The next Animation Forum event is to co-inside with Flip Animation Festival on 4 November at 7.30pm – 10pm, Millennium Point.

Animating the West Midlands is a free event which will feature locally produced shorts from Flip 2010, and an introduction to Second Home Studios’ Viral Kitchen scheme. You’ll also have the chance to catch up with fellow animators in the iBar at Millenium point.

The event is open to non-members plus those without tickets to Flip. To reserve your place email info@light-house.co.uk with ‘Animating the West Midlands – RSVP’ in the subject line.

For more information, visit Animation Forum or their Facebook page.

Flip Animation Festival is happening on 4 – 6 November in Wolverhampton. The festival is organised by Light House Media Centre and hosts a programme of educational workshops for young people, along with experimental animation for grown ups, plus industry led panels, feature film screenings, international showcases, retrospectives of short films and spotlights on animation studios.

While there are still plenty of events yet to be announced, here’s a peak at a few of the highlights announced so far;

Workshops in Introduction to Animation and Writing an Animated Comedy with The Brothers McLeod, both on 4 Nov.

Gaming themed workshops, including an Introduction to Building a Game with XNA and Big Screen Gaming on Halo: Reach, also on 4 Nov.

Young animators aged 14 – 16 are invited to the free Film Nation: Shorts Animation Workshop on 5 Nov.

Plus Wolverhampton Art Gallery are also running an exhibition entitled RE-animate which will be on until 27 Nov.

Tickets have yet to go on sale for this year’s festival, so keep an eye on the Flip website for the latest announcements.

The Flip Animation Festival brings three days of animational loveliness to the Light House in Wolverhampton, starting on 5 November (although the launch will be at Millennium Point in Birmingham).

There’s a fair amount being packed in – portfolio reviews, screenings of shorts and student films and workshops on game design and scriptwriting. Greg McLeod, from the Brothers McLeod will be animator-in-residence on the Friday, allowing all and sundry to watch him working. In fact, borrowed from the newsletter, here’s a summary of what’s on (follow the links for detail):

Thurs 5 Nov

• Scriptwriting for Animation Workshop
• Games Design Workshop
• Big Screen Gaming
• Get Involved with First Light
• Festival Launch: Animation in the West Midlands: A Snapshot

Fri 6 Nov

• Open Shorts
• Looking at Sound: Hearing Animation
• Studio Spotlight: Axis Animation
• Portfolio Reviews
• Coraline (PG)

Sat 7 Nov

• Open Shorts
• Family Animation Day
• Personal Views: The Brothers McLeod
• Studio Spotlight: ArthurCox Studios
• Flip Animation Challenge
• Student Screening and Awards Ceremony
• Flip Closing Party

Tickets are now on sale via the Light House box office (01902 716055) or on the Flip Animation Festival website.

Some brilliant experimental musicians have provided tracks which animators can download for free. The animators need to use the tracks as a starting point to create music videos which can be submitted to the challenge Vimeo group. The best and brightest offerings will then be screened at a special event in Wolverhampton’s Light House Cinema on 21st July.

The bands supplying tunes are Pram (Domino Records), Epic 45 (Make Mine Music), Laurel Collective and Beat To Paris.

To enter:

1. Download one or more of the tracks.
2. Create an animated music video for the track(s) of your choice.
3. Upload the finished video(s) to The Great Animation Challenge Vimeo Group anytime before the 6th July deadline.
4. Contact david.luke.allen@bcu.ac.uk with your full name, email address, phone number and the title of your short.
5. The animators behind the best shorts will then be contacted in July for a screening copy of the piece.

The contest is open to animators across the UK at all levels (entries by studios are welcome) and the winner of the best short will receive a subscription to Imagine Magazine and a copy of  The Imagine Animation Directory at the Light House screenings on 21st July 2009.

