Series 2, Episode 11: Jonathan Topf

We recently had the pleasure of chatting with Will Anderson & Ainslie Henderson. To legends of the short film world and Scottish animation royalty. We discuss making short films, how to get funding and what it's like to have a UK top 5 single. Show notes below. This episode of Pegbar & Grill was made possible by BFI NETWORK through National Lottery funding. BFI NETWORK discovers, develops and funds new and emerging filmmakers and animators, across the UK. The BFI NETWORK short film fund opens twice a year, for more information see network.bfi.org.uk Subscribe on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/5yEc0y5lX5vi4KnWwBLIeW?si=d3d6442c98094683 Subscribe on itunes! https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pegbar-and-grill/id848275029?mt=2 Subscribe on https://soundcloud.com/the-pegbar-and-grill OUR STUDIO https://www.thelineanimation.com/ SHOP https://theline.gumroad.com/ FOLLOW US ON ... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelineanimation/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/thelinestudio Facebook: https://facebook.com/thelineanimation LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/the-line-studio Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/thelineanimation https://twitter.com/bfinetwork https://twitter.com/film_london https://www.instagram.com/bfinetwork/ https://www.instagram.com/film_london/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/film-london/ SHOW NOTES Will Anderson https://wanderson.xyz Anslie Henderson https://www.ainsliehenderson.com/ Anslie Henderson - Keep me a Secret ( went to number 5 in the U.K charts) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpynQtb5cNg A Cat called Dom https://wanderson.xyz/portfolio/acatcalleddom Time Trial by Finlay Pretsell https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4095988/ Making of long bird - by Will Anderson https://vimeo.com/24052185 Screen Scotland https://www.screen.scot/ Have Heart https://vimeo.com/261025185 Moho (animation studio) https://moho.lostmarble.com/ Blender (Open source animation software) https://www.blender.org/ Stems - By Anslie Henderson https://vimeo.com/264137664 Monkey Love Experiments - By Anslie Henderson & Will Anderson https://vimeo.com/83577852 Lady and the tramp - Bloodhound scene https://youtu.be/nO85pHUHuac?t=102 Sky-rocket (cockney rhyming slang for pocket) Off the Air - Liquid https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skD7r0yWOG4 Adult Swim smalls - XMAS IS CANCELLED By Anslie Henderson & Will Anderson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVgYOsJFITQ SCROOGIN ON A GREG - By Anslie Henderson & Will Anderson https://vimeo.com/51094136 Iso Design http://isodesign.co.uk Dr Breakfast https://vimeo.com/26942241 Dr Breakfast Making of https://vimeo.com/37625933 Toon Boom Harmony https://www.toonboom.com/products/harmony Blender grease pencil https://www.blender.org/features/grease-pencil/ Ainslie Hendersonproject for Mackinnon and Saunders https://www.mackinnonandsaunders.com/portfolio/archie Tim and Sam’s first directing collaboration https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbNL9ZyB49c Puppet animation Scotland. https://puppetanimation.org/

We were extremely lucky to chat with the incredible talent that is Alberto Mielgo. Alberto talks about his career in the London animation scene, his experience on Spider-verse and NFT's. Show notes below. This episode of Pegbar & Grill was made possible by BFI NETWORK through National Lottery funding. BFI NETWORK discovers, develops and funds new and emerging filmmakers and animators, across the UK. The BFI NETWORK short film fund opens twice a year, for more information see network.bfi.org.uk Subscribe on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/5yEc0y5lX5vi4KnWwBLIeW?si=d3d6442c98094683 Subscribe on itunes! https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pegbar-and-grill/id848275029?mt=2 Subscribe on https://soundcloud.com/the-pegbar-and-grill OUR STUDIO https://www.thelineanimation.com/ SHOP https://theline.gumroad.com/ FOLLOW US ON ... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelineanimation/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/thelinestudio Facebook: https://facebook.com/thelineanimation LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/the-line-studio Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/thelineanimation Subscribe on itunes! https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pegbar-and-grill/id848275029?mt=2 This episode of Pegbar & Grill was made possible by BFI NETWORK through National Lottery funding. BFI NETWORK discovers, develops and funds new and emerging filmmakers and animators, across the UK. The BFI NETWORK short film fund opens twice a year, for more information see network.bfi.org.uk https://twitter.com/bfinetwork https://twitter.com/film_london https://www.instagram.com/bfinetwork/ https://www.instagram.com/film_london/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/film-london/ Alberto’s Studio http://pinkman.tv/directory.html Sinbad https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0165982/?ref_=m_nmfmd_anm_4 Felix cat food commercial (might not be one Alberto worked on) https://adsspot.me/media/tv-commercials/felix-petfood-rascals-reward-foil-a06c2175172e Spider verse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii3n7hYQOl4 Alberto’s Spider verse animatic https://vimeo.com/311716775 The Witness - LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqhXDb69wl4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaD3oQRzxhw Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood (Directed by Pete Candeland) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V_xRb0x9aw Beatles Rockband Intro (directed by Pete Candeland) https://vimeo.com/6613463 Cartoon network development http://www.albertomielgo.com/cartoon-network/az3t2p5y5wrle3ask34rpza402vkye The Windshield Wiper / TRAILER https://vimeo.com/568179562 Kristian Antonelli (Animations best kept secret) https://akristianservice.tumblr.com/ Watch Dogs: Legion - Tipping Point Cinematic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_V-YQW3Gos Alberto’s NFT collection http://www.albertomielgo.com/nft Sony PlayStation - Mental Wealth by Chris Cunningham https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDdNn0x7Y0Y

