PURE South Animation Films Screening

The two latest PURE South Animation Film School films are screening this evening at 1830,  at Rua Red in Tallaght. This year we have a Noir-style detective story, and a Rap-fueled tale of redemption:

Mason Phelps: Private Eye
A suspicious crime has gone down by the old graveyard, and it's up to Mason Phelps to outmanoeuvre the suspects and get to the bottom of this awful mess...

Created by Danielle Norman, Nicole Smith, Shannon O'Reilly, Karl Wynne, Leah Byrne, Jamie O'Neill, Conor Halpin, Evan Thompson, Leah Menton, Dylan Hillary and Jessica Reddin of Collinstown Park Community College, Dublin.

MC Tra$h: Transformation Revelation
While cooking a nice organic broth, Rita Red Eye the Witch is shaken up by MC Tra$h and his wasteful ways. Now it's time for her to show him how it feels to be dumped on...

Created by Dean Dillon, Richard Roche, Darragh Singleton, Anthony Brennan, Daniel Kulis, Tyrick Tschuma, Daniel Oladeji, David Oladeji, Shane Leech and Miracle Olowu at Brookfield Community Youth Project, Dublin.

The students wrote, designed, recorded dialogue, and animated their films over two week-long workshop events in February.

These workshops were facilitated by Eimhin McNamara, Carol Freeman, Chris McLoughlin,  Pádraig Fagan, and Christina O'Donovan, with the assistance of Silvia Nevado, Catríona Reilly, Fiona McDonnell and Marie O'Connell. Featuring original music by Chris McLoughlin and, on MC Tra$h, the rap stylings of Tyrick Tschuma, Daniel Oladeji, David Oladeji and Miracle Olowu.

The films were produced in conjunction with Ian Davis of the PURE Project (Protecting Uplands and Rural Environments), South Dublin County Council, Brookfield Community Facility and Collinstown Park Community College.


They will be available to view on-line after the premiere.

Blackrock Animation Film Festival

Above is the animation my students created during the sand animation workshops I hosted with Imelda Donohoe, at this year's Blackrock Animation Film Festival.

We facilitated two classes; one with a group of special needs students from the Carmona Society, and another with a mixture of students aged 7-17 years old.

We started the classes by screening Meldy's recently completed sand-animation film "Struck Emotion" and Caroline Leaf's "The Owl Who Married a Goose."

Below are some spooky looking photos from the workshop, that show the students hard at work:

We were lucky enough to have a visit from Merlin Crossingham near the end of the second class. Merlin was over for the festival, giving a lecture on his work with Aardman as creative director of Wallace & Gromit and animation supervisor, we almost tricked him into doing some sand animation himself. You can read a little interview with him here: LINK

Special thanks to festival director Fionnghuala Neill, the Carmona Society, and all the board and staff of Urban Junction in Blackrock.

Rubbish Express wins at BAFF 2012!

My student's film "Rubbish Express" won Best Animation in the 12-18 year old category at the Blackrock Animation Film Festival last weekend.

This award is a well deserved acknowledgement of the student's hard work and ingenuity, and I hope after watching the film you think so too.


"Strange little green men have come up with a novel solution to their rubbish problem
- Dump it on Earth!"


Rubbish Express was created over 5 days in April, by Adam Cantwell-Xenopoulos, Sasha Lorigan, Philippe Lorigan, Sean McInerney, April Mooney, Amber Mooney and Ruby McAlister.

It was one of four films produced during a 2 week long animated film workshop, hosted by myself along with Pádraig Fagan and Carol Freeman, featuring original music by Chris McLoughlin. You can find all four films here, as well as a behind the scenes showing how the students animated the films.

This workshop was an initiative of the PURE Project, along with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.

Also, if you are curious, we have recently completed four more environmental workshop films, during the 2nd Annual PURE Wicked Animation Film School. You can find those films here.

Below you can see some photograph's showing the workshop in full swing

Enjoy! And thanks for reading.

Trinity Animation Society Year 2

Hi All,
I recently started facilitating an animation workshop with Trinity College Dublin's Animation Society

I began the programme with an introduction to animation, this involved talking a little bit about animations development and the different techniques and medium used.
I also screened a number of films to help illustrate these different approaches, you can find these films here.

We began the practical side of the workshop last week, where-in the students came up with a short narrative, with the help of some brainstorming techniques.

At yesterday's class we began building all the elements required for the film, and we will be starting animation in the coming weeks. Here are some photos showing some props being built:

After animation wraps I will be taking the students through the post-production process, colour correction editing and sound-mix.

We hope to screen the finished film at the end of the term, details of the time and place to follow.
In the mean time you can find last years 'dance' project below:

PURE Wicked Animation Film School 2012

Hi all!

First of all here are the Films:

Bog Standard

While breaking ground on a new landfill, something ancient is awoken, and wants revenge!

created by
Dylan Cuffe, Ardan Cunningham, Aoife Duffy, Joshua Hanrahan, Conor Ryan.

