Pushkin Takes Home the Prize!
I’m really excited to announce this month’s winner of the Cartoon of the Month prize! We had 8 films from episodes 136, 137 and 138 in the running this time - a bit low because of the Channel Frederator Awards, but nonetheless stiff competition! In the end, Pushkin took home the prize!
Pushkin is a great stop motion film brought to us by Trevor Hardy of Fool Hardy Films. I took a few minutes to do a mini-interview with Trevor below. Check it out and then, if you haven’t had the chance to watch it, or haven’t seen it in a while, go watch Pushkin again in Channel Frederator episode 136.
CF: What inspired you to create Pushkin?
I came up for the story line for Pushkin after losing my own cat who thank fully returned a while later but with bent whiskers??? (Don’t ask me?), whilst writing pushkin I watched Sylvain Chomet’s brilliant film, ‘The Triplets of Belleville’ and of course his sets and atmosphere totally inspired me and helped carve the look of the world Pushkin would live in.
CF: What techniques did you use to create it, and about how long did it take?
Pushkin was animated ’stop-frame’ using a video camera, quite a nice one but it has died on me now, so I now use a Nikon 35mm stills camera. I shot it using a package called Stop Motion Pro, a brilliant package for the home grown animator, simple and reliable. (Abit like me). Pushkin took about 18 months to make.
CF: Can you name a few artists, animators or other creatives that influence your work?
I love Mark Bakers films, ‘The village’ and ‘Hill Farm‘, Anthony Hodgesons ‘Hilary’, Snowden and Fines, ‘Bob’s Birthday’, Adam Elliot’s, Harvey Krumpet and his other shorts…there are loads. I simply love anything that shows emotion, be it live action or animation. Live action films I love are, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Dumb and Dumber, shawshank redemption, little miss sunshine, bad boy bubby..the list goes on!
CF: Any advice for hopeful animators who want to win Channel Frederator’s Cartoon of the Month themselves some day?
When making a film, it seems obvious, but keep within your abilities. Don’t try and make a blockbuster just because Nick Park has. If you have no money and a small shooting area/studio, then write a script that is short, minimum puppets, sets etc…make it engaging and funny but using your imagination to push the storyline and chatracter/s forward. Keep the script simple, think of ideas, then rethink them…don’t go with your first idea. Strangle it, smash it, turn it upside down. trust me a better idea will fall out! If it works on paper it will work a treat when it’s animated.
What did you have for lunch today?
I had a simple little ham sandwich, cup of tea and a chocky bar! Next door had a BBQ…don’t you just hate some people!
Thanks so much to Trevor for the great interview, and the great film! Trever will be receiving that awesome prize-pack of Channel Frederator goodness as his reward. Congratulations Trevor! - Carrie
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