***PLEASE NOTE THIS PODCAST WAS RECORDED IN LATE 2016. PLEASE ACCEPT OUR APOLOGIES FOR OUR RIDICULOUS LATENESS IN RELEASING IT.*** Animation and Live-action Director, Fx Goby talks to us about the festival circuit and shares his tips on directing live action vs. animation. Fx is signed to Nexus Studios where he recently made his first ever 2D animated film, To Build a Fire. He reveals the lessons he’s learnt along the way and why he broke up with his creative partner, Matthieu Landour. Fx Goby https://www.fxgoby.com/about Nexus Studios https://nexusstudios.com/ The Elaborate End of Robert Ebb https://vimeo.com/63227537 To Build a Fire https://vimeo.com/246869455 JJ Abrams https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._J._Abrams Steven Spielberg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Spielberg CNC http://www.cnc.fr/web/en Aardman https://www.aardman.com/ Martin Scorsese https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000217/ Alex Grigg http://www.alexgrigg.com/ TVPaint https://www.tvpaint.com/ Tristan Menard http://www.tristanmenard.com/ Colin Bigelow http://www.colbigelow.com/ Composite films http://www.compositefilms.fr/ Mathieu Alvado https://soundcloud.com/mathieu-alvado Fonic sound http://fonic.co.uk/ EIFF https://www.edfilmfest.org.uk/ Claude Autant-Lara https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Autant-Lara Joyride https://www.thelineanimation.com/amaroandwaldensjoyride/ Rizzle Kicks - Tell Her https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhSBocg1RsM PASSION http://www.passion-pictures.com/

***PLEASE NOTE THIS PODCAST WAS RECORDED IN LATE 2016. PLEASE ACCEPT OUR APOLOGIES FOR OUR RIDICULOUS LATENESS IN RELEASING IT.*** BXFTYS (Box of Toys) Audio is a creative music and sound design studio based in London. The studio was founded in 2011 and consists of Chris Didlick, Ben Laver, and Magnus Arwenhed.They have alway worked closely with us on several, some of which are listed below. We discuss copyright in music, performance rights and regulations around sound design and the current climate of commercial sound design. BXFTYS Website http://www.boxoftoysaudio.com/ BXFTYS Audio http://www.boxoftoysaudio.com/ https://soundcloud.com/bxftys Netil House Studios http://eatworkart.com/netil-house/studio-spaces/ Radium Audio https://radium-audio.com/ Everything I Can See From Here https://www.thelineanimation.com/work/everything-i-can-see-from-here Wall Flowers (2013) https://www.thelineanimation.com/work/wallflowers/ Super Turbo Atomic Ninja Rabit (2015) https://www.thelineanimation.com/work/super-turbo-atomic-ninja-rabbit/ The Wilhelm Scream https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdbYsoEasio

