BuntingAnimation.com

I'm pleased to my announce new website, www.BuntingAnimation.com which integrates a new blog along with showreels, portfolios and much more. Thanks to everyone for your interest over the 10 years I've been writing this blog. It's been an amazing decade. I'll be keeping this blog up as a custodian of the past,  but for the future - please do bookmark my new website - see you all there!

A look back at 2014

Here's a few of the projects that made 2014 so special for me.

Shaun the Sheep Series 4 hit TV screens. I had a ball storyboarding on a couple of episodes last year. The series went on to win the BAFTA for Best Children's Animation.

I've been doing a lot of storyboarding for Children's TV this year, working on CBeebies and Disney favourite 'Chuggington'. And right now, I'm busy storyboarding a new series of 'Bob the Builder', which is set to premiere on Chanel 5's Milkshake in the UK in the New Year.

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure to work with Barnsley Museums on a film for an exhibition marking the 30th anniversary of the 1984/85 Miners’ Strike, assisting a group of young women from the youth panel at Experience Barnsley Museum. They re-wrote verses of the anthem, 'Women of the Working Class' that the Women Against Pit Closures sang on the picket lines, recording their version with some of the original singers.

Women of the Working Class went on the win a string of awards this year:

Best YF Mixed Media. 14-17 yrs Hollywood International Family Film Festival; 

Youth Jury Animation award, Kids for Kids UK

3rd place. Middle School Animation Category, 2014 MY HERO International Film Festival

I was also chuffed to get a nomination as Director this year, for my other collaboration with Barnsley Museums; an advert promoting children's animation workshops. Lego Heist: Barnsley Museums was nominated for Best Commissioned Film at the Bradford Animation Festival.

In September I was thrilled to be invited to work with my wonderful old storyboard mentor, Frank Gladstone on him most recent trip to the UK. If it wasn't for Frank, I wouldn't be doing what I am now, that's for sure.  I taught his new story trainees at Lupus Films ToonBoom Storyboard Pro as part of a Skillset training programme. A great team! Frank went straight back to LA for the Annies and the premier of his feature film, The Hero of Color City.

My Bricknell, last years offering from Bricknell Primary School in Hull continued to do well at festivals this year earning 2nd Place, Elementary Mentor, at the MY HERO International Film Festival, in California and 2nd Place at the Hollywood International Family Film Festival 2014. Here's me and some of teachers and pupils at last years Bradford Animation Festival were it won the Young Animators Award.

Sending all my Christmas Wishes, and hope to see you all in the New Year.

David

Animation SOS

Animation SOS. I'm just back with a heavy heart from the 21st Bradford Animation Festival hosted by the one of the greats Barry Jonathan Crabtree Purves An special time in the year when friends and colleges from around the world come together to celebrate, network, rejuvenate and inspire themselves. But celebrations turned to disbelief when news broke of the cruel axing of one of our industries biggest champions, festival director Deb Singleton, along with her team. Apparently this is what the National Media Museum mean as "an opportunity to pause" as they consider the fate of BAF as part of a "thorough review of their film festival strategy" which has already cost the postponement of the Bradford Film Festival. As part of this review the museum state they are consulting with their audiences. So animation fans and animation people everywhere, let's help them by saying very loudly and very clearly that BAF is part of the lifeblood of the industry, vital for it's future, vital in showcasing one of this country's most successful industries, vital for the animators of tomorrow, vital for the wider economy of the region, vital for the National Media Museum to continue to be able to declare itself the "best media museum in the world" and vital for Bradford to continue to claim it's status as the UNESCO City of Film.

I fully appreciate that the Science Museum is in a torrid situation in having to find still more savings due to deepening government cuts. But how does it help government strategy to be helping our industry with one hand in giving much needed tax breaks to put us on an even playing field, while taking money away in another. BAF, and Animated Exeter, which we also lost this year, do not take money out of the economy. They generate money. Sacking the people who have built this festival into the UKs biggest and longest running animation festival seems a very odd way to "establish the profile and reputation of the Museums Film offer." It's taken 21 years to build this festival into the UKs biggest and longest running animation festival. I personally owe a great deal to BAF in furthering my career as do many others. Let's please not destroy in one year what has taken all these years to build. And let's urgently reconsider the false economy of loosing one of this counties greatest champions. It's time to be All Animated about this one.
 

