North Yorkshire animator wins at Deaffest (15/06/2011)
North Yorkshire based artist and animator Simon Mckeown’s short animation has recently been awarded Best Experimental Film at Deaffest - the UK’s premiere Deaf film festival. 'All for Claire’ is an 8 minute long 3D cartoon-like animation originally commissioned for DaDaFest International 2010.
Written and directed by artist and animator and Teesside University lecturer (Reader in Animation and Post production) Simon Mckeown - one of the UK’s most established 3D artists with over 20 years experience in both television and computer games production - (Head of Animation for the Driver Series (1,2,3) and Stuntman for Infogrames/Atari). Inspired by dancing with a childhood friend at school - ’All for Claire’ - is based around a love story designed to be colourful and unusual and features disabled international dance performer Claire Cunningham.
'All for Claire’ is a short animated love story - with a twist - the action follows a young man called Lee, as he tries to win the heart of the one he loves by offering her a beautiful rose. Each time he draws near to handing her the flower he stumbles into a trial. Claire’s character tests and torments the love struck male character Lee, who continues to pursue Claire. He is sent into unusual worlds courtesy of Claire’s characters magical powers and attacked by flying balls, trapped in a red maze, abandoned in a lost city and finally tossed around in a hail storm of blue boxes. Fearing ultimate rejection ‘Lee’ sits on a rock and waits. Should the all powerful ‘Claire’ finally accept the red rose?!
Using motion capture (based at Teesside Universities School of Computing) and 3D animation the whole animation was completed in just over 3 crazy weeks. ‘All for Claire’ looks at issues of empowerment and rejection within a disability context and continues Simon’s exploration of the cultural presentation of disability. This fun and colourful animation puts a disabled woman centre screen and in charge of the world and the other characters destiny. The animation was made with two endings and festivals can choose which to option showcase (win / lose).
This work was showcased nationwide on the UK’s nationwide BBC big screens for 1 month from Mid November 2010 as well as at the prestigious Bluecoat Gallery in Liverpool during November.
Visit www.allforclaire.com