***PLEASE NOTE THIS PODCAST WAS RECORDED IN LATE 2016. PLEASE ACCEPT OUR APOLOGIES FOR OUR RIDICULOUS LATENESS IN RELEASING IT.*** Oli Hyatt and Tom Box are 2 of the co-founders of Blue Zoo, an animation production company based in London. They spoke to us about their studio, as well as Animation UK, an advocacy organisation for the animation industry, which successfully lobbied the UK government in 2012, leading to the introduction of the Animation Tax Relief. Oli and Tom provide fascinating insights into running a studio with more than 120 employees. They discuss the challenges of growing the company since its founding in 2000, and how they've struck a balance between profitability and creative fulfilment. Blue Zoo produce ads, idents, apps and VR, but they are best known for their children's TV series, which include Alphablocks, Digby Dragon, Numberblocks, Q Pootle 5 and Tree Fu Tom. In 2014 Oli was awarded an MBE for services to Children’s TV and Animation and in 2017 Blue Zoo was awarded the Children's BAFTA for Independent Production Company of the year. Tom Box’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrtombox Oli Hyatt’s profile on Screen Alliance http://www.ukscreenalliance.co.uk/profile/Oli-Hyatt Blue Zoo website: https://www.blue-zoo.co.uk/ Digby Dragon https://www.blue-zoo.co.uk/animation/digby-dragon/ Olive The Ostrich https://www.blue-zoo.co.uk/animation/olive-the-ostrich/ Animation UK: website http://www.ukscreenalliance.co.uk/about/animation-uk Note: In November 2016, UK Screen Association announced that it was joining forces with Animation UK to create the Screen Alliance UK http://www.ukscreenalliance.co.uk/index.php?/news/article/5064

***PLEASE NOTE THIS PODCAST WAS RECORDED IN 2017. PLEASE ACCEPT OUR APOLOGIES FOR OUR RIDICULOUS LATENESS IN RELEASING IT.*** Jon Topf is a games designer, developer, animator, and a former member of The Line. Most recently he was lead developer for Monument Valley 2. Jon talked to us about how he first got into coding as a teenager and how he started his career as a mechanical engineer, before eventually getting into animation. He has worked as a VFX artists, and directed commercials at Studio AKA, before joining UsTwo Games. During his time at UsTwo, he created an IOS game in his spare time called Trick Shot. After this, he was appointed the director and lead developer of the sequel to the hugely successful phone game, Monument Valley. Jon Topf http://jonathantopf.com/ Monument Valley Game https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC1jHHF_Wjo Tim Cook https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Cook MC Escher http://www.mcescher.com/ Trick Shot http://trickshotgame.io/ UsTwo Games https://www.ustwo.com/ Gear VR http://www.samsung.com/global/galaxy/gear-vr Maya https://www.autodesk.co.uk/products/maya/overview Open source rendering software https://www.creativebloq.com/3d/top-free-rendering-software-cg-artists-91412918 Python https://www.python.org/ Side FX Houdini https://www.sidefx.com/ Arrival https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrival_(film) Trick Shot http://trickshotgame.io/ Script Notes Podcast https://johnaugust.com/scriptnotes http://scriptnotes.net/304-location-is-where-its-at

***PLEASE NOTE THIS PODCAST WAS RECORDED IN LATE 2016. PLEASE ACCEPT OUR APOLOGIES FOR OUR RIDICULOUS LATENESS IN RELEASING IT.*** Ben Bocquelet is an animator, director, writer, and producer. He is best known as the creator of the multi award-winning and hilarious kids animated series, ‘The Amazing World of Gumball’ (2011-onwards). We sat down with Ben to discuss his rapid rise to success, starting with the fact that he was a latecomer to drawing. He tells us that his graduation film, ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ (2003), which helped him get a junior position at Studio AKA in London. After a few years there he found himself at Cartoon Network Development Studio Europe, where he helped develop other people's series proposals. Ben describes what it was like to find out that his own series concept, ‘The Amazing World of Gumball’ was the first to be commissioned at the development hub. We discuss the distinct aesthetic of the series, which partly comes from the use of layered animation techniques and photographed backgrounds, as well as assembling dozens of distinct characters, many of whom started as discarded elements from old unsuccessful commercial pitches. Ben Bocquelet links: Twitter https://twitter.com/benbocquelet Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ben_bocquelet/ ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ (2003) Dir. Ben Bocquelet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot5fVxvwmlo Gumball Wikia Page: http://theamazingworldofgumball.wikia.com/wiki/The_Amazing_World_of_Gumball Studio AKA: http://www.studioaka.co.uk/ ‘Hells Kitchen’ (Future Shorts film) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot5fVxvwmlo EMCA school http://www.angouleme-emca.fr/fr/index.asp City Hunter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Hunter Fist of the North Star https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fist_of_the_North_Star JCBC (Production company) http://www.jsbc.fr/en/ Philippe Andre http://www.independ.net/directors/philippe-andre/ Spike Jonze https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spike_Jonze Chris Cunningham https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Cunningham Pictoplasma http://pictoplasma.com/ Up The Resolution http://www.uptheresolution.co.uk/ Saschka Unseld http://www.saschkaunseld.com/ Pinky Malinky https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinky_Malinky Cartoon Network http://www.cartoonnetwork.co.uk/ Powerpuff Girl Movie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Powerpuff_Girls_Movie Bob Camp https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Camp Pixar https://www.pixar.com/#incredibles-2-home Daniel Lennard http://theamazingworldofgumball.wikia.com/wiki/Daniel_Lennard Mr Bean https://www.youtube.com/user/MrBean Antoine Perez http://theamazingworldofgumball.wikia.com/wiki/Antoine_Perez Adventure Time https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventure_Time CRCR http://www.crcr.fr Studio 4c http://www.studio4c.co.jp/english/ Tyler the Creator https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyler,_the_Creator Becky and Joe http://beckyandjoes.com/ Spaced https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0187664/

