The National CollegePossible Worlds
Animation in Ireland
Maeve Clancy
Animation is a young art. In Victorian times, playthings such as the praxinoscope created rough animation with the use of a rotating wheel and slits through which the images were seen to move. By the beginning of the twentieth century, this artificial movement was being exploited by vaudeville performers in the United States, using it in their stage act along with other 'magic' tricks. filmmakers used animation as special effects in their live action pieces before it emerged as an art form in its own right.
By the 1920s, animation studios had been set up in New York, which became the centre of US-based commercial animation (Solomon, 1989, p. 2). In Europe, a more experimental and often political kind of animation was produced. Communist countries such as Hungary and Czechoslovakia became centres of an art that was rapidly distancing itself from the American approach. As the century progressed, this divide grew until US animation became very much Disney-influenced and European animators created pieces more for arthouse viewing than for the mainstream.
Where does this leave Ireland? Does it have an animation industry worth discussing in terms of influence, stature and future? What does the general public know about animation in Ireland? It is likely that most people know nothing about the industry and have never seen an Irish animation. But in fact, there exists a small but thriving industry in this country. Many Irish animators have won prizes at international festivals, yet their work is unknown to the public at large. Why is this the case and how can the situation be remedied?
The history of animation in Ireland does not require a long memory. Apart from some experimentation in the early part of the twentieth century, it was only in the 1970s that a concentrated effort really began to be made. It was at this point that various individuals began to work full-time in animation. Aidan Hickey, originally a painter, pursued his interest in animation while working as a teacher, until he succeeded in negotiating a contract with RTÉ to produce a series called An Saol ag Dul Thart. A former RTÉ employee, Jimmy Quin had also produced some pieces for the national broadcaster in the early 1970s, setting up the first Irish animation studio at his home in Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
Following a night course at NCAD in basic animation techniques, Steve Woods launched his career in the medium. Beginning by producing animated graphics for corporate videos in the early 1980s, Woods is now an independent animator. At the same time, Tim Booth, a former pop artist began working in animation in connection with Jim Murakami, an American who ran his own design and animation company. Murakami had enjoyed a successful career in the sector in California and London before relocating to Dublin in 1971, where he played an important role in expanding the industry. Booth drew on Murakami's experience and expertise to produce his own film based on Yeats' poetry, The Prisoner, in 1983.
All of this activity was due to the interest of individuals who worked largely independent of one another. What created a more industrial animation sector was the introduction by the IDA of a scheme whereby substantial tax benefits were offered to filmmakers planning to invest in Ireland. Sullivan Bluth Studios was one of the few companies producing work to rival Disney's monopoly of the feature film market. Don Bluth was a former Disney employee who had proved the worth of striking out independently with his second feature, An American Tale (1986), breaking all box office records for an animated feature. With the IDA's new incentives and the lower wages in Ireland, Sullivan Bluth moved to Dublin beginning an era of productivity in the animation sector and establishing an industry.
The status afforded by Sullivan Bluth's move to Dublin also encouraged the setting up of other studios. Emerald City, run by another American, Al Guest, was set up in the capital, concentrating on specials based classical tales for television. Murakami films expanded in 1989 to become Murakami Wolf Swenson, specialising in animated series for television, most memorably the series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Animation Committee, p. 2). From having almost no animation activity at all, Dublin was suddenly host to three large studios, with 530 people employed in the sector by 1990, (Coopers and Lybrand report 1992). From the few individuals experimenting virtually alone, an industry was now in place and it created several changes that were to remain after the closing of the big studios.
Most notably, the new industry needed skilled animators. Don Bluth helped to organise the foundation of an animation course at Ballyfermot Senior College that was tied to his studio. Basing the course on that taught at Sheridan College in Canada, Bluth employed a large percentage of the graduates while many of the others found work in the industry abroad. Irish people were now learning about and working in an industry that had previously seemed inaccessible to them (Animation Committee, p. 2).
The success of the course at Ballyfermot caused one to be established at Dun Laoghaire College of Art and Design. Although many students of the college had already experimented in the medium, there existed no course specifically aimed at the subject. While Ballyfermot produced classically trained animators, Dun Laoghaire aimed to train directors of animated pieces. This created a situation in Dublin that is unusual in any country. Two institutions in the one city teaching the opposing methods of animation - the US based classical technique, (Ballyfermot) and the more European experimental arthouse pieces, (Dun Laoghaire). This gave Irish animators the enviable position of being exposed to both approaches to the medium, producing more rounded animation. Some smaller studios were also set up including Animedia Teo, Fred Craig Paramedia and Shepherd films, which employed many Sullivan Bluth animators during lulls in production.
Although an industry was now in place, trouble began to brew at Sullivan Bluth in the early 1990s. financial difficulties caused the studio owners finally to sell in 1995, and soon afterwards the studio was closed. Many ex-Bluth employees soon found work in the United States at Fox Animation, who had taken over the Dublin studio just before its demise. Although most of its animators were offered positions in the States, the closure of Sullivan Bluth exposed the brittle structure of the fledgling Irish animation industry. Emerald City folded and Murakami Wolf Swenson became Fred Wolf films, remaining open but a smaller studio than previously. The foundation of Sullivan Bluth had been the key to opening up an animation industry in Ireland. Would its closure now mark the end?
In effect, this almost happened. There was a lull in production during which many small studios were set up. Some Irish people who had worked in the industry moved abroad to continue in other large studios. Many had gained the necessary technical and business skills to branch out on their own - a difficult task. Those who survived the tough beginnings have created a strong presence in the current industry, among them Monster Productions and Terraglyph Animation, both set up by former Sullivan Bluth employees. While the years of the American studios had been an introduction to animation, the setting-up of indigenous studios was the beginning of an active and successful animation sector in Ireland.
