Q&A with Sam Shaw (‘You Died!’)
Sam Shaw is a 2D animator based in Bristol whose films and distinct style are seen time and time again in a multitude of different lengths films, gifs and shorts. Sam’s work, akin to the distinct style defined in the early 40s-60s by companies such as UPA, is often a witty and humorous take on the self-assured hyper-positivity often found in films of the style and time period, bringing a modernity to this classic approach.
Another notable pattern in Shaw’s work is his enjoyment of the macabre and the spooky – none more so than his most recent film You Died!, a novel take on the classic information films of the 50s and 60s, in which we as the viewers are informed of our recent departure from the mortal realm and are in fact deceased. We had the chance to have a chat with Sam before his upcoming screening as part of the Skwigly Screening at this year’s Manchester Animation Festival.
You Died! (Dir. Sam Shaw)
What first drew you to animation?
Growing up with old dusty videos of cartoons like Danger Mouse, The Herbs and Trap Door sort of kicked my interest off. Me and my little brother used to make little Lego animations using an old video camera by pressing record and stop super quickly for each movement when we were young, and I just kept that up until someone paid me.
What was the idea behind the film You Died! and what prompted you to make it?
I worked with a voice over artist called Guy Harris for a job a while back and he came out with this incredible 1950s PSA voice, The client didn’t go for it at the time, but I kept thinking of excuses to use him for something and that’s how the idea for my film came about. I wanted to make a short which didn’t have a real narrative structure, and 50s information film worked perfectly for that… Also dead things are cool.
What was the workflow/process of making this film?
There wasn’t one. I was re-writing the ending while I was in full swing animating it. I’m useless without a producer.
How did you make time to make the film around your day job?
I tried to steal an hour at the end of the day when I could, but I ended up using a bit of holiday time and locking myself in my room until it was done.
You often use a ‘cartoon modern’ style in your work, what attracted you to this way of working and why did you choose it for this film?
The cartoon modern thing was a nice coincidence to begin with. My drawings always looked a bit like it but I didn’t know it was this whole big thing until someone at uni made me read Cartoon Modern by Amid Amidi and everything about it was amazing. I loved the almost creepy positivity the style emitted and the fact it was born out of a workers’ rebellion at Disney made me love it even more. This film was a deliberate homage to animations from that era in a way the rest of my stuff usually isn’t.
Since your graduation film, which took place in a haunted B&B, your work often has a spooky vibe – why you think the macabre has such a powerful hold over you and your work?
My Mum is a big scary vicar and anything spooky was banned from my house growing up, so the second I got out of there everything became an excuse to draw pumpkins! To this day I’m still too scared of Jesus to ever include the actual devil in my work.
Your duck character from Dead & Breakfast still lives in various mini shorts and gifs, can you tell me a little about this character and what he represents to you?
He’s just a guy I’ve got to know quite well. A lot of my job is working on animations aimed squarely at adults so I use him as a bit of a pallet cleanser. Also, his beak is really hard to animate so it feels like a bit of a work out too.
You Died played at Encounters recently which I know you had it in mind during production, how did you find the festival and what others are you hoping for or looking forward to?
It was sort of a dream come true. I’m not a cool, collected person when it comes to getting into any of the big festivals, but to get into one that’s been such a part of my animation make up in Bristol means a lot. It’s also the only film festival I’ve been to that brews a beer especially, and I can’t stress how much that impressed me. Other festivals that seem to be doing it right are Pictoplasma, Cardiff Animation Festival and MAF.
You’ve taken part in quite a few Anijams with Encounters as well, what do you enjoy about the challenge of making in such a short time scale?
Anijam is a super unique experience. Its fun to see how far you push yourself to meet the deadline and you learn a lot about how to cut corners every time. But the best thing about it is the community that forms around it online. I still talk to people from around the UK because we made competing Anijam films.
You’re based in Bristol, how do you feel about the city and its animation scene?
The city is gorgeous and I’ve not met a single Bristol animator that isn’t lovely. It’s the most welcoming animation scene in the UK and it feels like most studios really care about giving new talent a chance. I’d like to see the social side of it function as more of an opportunity to collaborate with people in the future, but for now, there no better people to have a beer and talk keyframes with.
Are there other styles you’d like to work in or would like to try in your next film?
I’m quite lucky that my job at Sun & Moon means I have to experiment with a whole bunch of different styles to remain employed. So the way I draw in my spare time already feels like a bit of a holiday. I’d love to make a little stop motion film someday though.
Do you have any plans to make another film soon?
It’s my dream to make a breakfast cereal advert and none of the big brands have asked me to yet. So I think I’m going to have to make my own soon.
You Died screens today as part of our Skwigly Screening at the Manchester Animation Festival, 5pm at HOME.
See more of the work of Sam Shaw at vimeo.com/samshawdraws