Dumbo Dyson

As a mad scientist comes face to face with his carelessness, he realises pollution really does suck!

created by
Luan Christiansen O Nialláin, Rory Downes, Tom Furlong, Michéal Lambert, Oisín Sloan-Starr,

Super Hog

When a mild mannered hedgehog is transformed by pollution into Super Hog, he puts his unreal powers to good use!

created by
Jack Gafney, Aysha Griffin, Cerys MacAllister, Jacob Moran-Braswell, Sarah Tallon, Ellen Walsh, Sadhbh Wilcoxson.

Rumble Outside The Jungle

The fish aren’t biting in Bangladesh, so Tiger decides for a change of scenery. Let’s hope he has better luck in Wicklow!

created by
Donncha Adams, Keadi Adams, Hollie Hamill, Adam Maher, Annie Tallon, Saoirse Troelstra.

Behind the Scenes at PURE Wicked 2012

A glimpse at the animation process and a little bit of Tinahely too!

These films are the product of this year's PURE Wicked Animation Film School, which took place during July in Tinahely Co. Wicklow. We had about 30 students over the two week period, and working together in groups of 5-7 they made the four films, using recycled materials and bits of rubbish.
The workshop was organised with the Tinahely Courthouse and the PURE Project, and made with the assistance of Pádraig Fagan, Carol Freeman and the musical stylings of Chris McLoughlin.

Here are a number of photos documenting some of the process and materials used:

Carol Freeman brainstorming with team Super Hog

The Rumble Outside the Jungle team brainstorming with Pádraig Fagan

Donncha & Keadi Adams with Adam Maher, working on the finer points of Rumble Outside the Jungle

Cerys MacAllister, Ellen Walsh, Sadhbh Wilcoxson & Jacob Moran-Braswell developing Super Hog

Conor Ryan working on storyboards for Bog Standard

Some of the Super Hog storyboards

Examples from the storyboards for Rumble Outside the Jungle

Prop design by Conor Ryan for Bog Standard's JCB

Rainbow prop by Cerys MacAllister for Super Hog

A character design for Bog Standard's Celtic Warrior, complete with tattoos by Dylan Cuffe

The finished character build, with shield and sword by Conor Ryan

Aoife Duffy made the Bog Zombie in Bog Standard, using some dead leaves for the perfect skin texture!

Took a whole army to make these multiple versions of the Airplane for take-off in Rumble Outside the Jungle

Super Hog confronting his opponent, animated by Jacob Moran-Braswell and Jack Gafney

Animating the money flying through the air at the land-fill opening in Bog Standard

Conor Ryan shooting a scene in Bog Standard

Rory Downes working on the laboratory scene from Dumbo Dyson

Animating a scene from Dumbo Dyson

The last scene in Rumble Outside the Jungle, with a slightly worse for wear local litterer

Joshua Hanrahan animating the Ninja in Bog Standard

The closing scene from Super Hog

Thanks again, and I hope you enjoy the films from this years PURE Wicked Animation Film School!

Full credits:

Facilitated by Eimhin McNamara, Pádraig Fagan and Carol Freeman

Original Music by Chris McLoughlin

Sound Mix, Compositing and Editing by Eimhin McNamara

Special Thanks to

Deryn O’Callaghan @ the Courthouse Arts Centre

Ian Davis @ the PURE Project

Jenny Sherwin @ Wicklow County Council

Vibeke Delahunt @ County Wicklow Film Commission

Many thanks to the board and the staff of the Courthouse Arts Centre in Tinahely, Co. Wicklow,

Helen and Noel O’Donnell @ Ashfield House, Deirdre Foran, Dan O’Neill and Caoimhín McCann

"Home Sweet Home"

Hi all!I know it's been quiet here the past few weeks. I have finished teaching the PURE Wicked Animation Filmschool with Pádraig and Carol and am in the throes of putting all the films together for the showcase


Whilst down in Wicklow I was able to put together a little piece for an upcoming charity auction, Animation Art Show, which is taking place this Sunday July 29th at the Science Gallery in Dublin, from 12:30-16:00. The show was put together by Simon Kelleghan Bianca Beneduci and Estrela Lourenço, and is in aid off the Children's Sunshine Home and the Laura Lynn Foundation.


Here is my piece, called "Home Sweet Home"

It is ITEM 11 and features in LOT 1, bidding begins at 13:30, but be sure to get there early to sign in!


Here's how I went about making it:

After figuring out the designs in pencil I digitised them and made a quick colour study, adjusting some things for scale. I then used the monitor as a lightbox, tracing the scene onto paper and transferring it to cardboard.

I then cut out the characters and glued them together. Inevitably many minutes were spent looking for parts that went missing.

There they are now all put together. Yep.

Once I had decided on a frame size I made the background to scale, with a little bit of layering to give it some depth.

Be sure to check the Animation Art Show blog for a full listing of the items and the bidding times.
Thanks for reading and I hope to see you all at the auction on Sunday!