personal development plans: Review - Barry J C Purves Lecture

So yesterday we had the honour of hearing a talk by a world class and highly experienced animator Barry Purves.

He started off the lecture basically saying "to be an animator you will need PASSION and a PASSPORT" and from his wide experience animation is basically dying in Manchester and the UK. He talked about the closing down of 2 big animation studios in Manchester alone this year (Cosgrove Hall and Hot Animations) and how even Channel 4 has stopped commissioning short films. So OK that was a bit of a downer type of start to the talk and I did for a second feel my heart sink a little, but then he continued to talk and by the end of the lecture I was feeling just as excited and passionate about what I do and maybe a little bit more determined than when I walked in.

Barry Purves has been in the business since 1978 and he started his training in Cosgrove Hall and worked on the likes of Chorlton and the Wheelies, Wind in the Willows and for me most impressively DANGERMOUSE.......one of the cartoons of my youth :) His career has taken him all over the world and he has won numerous awards for his short films. He is an author and also a director and one can tell from his lovely "lovie darling" way of speaking and his big booming voice that he started his career on stage.

I loved his answer to Kitty's question when she asked "What software do you mainly use" and his answer to this was to show us his hands! Yes he is very old school and uses mainly puppets and stop motion these days. It was nice to have someone who has seen so many changes in the industry talk and relay his wealth of knowledge, especially as I am really interested in exploring more old school ways of working.

He showed us first a great little animation called "John and Karen" which is about a couple who have had an argument and the man (in case a polar bear) is trying to make amends with his girl (the penguin) and how this unfolds....clip below.

He talked about simpleness and how this piece could have worked with 2 actors and still have been good but because with animation you are in control of everything and can bring a new dimension and metaphor to the scene it can be made really really rich! I liked the way he talked about using every element in your design as I like to do this (or so I hope I do) and he said that everything we place there has to be there for a reason......(reminds me of Alex and her make each mark purposeful)! He also talked about silence and stillness and how when he started he just wanted to make everything move because he could, but it is the still moments that can speak volumes.

Another thing he talked about was showing the human thought process. We watched Mary Poppins and her talking umbrella and he explained why this umbrella was so important to the viewer as it was expressing Mary's unexpressed thoughts and emotions. It is the understanding of the human thought process that keeps the viewer locked to a piece of work. For example the bit in King Kong when after he kills the T-Rex and he moves the jaw back and forward just to check if he is still alive. These little moments of insight that make something special.

Here is another piece of animation he showed us:

He said this piece showed the art of a good gag! Where timing is important but most of all having that moment when it is left to the viewers imagination. The lift scene in particular was a good example of this. He talked about being non-literal in our work and finding a good distance with this. Being purposefully weird is what I think he meant here. He said we need to be credible in our metaphors to show something that is credible and honest and how we can use an artificial situation to give a message.

Oscar Wilde "Give a man a mask and he will tell you the truth"

If we show a different view or perspective in our work we can really make a message hit home in a more direct and honest way than if we tell it straight. This is funny to hear regarding animation as I once had a very talented homoeopath say the same....there is power in metaphor indeed.

To end the talk he said,

We need to be passionate and know that whilst it isn't easy it is the most rewarding job in the world. Our passion will evoke a reaction as it taps deeply into the human psyche when they see something brought to life. We can liberate ourselves with animation and should use all the elements around us to bring a story to life. We need to be story tellers and performers to get the most out our characters and you have to LOVE IT.

Really enjoyed this talk as when he had finished I completely caught his passion for his work...he was very contagious, but that is maybe just me and my susceptibilities!!! But he did mention he would be really happy to come and do a workshop, day, couple of days even a week if we could arrange it with the tutors....so what do you say Alex, Stu, Dave...please please please!!!!!