ANIMATION
ABOUT
CIT’s Puppet Masters Animation Programme is delivered with our partner organisation, the Cosgrove Hall Films Archive, with kind support from Arts Council England. This year-round programme of talks, network meetings, commissions and mentoring helps build new careers in animation and also promotes the medium in community and education settings.
Conference
The programme originated with the Puppet Masters Animation Conference which has taken place annually at Waterside since 2015. The day features a series of masterclass talks from experts who are responsible for some of the best known and best loved animation characters in popular culture. The event features masterclass talks from leading figures in animation and our guests include Brian Cosgrove OBE (Cosgrove Hall Films), Peter Firmin (Small Films), Nina Gantz (animator / director Edmond, Best Short Film BAFTA), Peter Saunders (co-founder, Mackinnon & Saunders) and Francesca Berlingieri-Maxwell (art director, ParaNorman).
Year-Round Programme
The programme offers support for animators through a number of strands:
Masterclasses - a series of talks focusing on key aspects of animation, storytelling and direction
Commissions and mentoring - micro-funding and support to help animators develop new work
Puppet Masters Animation Conference - an annual day-long event bringing leading figures from the world of animation to Waterside.
Commissions
We have commissioned animations from three makers to make original works in response to techniques and materials pioneered at Cosgrove Hall Films.
Zoë Hutber, filmmaker
Zoë is a BAFTA-nominated stop-motion animator based in Bristol. Since obtaining a degree in Animation from Edinburgh a College of Art, Zoë has gone on to work as a puppet-maker and fabricator at stop motion studios in Canada and has animated short films and commercials in the UK. With a talent for telling socially relevant stories, often through the use of quirky aesthetics, Zoë has directed and animated three films of her own, and is now working on a new film made entirely out of sustainable materials.
Toyhood - watch Zoe’s film at the CIT Project Portal
Ben Gardener (illustrator) and Phil Wall (writer)
Ben and Phil are a collaborative duo who make short, creative projects together. Their most recent venture - Patricia and the Witch - is a short film about a group of ignorant villagers who clash with a mischievous and eccentric sorceress.
Ben is an illustrator who has participated in numerous competitions, art battles, and commissions. Ben’s passion for illustration and art stems from his love of classical film and television animation.
Phil is a writer who enjoys creating expansive fictional worlds grounded in realistic characters. He has edited, written and directed a number of different projects across a wide range of mediums.
Patricia the Teenage Witch - watch Ben & Phil’s film at the CIT Project Portal
Sam Tipper, animator
Sam completed an animation MA at UWE in 2018, where he made a short film called ‘Victor’ which is still winning awards on the festival circuit. Professionally, he runs a small video production business since 2008, creating mainly time-lapse videos for the construction industry and promos for corporate clients. Sam has multiple animation and writing projects on the go in his spare time, which he hope to develop into something for TV and Film in the future.
Socks - watch Sam’s film at the CIT Project Portal
ANIMATION PROJECTS
ANIMUMS
This project is a new collaboration between ARC Just For Mums group, Manchester-based animator Anna Pearson and director / producer Jessica Wheeler, with an aim to improve maternal mental health through the art of animation.
Cosgrove Hall Films Archive
A major archival project to house and preserve the internationally acclaimed animation collection at Waterside Arts. CIT have been working hard to preserve and deliver exhibitions and events surrounding the archive. Including some of the best-loved children’s characters Danger Mouse, Count Duckula, Chorlton & the Wheelies and many more Cosgrove Hall creations.
Socket: A Robot
Odyssey
An animated short from producers at CIT and Cosgrove Hall Films Archive