An Interview with Scotlands Latest Talent – Multi-Award Winning Will Anderson
Digital animator Will Anderson may not be a household name, yet, but this young newcomer has big plans.
Graduating from Edinburgh College of Art in 2011, Anderson’s 15 minute film ‘The Making of Longbird’ is an affectionate mockumentary, deliciously dry with an intelligent and heartfelt exploration of a working relationship at it’s core. The film has been touring the world on the festival scene, picking up a slew of national and international awards along the way. It’s even had it’s own touring exhibition.
To date ‘Longbird’ has received the Undergraduate Animation Royal Television Society Award, Short Grand Prix in Warsaw, Scottish Short Film Award at the Glasgow film Festival, Audience Award at DOK Leipzig, Golden Dove at DOK Leipzig, Audience Award at Girafe Animation Festival, Programmers Choice Award at Exposures Film Festival and most recently the Young Animation Category – Best Student Award in Stuttgart. It’s due to be screened at the upcoming prestigious Annecy Animation Festival this June.
Will is the latest in a long line of talented ECA animation alumni including BAFTA winning Jim Le Fevre and BAA winners Kate Anderson and Matt Abbiss. This year sees the eagerly anticipated graduation of Anna Ginsburg who’s already received a BAFTA new talent nomination for her official music video for ‘How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep’ by The Bombay Bicycle Club.
Skwigly chats to Will about comedy, his future plans and an unemployed Scottish seagull.
Hi Will, thank you for talking to Skwigly. What was it that first attracted you to animation?
I’ve had an interest in Animation from a young age. I think I liked animations that I was far to young for in terms of content and language. They were challenging and exciting. I remember trying to make animation with books, camcorders, and once with my dads old super-8 camera. I remember feeling so excited making a cut-out animation with that camera, and feeling so excited sending it off to be developed. It arrived 3 weeks later completely unexposed.
Why did you decide to stay in Scotland to study?
I’m from the Highlands, so moving to Edinburgh to study at the Edinburgh College of Art was not too far away from home. The ECA is one of the few places I feel where they really embrace traditional and experimental animation, which has worked out pretty funny as I’m a Digital animator and going down a commercial route. Honestly though, having a grounding on what animation is was so important for me. Also, I’m Scottish, I love this place.
Many congratulations on such a successful graduate year. Your film ‘The Making of Longbird’ has won a host of awards in the UK and internationally this year including the Golden Dove in DOK Leipzig and the Short Film Grand Prix in Warsaw. It has also been selected for the Graduation Films category at Annecy this June. Were you prepared for this level of interest?
Not at all. I remember saying to my tutors this time last year (to the day! 4th Year Hand-in is today as I’m writing!) ‘I don’t think this is a ‘festival’ film’. Its long – over 15minutes – and the story is unusual. The thing that I realised after Warsaw Film Festival was that it was worthy of a ‘Short Film’ category, not just an ‘Animation’ Category. I therefore sent it to as many places as I could, not worrying if it specified ‘Animation’ or not. A film is a film, and in my opinion a film should have a reason for being animated, and if there’s no reason for it, it shouldn’t be. The character ‘Longbird’ in my film is a Russian animated actor, who was an animated star in his day. I interact with him as I would anyone else, he just happens to be animated. I just take that for granted and deal with him logically, even though the whole thing is completely illogical.
I really didn’t think it would be accepted for Annecy, but I am very pleased and excited about this, as I haven’t been yet.
You have quite a volatile relationship with Longbird. What inspired the story?
Discovering Vladislav A. Feltov’s work was the obvious main inspiration for my film. I thought it would be great to attempt to ‘remake’ the old film, and to make that process the film. Early on I knew I wanted to make a ‘Making of’ documentary, so I decided to merge these two elements together.
The film utilises a variety of animation techniques and indeed takes us on a journey through history. In this digital age, do you see a future in the traditional craft element?
Of course, I feel that a general audience responds positively to traditionally crafted things. We are reminded that the images were made with people’s hands, and that connects us emotionally. Digital technology is incredibly challenging, but so is traditional technology, and Animation doesn’t work without technology.
It’s clear that comedy plays an important role for you.
No way. Absolutely not…
A particularly Scottish sense of humour is evident in your series of shorts featuring a character called Malkie. Who is Malkie, and will we be seeing more of him?
Malkie is an unemployed Glaswegian seagull. He grew up in Lenzie near Kirkintilloch.
Malkie is the centre of an Animated series that is currently being developed with the BBC’s Comedy Department, London. So in answer to your question, we will hopefully being seeing more of him in the future.
What have you been working on since graduation?
I have been working as a Freelance Animator since Graduating last year, particularly on commercial work for television. I have enjoyed working with The Comedy Unit in Glasgow on a couple of occasions, who are responsible for shows such as ‘Still Game’, ‘Limmy’s Show’, ‘Gary Tank Commander’ and ‘Burnistoun’. This included work on a pilot as well as sketches for a show, which should be televised on BBC Scotland in the coming months. I also had an exhibition detailing and expanding the history of Longbird entitled ‘The Making of Longbird. A Retrospective’. This exhibition toured the Highlands and will hopefully travel further south soon enough. I also try to get out to a film festival when I can! I tend to keep myself busy as much as possible. For me, as long as I keep making work that may make people laugh (or at least smile) then I’m happy.
Whats next?
I’m going for television! My goal is to make an animated series, a tall order I know, but I’m doing my best. Friend and fellow Animator Ainslie Henderson and I work together on sketches and shorts projects.
Malkie’s next I think, but I’m keeping hush-hush about it!
You can see one of Malkie’s NSFWP adventures here