Last night saw this years EIFF open with Sylvain Chomet's long anticipated feature length animation homage to Jacques Tati, 'The Illusionist'.
Coupled with Jana Prchalova's wonderful 'Mondo's Search for the Sun', having its official premier at the festival, animation in Scotland is starting to take on a rosy hue.
The fact that these two works of outstanding quality were made in Scotland got me thinking about how much animation has changed in this digital age. Not just the speed and relative 'ease' of production, but that the laborious work is being diminished, that there is no longer the need for a thousand Korean background artist, as spoofed in 'The Simpson's'.
I'm delighted that a Frenchman and Czech woman choose to live in Scotland and can find inspiration and a means to create here. It's a positive tip for the future. We've come a long way since Norman McLaren headed off to open and head up the animation department of the Canadian National Film Board, and never returned. Hopefully these films will inspire a new generation of Scottish animators to stay and work here.
You never know maybe one day we'll produce something as awe inspiring as Yuriy Norshteyn's Tale of Tales, probably the best animated work of all time.
http://www.djangofilms.co.uk/
http://www.oncewerefarmers.com/
“To rage and mock is gentlemanly, to grumble and whine is not” Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
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Former vile blogger Montague Burton aka Mark MacLachlan
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2 comments:
McLaren came to the NFB at the invitation of John Grierson, its founder and another Scot, said to be the father of the documentary. Grierson was later fired from the NFB and kicked out of Canada for being a Commie.
Back in Scotland Grierson was given support by Roy Thomson - the Canadian owner of "Scottish Television" and later "Lord Thomson of Fleet". He had a show on STV called "This Wonderful World" which was one of my favourites growing up.
In the seventies I lived a wee village in the mountains of BC where we couldn't get television reception. Our entertainment was to borrow a projector and a whole bunch of NFB films and throw a party. One of our favourites was "Neighbours".
Its good to see foreign artists coming to work in Scotland. For too long we have exported folks like Grierson and McLaren. Now maybe they will stay and work at home.
Thanks for the introduction to this Mark. I'll be back to see them again.
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