Aimee Longstaff BA (Hons) Illustration with Animation 2020

Throughout final year my work has specialised in stop-motion animation, within which my interests are broad. This ranges from the animation process itself, to prop, set, character, and production design. Beyond animation, cinema is one of my biggest inspirations, sometimes more so than animation and my analysis of cinematic conventions strongly influences my practice.

Specifically, I enjoy experimenting with ways to build atmosphere, and bring life to a stop-motion piece; I do this through the use of texture, lighting and composition, combined with macro photography to bring the tiniest details to life.

Stop motion is my personal choice in medium as it offers the opportunity to bring life to object, create sentiment and bring meaning to materials. It allows us to create worlds that feel completely believable and realistic. The homegrown feel of stop motion fits perfectly with the themes I enjoy working with, which generally revolve around magic, fairytale, and fantasy.

For In Progress, I am presenting a collection of my favourite images from the year, and a short showreel of clips. The work is experimental; I spent the year deciding how to create and present the characters and sets, and form the basis for my story. This is based on a poem I wrote about a little girl who wanders into the woods, discovering a witch who travels through the forest with a herd of 'were-rats'. From here I plan to animate the full story, when I have the resources to do so. 

I am interested in pursuing a career not only in animation, but in cinema, theatre, or television as well; anything hands-on and crafty is perfect for me! I am looking for any relevant experience and keen to start as soon as possible; please see my contact details if you would like to get in touch.