What Does Brexit Mean for the Animation Industry?

Image used with permission © Francesca Adams

Unless you've been under a rock for the last week, you will of course know that the UK is facing a very strange time. The EU Referendum resulted in a 52% vote to leave the European Union. This is all well and good if you are a leave voter (of which, I am not), but the problem is, no one knows what this all means?

Apart from watching the GBP drops faster than you say "It's-Brexit-Bitch" what else will happen? Will there be international travel restrictions of some kind? Will we have to get different passports? And most importantly, as people who work in animation, will this mean it's harder for us to get work within other EU countries, and will our EU friends have trouble getting over here?

Much is still unknown (nice one, leave voters, thanks for that), although slowly but surely we are finding out a little bit more clarity amongst the murky aftermath of the toxic, political nightmare. We are finding reports and opinion on what exactly this means for all of us. Here are a few articles I've found that have been super interesting.

First up Skwigly online animation magazine, address the issue straight on: How Will Brexit Affect UK Animation Production, refering to many productions that may have not been made, had it not been for grants provided by EU money from Creative Europe UK. Somewhat worrying, right?

Secondly, another article I found interesting was from Stephenfollows.com - a writer and producer, who also researches stats and data from film industry. His post How will Brexit affect the UK film industry talks very practically about the pros and cons of Brexit, so we can get a very rough guess of what could happen in the near future, or at least once Brexit actually happens.

Well, in these uncertain times of stress, fear and anxiety, let's be reminded about the wonderful things animation can bring...and what better way to do that, than by sharing this trailer, to a lovely looking documentary about how animation helped an autistic child communicate and lead a better life. A friend at work shared it with us, just as things were looking twistedly dark - so I hope this can bring you a little ray of joy amongst the impending gloom of a Brexit country...

 

Cheers

Marc x

The Power of Networking

Since working in London, I've started attending different meet up and networking groups for animators. Many of my tutors have taught me the importance of networking, and I can't say for sure whether or not these animation groups can really work for someone, career wise. But, in terms of keeping up with what peers are doing in the industry, what other people think of your work, and just getting out and having a pint over an animation chat with like minded individuals, attending group meets really has highlighted the importance of networking to me. I wanted to share with my experience of each group, so hopefully it will inspire more to try a visit of two.

There are three groups I go to, are all in London. The first one I ever attended was Bring Your Own Animation, held in the Lukin pub, just off Great Portland Street. The idea of the group, is to go along and show some animation you've been working on, to a peer who will critique it for you. The level of criticism is excellent, most of the people who give up their time to view work, are lead or senior animators in studios across London, so their insight is excellent. I've been a few times, and whilst I've never shown my work to anyone, I've always had a good time. You don't have to be an animator either, people from across the industry go along too, such as modellers, concept artists and riggers. It's just a good excuse to have a good catch up with a pint.

The second group I go to, as often as I can, is the ACM Siggraph meets. They're usually on monthly and are more of a structured talk. Often held at MPC, or a bigger cinema, they are perfect for anyone who likes attending lecture style talks. Over the last year, the talks I've gone to have ranged from presentations from the creative team behind Big Hero 6 talking about how they developed their characters. As well as a talk by director of Penguins of Madagascar, Simon Smith. It's not solely animation focused either, they also host many talks that encompass more of a VFX angle too. The presenters are usually high profile, so there is always something to learn. The best thing is, it's free...usually. Recently, they started a membership programme, where you can get first access to reserving a ticket...but if you can't afford the £20 annual membership to suppor them, then don't worry, you should still be in the chance to get your hands on a ticket regardless.

Lastly, and so far my favourite, is Festivus. It's a social meet for anyone in the world of animation. I went for the first time last week and loved it. I got chatting to a guy who wrote one of the episode of Tree Fu Tom, that I animated on, I met a guy who worked on Disney's Tarzan, and chatted to people who worked solely in 2D animation, which was really interesting to chat about, with me coming from a 3D animation background. 

Keep an eye out for the next meets as they happen, and go along. For a few hours of your time, you could become inspired, strike up a new friendship...or just get drunk. What's not to love?

 

Cheers

Marc x