DAFF Review: Ireland & Dublin’s Only Animation Festival
For a country that boasts such an impressive array of animation studios – Brown Bag Films, Cartoon Saloon, Jam Media, and Kavaleer to name a few – it is surprising that until recently, Ireland was without its own dedicated animation festival. That all changed in 2011, when festival director Fionnghuala Ni Neill decided to do something about it. What started in 2011 as an afternoon screening of 45 films in on old church has become, in three years, a two day festival of masterclasses, industry talks, film screenings and awards – The Dublin Animation Film Festival.
This year’s festival was nicely segmented into 2 separate days of different events – day one on industry talks and masterclasses, and day two focusing on short films, awards and Bill Plympton’s Irish premier of Cheatin’.
Day One: Industry Talks
The industry talks and masterclasses took place at the Institute of Art, Design and Technology and the day was kicked off by former National Film and Television School student Kristina Yee on “How to market a student film”. Often a part of film-making that is neglected once the film is made, Kristina discussed the process of submitting to festivals, the making of her graduation film Miss Todd (see below), plus it’s up-coming online release.
Next up was the author of this article, me (Aaron Wood)! I spoke about the challenges and process of setting up your own animation studio and how to pitch for work in the commercial world, using my production studio, Slurpy Studios, as a case study. Sandrine Plympton, of Plymptoons Studios, then discussed the importance of working with colour when creating and laying out an animated film. She illustrated this perfectly using a number of films she has worked on with Bill Plympton.
After lunch, Will Becher of Aardman Animations took to the stage to discuss the making of Shaun the Sheep: The Movie – the audience was full of children wanting to see the behind-the-scenes of how next year’s feature film. Will had brought Shaun, Bitzer, and Morph along with him and after the talk, adults and children alike clambered to have their photo taken.
Will Becher of Aardman (left), Shaun the Sheep (centre), Aaron Wood of Slurpy Studios (right)
The last session of the day welcomed Bill Plympton to the stage for the first time, to give his masterclass to aspiring animators and film-makers in the audience. During the 2-hour session, Bill gave his ‘Plympton mantra for producing short films’, listed the top festivals you should submit to and visit, and how to draw two of his most popular characters – Guard Dog and Your Face man. Plus there were a selection of his short films thrown into the mix!
Bill Plympton showed the audience how to draw the Your Face man and Guard Dog
Day Two: Animated Shorts & Features
If the first day was for learning, the second was more for sitting back, relaxing and soaking up some new animated films. Starting off with the Irish Premiere of his new feature film Cheatin’, Bill Plympton then took to the floor for a Q&A session where he shared where the idea came from, happy accidents and his next projects. Plus you received a signed drawing from Bill if you were at the screening!
Bill Plympton doing sketches for all who attended his screening
The rest of the afternoon and evening gave way to some wonderful short films, and the award ceremony (click here to see the winners). And then in true Irish style, the animators, speakers, students, and professionals went to the pub for a Guinness or two – a great way to finish off a great festival!
The coverted awards
Dr Annie Doona & Mary Mitchell O’Conner presenting Bill Plympton his award for Cheatin’
So put it in your diary – whether you live in Ireland or the UK (or further afield?), DAFF is a festival which all animators should know about, submit to and visit if they get the chance. You will be hard pushed to find a more friendly, intimate and buzzing festival that this!