The Authors
One would have thought that two grown men, supposed experts in their field would find writing a book on a subject that they have practiced and taught for many years would find the task an easy one. Not so. It seemed to us all those months (years) ago when we set out on this venture that this would be, if not exactly a walk in the park, than surely something well within our capabilities. Sad to relate that, without the firm guiding hand and stabilizing influence that we received from our younger and betters, we would have been all at sea. Thankfully enough, we found not only the necessary guidance and stability but encouragement, support, and patience initially from Katy Spencer at Focal Press who was foolish enough in the first place in agreeing for us write this book. When Katy left for pasture new (or to get away from us, we never could be sure), David Bevans manfully stepped into the breach and saw the project to fruition. His calming influence and great organization saw us through the tense final stages. Our text editor Beth Millet deserves not only our admiration and respect, but also a medal as large as a frying pan for her sterling work on turning our almost random thoughts and scribbling into something resembling a coherent text. She did this with tact, diplomacy, and a level of patience while balancing her own very busy family life. How she managed to get any kind of sense out of us I will never know, at times it must have been rather like herding cats. She is clearly not paid enough.
The initial meetings between us, the authors, lead to conversations completely tangential to the purpose of the book, and we always found ourselves in discussions that descended or transcended, depending upon your point of view into joyous anarchy. There was always quite a lot of laughter involved though not a great deal of progress. While a degree of confusion, indecision, and uncertainty is perhaps to be expected in the elderly, it was a surprise that these qualities permeated the entire development process. Given that a willful procrastination followed hot on the heels of these qualities, it is something of a minor miracle that you are now reading this.
Both authors thank all the people for their contributions to this book, naturally the interviewees for the insight into their individual practice and the often strange ways of a strange industry and the individuals who have supplied and selflessly allowed us to use images from their films and their development work. They have our undying gratitude and thanks.
Derek Hayes
I’d like to thank my wife, Lee, for her wholehearted support for my intention to write this book. I’d like to say but sadly her first words to me when I told her I had agreed to co-author a book on Acting and Performance for Animation were; “Why do you want to do that; you hate writing?” Not quite true, I like writing scripts, I like writing treatments and proposals for films but, true enough when it comes to other things. Nevertheless, she has been, before, during, and after what we now have to refer to as “the book episode,” a constant source of strength, encouragement, and love, and I would have been able to do nothing without her.
As for my collaborator, Chris Webster is one of the most inspiring people I know, and any time I got lost in my attempts to actually write something that made sense, he would be there to encourage, revitalize, and point out a new way forward. That, and make me laugh at the same time. His students are very fortunate people; I hope they know that.
I’d also thank the people I work with at Falmouth University, Andy Wyatt, Kathy Nicholls, Georg Finch, and Ann Owen, for their support and friendship and all the students I have taught for helping me understand what it is I actually know and how to put it into words. After working in animation for so long, it is the people I have worked with at Animation City and beyond who have been my teachers; my gratitude to them is immense.
Finally, I cannot fail to acknowledge the debt I owe to Phil Austin who got me into animation and taught me so much in the eighteen years we worked together before he left us. Love you mate.
Chris Webster
Undertaking a project such as this is at best foolhardy, whilst attempting to balance it with a full time job, one’s own animation practice and research, family commitments, conferences in China, and the all-important fishing trips demonstrates not simply a foolhardiness but is more likely to be symptomatic of the deterioration of brain function. Given my low-level starting point, the thought of further deterioration is startling. The credit for this book, if any credit is due, must in all fairness be shared with a whole range of people while any blame belongs squarely with me and my fellow conspirator and author Derek Hayes.
While the task of writing this, for me at least, has been a huge one, the results of my efforts remain rather modest. Even these would not have been possible without the support of those around me, principally that of Derek Hayes. I have known Derek for more years than I care to think about, and I have always been a great admirer of his work. To get the opportunity to work alongside him on this has been a great privilege and honor. I have learned so much from him. If there is anything of value within these pages, it belongs to Derek, and if you find fluff and waffl e, you have found my contribution. Without his many kindnesses and support (and despite his almost incessant jibes and comments about my Yorkshire heritage), I could not have made this meager contribution, so thank you Derek.
I thank all my colleagues in the Bristol School of Animation within the University of the West of England, who once again have shown me support and levels of patience that makes them very valued friends: Rachel Robinson, John Parry, Arril Johnson and Julia Bracegirdle, Mary Murphy and Ian Friend.
I must give a huge thanks to all my students, the current ones and the many graduates I have seen over many years (far too many to count let alone list) complete their studies and enter the industry. I thank them not simply for their practical assistance with providing images for the book but for keeping me inspired and for keeping the love of animation, design, and film alive within me.
As always my family deserve to be mentioned because without their love and support nothing would be possible. I am eternally grateful that my three children Marc, Richard, and Rachel still manage after all these years to tolerate their old man. It is my wife Pauline who is most deserving of my gratitude and all of my love. Being married to me, she has a lot to put up with, even so she is always there to support me in everything I do. It is to my darling wife that I dedicate my part of this book.