for Rival Consoles

To create his unique and mesmerising promo for the synth act, the 1stAveMachine director created 11 painted rolls, each 20 metres long, to house 5000 frames of pulsing imagery. shots sat down with Dickenson to find out what led to such a meditative and drawn-out project.

Insight

Giving brands character: Why mascots work, and how to make one that lasts

From Kellogg's Tony the Tiger to Compare the Market's meerkats, Electric Theatre Collective Animation Director David Bryan unpacks the enduring appeal of brand mascots and how to create one with cultural staying power.

Insight

The future of food advertising is animated

Jelly’s Head of Film, Sue Loughlin, argues that it’s time brands moved beyond food porn and embraced animation as their secret ingredient.

Inspiration

On My Radar: Balázs & Cátia

Nexus Studios animation duo Balázs Simon [left] and Cátia Abreu, aka Balázs & Cátia, discuss an animated film "that transcends both language and age", an animated TV show that's "the perfect combination of funny and depressing", and why now, more than ever, people want good stories, told in a novel way.

Insight

How motion can be the body language of branding

Kicking off shots' Animation Focus, Chris Chapman, Creative Director of Design, adam&eveDDB, explores the oft-ignored importance of movement in creating a brand’s identity and messaging.

The Animation Focus

The Sustainability Focus

It’s the burning question – with humanity facing an existential threat more potent than war, famine or disease, how can an industry full of world-class communicators talk about the climate crisis? shots discusses low-carbon film production, greenwashing and the paradox of consumerism vs planetary survival.

The Neurodiversity Focus

With growing awareness that an estimated 20 per cent of the global population is neurodiverse - the fact that advertising needs to get on top of the spectrums is a no-brainer. This month, shots speaks to experts, commentators and ADHD/ASD-powered adfolk about battling stigma, enhanced creativity and making more ND inclusive campaigns.

The Music Video Focus

Since the 90s, when their budgets ran to millions, the internet and tech advances have made music videos easier to view, cheaper to produce and, possibly, more disposable. But is the medium a dying art, or still the best way for a director to get noticed? shots probes the state of the promo nation.