Happier times. Collecting my first BAF with Jessica Wolf for Bricknell Primary School's film Up Up and Away, which marked a new chapter in educational work.

Storyboard Pro training at Lupus Films

Following last years successful course, I was privileged to be invited back to Lupus Films this year to train their new storyboard trainees ToonBoom Storyboard Pro. They are all super, and as you can see, it was a lot of fun! My story mentor and theirs, Frank Gladstone, is to the left. The course is supported by Creative Skillset, Toon Boom, ENVY and Film London. Wishing them a whole lot of luck, and looking forward to seeing their boards.

Riding the rials on Chuggington

Well I've been so busy this last 6 months, I've been a bad blogger, but one of my most exciting projects since October has been storyboarding on the 5th series of the hugely popular and Annie nominated series Chuggington. And as I've now started my LAST episode of the current series, I thought it was high time to get a post up! For my money, for cinematics and it's one of the biggest and most exciting challenges children's series on TV, brining action adventure genre to pre-school CGI animation. The team at Ludorum are amazing, and it's been another opportunity to work with supervising editor Jane Hicks. What's been really fun on this, is working with new pre-vis software Redboard and going much further in boards to define CG layout. It's really brought storyboard and layout very closely together, which has been a huge challenge, but a really satisfying one. Look forward to being able to share some storyboards soon.

Lego Break-in Barnsley

I had SO much FUN producing and directing this commercial advertising a new series of children's animation workshops which I was also asked to devise and write, I can not begin to express it. Paul Couvela, who animated this using real LEGO, is also helping me train the education staff at Barnsley Museums who will run it. If you know children in the Barnsley vicinity who like animation - let them know about it. It's going to be so special, it makes me want to be a kid all over again!!

Here's a few pictures of Paul playing (animating) with Lego and the sound Mix. From left to right, Dave Dunn-Birch (music) myself and Dave Aston (Sound Desing). AKA The 3 Daves.

Must also give a big shout out  to Vylius Antanas Leonavicius and Rosario Rivas Leal, two of my students at Sunderland University, who we brought out of lessons for some professional paid up work experience, and did wonders in a very tight schedule. 


Rather excitingly, the whole commercial was filmed using a web camera and Animate It from Kudlian Software - the same equipment the children will be using on the workshops! 

Lego Museum Break-in

Master stop-motion animator Paul Couvela in action, animating a commercial I'm directing for Barnsley Museums. The 1 minute advert,featuring a trio of Lego robbers breaking into Barnsley Town Hall, advertises the launch of a 3 year animation workshop programme for children, which I'm also developing with May Redfern at Barnsley Museums.

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I wish I went to Ecaudor now on TrueTube

"I wish I went to Ecuador" is now available nationwide as a school resource on the educational website, True Tube. Another amazing feat for this film still screening worldwide. Congratulations to all at Bricknell Primary School, not least the amazing Victoria Jones who's real life story inspired the film.

BAF award for Bricknell Primary School!

Congratulations to everyone at Bricknell Primary School who are celebrating after their animated documentary of school life was awarded the Young Animators Award at Bradford Animation Festival, beating films made by children and young people around the world.

Me, pupils and teachers and the BAF judges

A child’s view of life at primary school, from the first day to the last, “My Bricknell” features interviews across each school year, stop motion and flipbooks to illustrate the children’s’ individual journeys. From fears of exams, to the wonder of childhood, My Bricknell reveals what it is like to grow up through school in 21^st Century Britain. The professional BAF jury, said, “The clever balance between the children’s voices and mixed media creates a moving and personal portrait of this school.”