]]> http://www.createdinbirmingham.com/2009/01/13/and-its-hello-from-me/ http://www.createdinbirmingham.com/2009/01/13/and-its-hello-from-me/#comments Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:12:30 +0000 http://www.createdinbirmingham.com/?p=2719 [Read more...]]]> Let me introduce myself, I’m Kate Spragg and I am taking the reins of Created in Birmingham from Chris. I’m sure you’ll agree that Chris has done a fantastic job since taking over in May 2008. The blog has brought together the Birmingham creative community which I look forward to becoming a part of, and finding out what makes it so vibrant, tenacious and proud of the city it belongs to.

I should point out that I don’t live in Birmingham – I live in Wolverhampton, but hopefully my passion for Brum’s creativity should make up for that. I have a Fine Art degree, but have moved into more digital creative pursuits since graduating in 2004. In the last couple of years I have worked in marketing and creative business development at Light House in Wolverhampton, co-organised the Flip Animation Festival, including running the event’s blog. I also co-run Colour with my fiancé Matthew. We put on live music events and write a blog.

As well as listings and regular news updates, I want to investigate how your creative endeavours impact on the city as a whole, and to find out how creative types can get ahead. I would like to continue the good work of Chris and Pete before him, and encourage others to utilise online media and tools to create, promote and reach out.

Please say hello if you see me out and about and you can follow me on Twitter, if you like.

]]> http://www.createdinbirmingham.com/2009/01/13/and-its-hello-from-me/feed/ 19 http://www.createdinbirmingham.com/2008/11/05/another-big-weekend/ http://www.createdinbirmingham.com/2008/11/05/another-big-weekend/#comments Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:50:51 +0000 http://www.createdinbirmingham.com/?p=2249 [Read more...]]]> Another big weekend with something for everybody (unless you happen to hate animation, music and design in equal measure, in which case you can just do one) with:

• Plus+ International Design Expo
• Flip Animation Festival
• Gigbeth

Plus+ kicked off today at Fazeley Studios, Digbeth.  I’m heading over in a bit and am not really sure what to expect other than the much-discussed tart cards.  I suppose I’m looking forward to catching a talk or two and just having a mooch about.

Flip is over in Wolverhampton at the Light House and consists of three days of animation goodness – screenings, portfolio dissections, talks and all sorts, with a closing party hosted by Colour.

Gigbeth kicks off with the conference tomorrow and carries on through to Saturday evening.  There’s loads of info out there for anyone wanting to look.  May I direct you to:

• The programme
• Jon Bounds’ round-up (featuring a link to his Gigbeth MySpace marathon)
• Info about 4Talent’s stage, featuring CiB’s Pete Ashton between the other acts
• Rich Batsford has blogged about playing the 4Talent stage and also at Drop Beats Not Bombs later in the evening
• Rhubarb Radio will be broadcasting live feeds from some of the stages

The Flip Animation Festival (6-8 November at Light House, Wolverhampton) has been assembling a rather tasty line-up over the past little while, as documented on their nicely informative blog.

Highlights include:

A retrospective of work from Osbert Parker, best know for his cut out animation style mixed with live action; BAFTA & Screen WM Presents: Ninja Theory, the game developers behind the stunning Heavenly Sword and Kung Fu Chaos; Sita Sings the Blues, a screening of this modern classic and Indian epic; a day of Doctor Who animation treats and a real Dalek fleet will invade Light House!

The line-up is up on the Flip Festival website and tickets are available at very reasonable prices.

It’s competition time!

However, if you’d rather swipe a ticket for free then here’s your chance.  There are two available, to be given separately (ie not as a pair) so there’ll be two winners.

All you have to do is leave a comment claiming your ticket, first two claimants will win.  Rules are as before (except for the first one) and please use a proper email address so I can get in touch.

The Flip Animation Festival is on from 6-8 November (Thurs to Sat) at the Light House in Wolverhampton.

This year the festival will feature the C-Games Conference, a Drawing in the Digital Age symposium, an afternoon of animated Doctor Who and various screenings, talks and so on.

The website’s just coming together but the peeps at the Light House are running The Flip Blog and have put up a few quite charming items already.

For the animators out there, the last date for submissions is 8 August, so get your skates on if you’re planning to send something in.  Here’s how to submit to Flip 08.