Having first gained notoriety for his short films and commercials, Grant Orchard is now also known as the creator of the BAFTA and Emmy Award-winning pre-school series ‘Hey Duggee’. In our interview he discusses the transition from shorts to series and goes into detail on the production process, time management and artistic compromise, when working in children’s television. We also discuss how the animation industry and our approach to film distribution has changed over time. Grant Orchard Links: AKA Studio Profile: https://www.studioaka.co.uk/People/grantorchard Trailer for BAFTA winning and Oscar nominated short ‘A Morning Stroll’: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/2678 Park Football IMDb page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6022166/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_4 ‘Hey Duggee’ Official Website: https://www.heyduggee.com/ Other Links: Monkey Dust IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386224/ The Amazing World of Gumball CN page: http://www.cartoonnetwork.co.uk/show/gumball Eric Goldberg’s Rolo Advert (Plane): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5FgC1j9KM4

Neil Boyle is a 2D animator and director, who's career has seen him work alongside many of the great animators and directors. Neil discusses the transition between traditional animation techniques and more recent digital technology, discussing the advantages and difficulties of both methods. He tells the story of becoming Richard Williams’ assistant, starting his own studio and nearly losing 15 years worth of work. He reveals his personal working process and talks about the benefits of both the ‘pose to pose’ and ‘straight ahead’ methods. Neil Boyle links: Blog: http://thelastbelleblog.blogspot.co.uk/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/thelastbelle?lang=en The Last Belle (official website): http://www.thelastbelle.com/ The Last Belle (film): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja1sjfnfjg0 Other Links: Richard Williams: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Williams_(animator) The Animator’s Survival Kit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Animator%27s_Survival_Kit Sylvain Chomet: Simpson’s Couch Gag: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5Tfq_bwyLs Kensuke’s Kingdom (upcoming film): http://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/kensukes-kingdom-watch-proof-concept-teaser-european-feature-exclusive-149294.html

With two Oscar nominations and one winning film, Michael Dudok de Wit is well known for his animated shorts and, most recently, as the director and co-writer of ‘The Red Turtle’ which was co-produced by Studio Ghibli. Michael discusses the process of transitioning from short to feature film and goes into detail about the lengthy production of ‘The Red Turtle’, from researching and storyboarding to the final animation. We also talk about animating for commercials, finding funding for short films and the state of adult feature animation, as well as Belgian comics and award shows. Michael Dudok de Wit links: Website: http://www.dudokdewit.co.uk/ The Red Turtle (trailer): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1Yw3AVDr6U Father and Daughter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvA4Gn5OudI AT+T commercial: https://vimeo.com/89366415 Other links: Sylvain Chomet: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvain_Chomet The Illusionist (trailer): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5TglK8v1xs Heavy Metal (comic): http://www.heavymetal.com/ Heavy Metal (film trailer): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_MzWF8YLhY Moebius (Jean Giraud): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Giraud Makoto Shinkai: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makoto_Shinkai Jiro Taniguchi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiro_Taniguchi Guy Delisle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Delisle Make It Then Tell Everybody Podcast: http://makeitthentelleverybody.com/