Ringmaster Project Revealed

At last, it's time to reveal what the ringmaster project really is! (Drum roll please)



The screen is no longer censored as we reveal the project


As you can see from the screenshot we have been working on an entry for the FLIP sting competition that ends on October 1st. The animation is limited 10 seconds and must use at least one of the following:

1. FLIP logo
2. Sound files provided with the competition
3. the word or letters of FLIP

We've ticked two of the above with the use of their logo and using the sound files they've provided. The sound files shaped the vision for our entry featuring dark, carnival themed music and so the ringmaster came to life with his mysterious cart.



The Ringmaster leads the viewer towards FLIP logo

With the animation almost complete, we'll be sure to update this blog in a few days time with the final animation uploaded and entered into the competition on Vimeo.

Animation Alliance UK and Monday Recaps

During the past week Animation Forum West Midlands wrote an article about the Animation Alliance UK; whose focus it is to restore support to independent animation professionals. They have recently sent a letter to Lord Chris Smith (Panel Chair of the independent review of Government film policy) concerning the lack of public policy, strategy and support for independent animation.

We strongly recommend supporting the AAUK by joining if you are an animation professional within the UK. To join:

If you would like to join, please visit:
http://groups.google.com/group/animationallianceuk

 or:

If you do not have/want a google account, you can request to join via email to:
animationalliance@me.com
Please state your professional role, any affiliation (eg production company, university),
plus anything else relevant/notable (eg BAFTA/BAA festival nominations/wins).

We will also hold a recap feature on our Facebook page each week where all events within the past week are available in one post( in case you missed out on the S5S news and updates). This will most likely be held on a Monday, so keep a look out for the recap posts each week on Facebook. As always, thank you for the support and if you haven't already, follow us on our social sites to keep up to date or visit us at:

http://www.sector5studios.co.uk/

Enter the Ringmaster!

As teased last week we are working on a project that we'll announce very soon as it comes closer to being completed. For this week's blog post we'll leave you with another screenshot of its development:




The Ringmaster enters the scene in this mystery project...


Among other news, we have updated our show reel to match the recent make over of our official site and our social sites. The show reel now sports a new company logo animation too which you can check out below:



Showreel from Sector5 Studios on Vimeo.

Keep an eye out for the announcement of this project as we may reveal it next week.

Graduation Ceremonies and Developments

This weeks blog update will be short and slightly late so don't blink!

S5S animators attended their graduation ceremony yesterday marking the end of a university era. The ceremony was held at the Grand Theatre in Wolverhampton and overall it was a great day.

Now because this blog update is tiny, we've added a mystery development screen of a new animation we are working on. Look forward to the official reveal on this project in future blog updates. We promise, it won't be a long wait.



Work in progress render of the mystery project. Any guesses?



For those of you who will be returning to university for your new year or perhaps if you're starting this month: Good luck and enjoy it!

Bridgnorth Animation Festival review

We're breaking the rules with an extra blog update to give you our mini review on the Bridgnorth Animation Festival.

The Animation Mini Festival was held at The Majestic Cinema in Bridgnorth featuring local animations and international animations. As we mentioned in previous updates, one of our own animators had their film shown during the festival. The event had a great attendance as each animation was shown on the big screen. Local animators were also given a moment to introduce their film which was a pleasant feature of the event.

The event was introduced by James Clarke, author of Animated Films, who gave a brilliant talk on the potential that animation has as a medium to be more human than live actions films can ever be. With the ability to tackle themes and subjects in a variety of styles and moods, where even the darkest truths of our society can be presented with a completely fresh perspective in its visuals as well as the story.  It was an inspiring talk and a great way to introduce the event.

The festival was closed with the trailer of Lion King 3D and a Toy Story short (in 3D too). The festival was a great experience with inspiring talks, a great location and amazing animations. It's a festival we look forward to returning to next year and the years after.

A new look

As you will have noticed by now, the blog has a new look. In addition to the blog, our website, twitter and YouTube profiles have undergone similar changes to match the new colour scheme.

The biggest changes have been made to our official site and is still being revamped. The layout has been altered for better navigation and the animator profiles will be improved alongside a new "about" section for S5S. We now have a contact form added to our contact page to make it easier to get in touch with us directly.

To also match the new colour scheme, the show reel will undergo a slight change too with a brand new logo animation. Amongst other developments, we are now working on several projects which we'll announce at later dates.

As we announced last week, we'll be attending the Bridgnorth Animation mini festival taking place tomorrow (Saturday 27th August) at the Majestic Cinema. Caged by S5S animator, Ravi Maheru, will be screened there too. We look forward to meeting everyone there. (More details on the festival here: http://www.bridgnorthmusicfest.com/ )

Thanks for the great support so far, if you haven't already please follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo and of course this blog to stay up to date on the S5S world! We'll be back next week with our weekly blog updates, also look out for a blog post dedicated to our impressions and experience of the Bridgnorth Animation festival.

Bridgnorth Music & Arts Festival 2011

The Bridgnorth Music & Arts Festival 2011 begins next week on August 26th which covers a wide range of events over the course of a week.

Sector5 Studios will also be present at the festival on the 27th to attend the Animation mini Festival. "Caged" will be shown at the event which is a short animated film by one of our own animators, Ravi Maheru.



Screenshot of Caged

 The Animation mini Festival will be held at the Majestic Cinema in Bridgnorth ( Click to see map )
on Saturday 27 August, 14:30 – 17:30.  We look forward to seeing everyone there next week.

For more details on Bridgnorth Festival, visit:
http://www.bridgnorthmusicfest.com/

----

We'd also like to announce our new youtube page which you can visit at:

www.youtube.com/sector5studios