Remarkably, this is the 3^rd BAF award Bricknell Primary School have won, a feat never achieved in the festival’s history, in a special partnership with professional animator David Bunting. The collaboration has resulted in a series of internationally celebrated films and a total of 14 awards in just five years that has put Bricknell Primary School in Hull on the animation map. Their last film, “I wish I went to Ecuador” (2011), was screened at the worlds largest Environmental Film Festivals, the U.N. climate change summit, won the support, praise of Al Gore and a Hollywood award.

The film’s tutor, animator David Bunting, who this year worked on Children’s TV favorites, “Shaun the Sheep” and “Chuggington” said, “Bricknell Primary School is a very special place. The school’s ethos of using animation as an educational tool for learning, and the commitment and recognition of the value of that art is unparalleled. With schools finding it harder to engage and finance creative work like this in the curriculum, the BAF award is a timely reminder of how innovative creative excellence and risk taking in education can make a lasting impact on school children. Everything in this film was made by the pupils. Flipbooks felt the perfect medium for children to independently visualise these memories in a unique and personal way. In many ways, I feel My Bricknell is the most pupil centered film we’ve ever made.

Bradford Animation Festival is the country’s biggest and longest running animation Festival which this year celebrated it’s 20^th anniversary. Deb Singleton, Director of the Bradford Animation Festival said, “BAF Kids and The Film by Young Animators Award have become an important feature of the BAF programme, with the number of submissions increasing each year along with the quality and variety of styles. Our Films by Young Animators Award encourages and recognises the development of new talent and we hope young film makers will continue to make their films and submit them to BAF in the years to come. Congratulations to all the pupils at Bricknell Primary School.”

Currently celebrating it’s 80^th Birthday, Bricknell Primary School is a large primary school home to over 600 pupils, serving a culturally diverse community close to the University of Hull. The school’s headteacher, Tim Attwater, said, “We are so proud to have received this award. It is a real credit to the hard work of our talented pupils and staff. This film is really special to us as the entire project was led by the interviews and comments from our children and the lovely things they have to say about our school."

BAF nomination for My Bricknell

Congratulations to everyone at Bricknell Primary School who's new animated film "My Briknell" is nominated for an award at Bradford Animation Festival this November.

A child’s eye animated documentary of life at primary school, from the first day to the last. Featuring interviews across each school year, the film uses stop motion imagery and flip books to illustrate the children's individual journeys.

As Bricknell Primary School celebrates its 80^th birthday, opening in 1933, “My Bricknell” takes a reflective journey of school life, told by the school classes of 2013. While the context is local, the film speaks universally and honestly of contemporary children’s experiences. From fears of exams, to the wonder of fun of childhood, My Bricknell reveals what it is like to grow up as a child through school in 21^st Century Britain. Bricknell Primary School is a large primary school home to over 600 pupils, serving a culturally diverse community close to the University of Hull. The area is one of high density housing with 7 primary schools and one secondary school close by.

This is the fifth film made in a special collaboration between Bricknell Primary School  in Hull and animator David Bunting. Their collaboration, utilizing animation as a creative learning tool, has resulted in a series of internationally celebrated films and 14 awards to date. The last film, “I wish I went to Ecuador” (2011), a  was screened at the worlds largest Environmental Film Festivals, the UN climate change summit, and won the support and praise of Al Gore.  

Boarding at Aardman Animations

I had a great time storyboarding in-house at Aardman Animations on Shaun the Sheep series 4. Such a special studio filled with the most talented group of artists, it’s hard to express how special it was working with them again on what is going to be a superb new series. When a group composed of the most talented and super critical artists gathered together for the Friday rushes and laughed though them all... you know its going to be good! And for a storyboard artist, seeing how the animators brought those single sketches to life was very special. I can't wait for the series to be broadcast so I can share some storyboards. For now, here's a silly picture of me and the fox.

 I've got a busy quarter coming up with new TV projects - more news to come - and I'm excited to be dropping into Sunderland University one day a week this term to teach their BA animation students storyboarding, and give advise to the MA students working on their final films.