The studios had left behind a rich legacy. Not only were there many Irish people willing and trained to work in the industry; two third-level courses had been set up. The sector could now be built from within Ireland, both by those who had already worked in the studio system and the freshly trained animators influenced by both classical and arthouse animation. The disappearance of the American studios truly spelled the end of an era for animation in Ireland, but in time opened up the possibilities for a more lasting industry.
It is with the closing of the large studios that the animated short really comes into the picture in Ireland. Some of the independent animators working before the studios' set-up had succeeded in producing their own shorts. Tim Booth managed to obtain Arts Council funding for his 1983 short, The Prisoner, while Aidan Hickey was aided by RTÉ in the production of An Inside Job in 1987, (the first Irish film to win awards at the international animation festivals at Stuttgart and Annecy). These are isolated incidents. There existed no scheme to aid the development of animation and with the sudden appearance of an industry, many people began to question why this was the case.
The film Board, which was re-activated under the title of Bord Scannan in 1993 (Animation Committee, p. 7), was the main focus for lobbying. A group of animators came together and pushed for a change in the board's policy of not aiding the animation industry. This was achieved by written papers, appeals in person and a raising of the sector's profile.
The latter was achieved by the foundation of Anamu, the animators group. An idea conceived and acted on by Steve Woods, a veteran of animation and Cathal Caffney, the co-founder of Brown Bag films. Anamu also involved many other members of the industry. Woods had been instrumental in the foundation of the Galway film Resource Centre and envisaged a similar centre for animation in Dublin. The objective was to raise the profile of the medium in the city and provide a database for anyone interested in studying it. It was decided that an international festival would best create awareness of the group and thus the first Irish animation festival was launched in 1994. It showed Irish animator's work alongside that of their peers abroad and for much of the audience, it was an introduction to contemporary animated shorts. The success of the festival resulted in its being run for the two subsequent years, in the second year obtaining funding for a scriptwriting award of €3000.
Due to work commitments, Steve Woods and Cathal Gaffney were unable to continue running the festival, but by the time the third one had taken place, they had succeeded in raising the profile of animation in Ireland. Bord Scannan began the Frameworks scheme in July 1995 with the aid of the Arts Council, RTÉ and the Northern Irish film Council. Its aims are to encourage new and established animators to realise more personal and creative projects (Irish film Archive database no. AC 530). In financial terms, it provides a budget of €27,000, (originally €25,000), to produce a short animated film of five to ten minutes length (Animation Committee, p. 10). This was a move widely welcomed by the sector as a good beginning to aid animators in producing a high quality, well finished piece.
The scheme achieved more than just giving existing animators the chance to work on non-commercial animation. It also allows for the existence of the independent animators like Andrew Kavanagh. A Ballyfermot graduate, Kavanagh undertook some commercial work before gaining Frameworks funding for his 1998 short, An Evil Cradling. It is in the post-production and marketing of the piece that the financial aid is most needed, enabling Irish independents to produce shorts to rival those from abroad. Kavanagh had no previous business training and cites the production and subsequent promotion of his first short as a lesson in the intricacies of dealing in animation (interview with the author). With the funding covering the costs of producing the short, many independents still depend on other work in order to earn a living. Some, including Steve Woods an Andrew Kavanagh, teach animation at Ballyfermot and Dun Laoghaire while others earn their daily bread by undertaking commercial work for the studios.
Rory Bresnihan, the sole recipient of the Anamu scriptwriting award, has since made a Frameworks short entitled Guy's Dog, after a six-month course at Aardman animations in Bristol introduced him to the skills of claymation model animation. Bresnihan is now developing a half-hour animated film for Treasure Productions, an Irish film company.This marks a new beginning for an Irish animator and, hopefully, it is a sign of what is to come in the industry.
All animators interviewed for this study agreed that the Frameworks scheme has raised the standard of animated shorts produced in Ireland. What is now needed is a scheme to aid the commercial side of the sector. Those working in the industry came together once again in 1998, to produce a paper entitled, Realising the Potential of the Animation Sector, in association with the IBEC Audiovisual Federation. This paper details the situation in the industry and how it could be improved. The committee were looking for a policy that will support employment in the sector, make training in animation open to all in the industry and that will provide a healthy financial environment for both established and new studios (Animation Committee, p. 5). A successful studio can only remain strong if it can retain control over as much of the product as possible. The animation committee asks that a structure be put in place to help any company to retain the standard 10-20% of the end rights to their work.
The paper also addresses a contentious issue among the animation community; the film board wishes to promote an Irish cinema that engages, 'with the cultures and communities indigenous to this island' (Animation Committee, p. 7). This is an issue that Terraglyph Productions found hampered the funding of their first feature film, Carnivale with Bord Scannan. The subsequent critical acclaim for the film and the commercial success of their second feature, Help, I'm a fish! , has meant that the board now lends support to Terraglyph's current projects in the realisation that the Irish cultural context does not always hold a mainstream appeal. The approach of Terraglyph also shows another method of bringing about change within the policies of the film Board. Terraglyph proved what could be done, therefore earning more respect and support for future plans.
The Committee's paper has effected some changes in the industry. Bord Scannan has launched two new projects, one specifically for the animation industry; the other is also open to live action filmmakers. The Irish flash project leans towards the commercial side of the industry, but also shows the board's realisation of the importance of digital animation. It grants a budget of €3000 for the production of a film made in Macromedia's flash programme, the industry standard in web-based animation. Originally used for websites, there are currently many animators using the software to produce work that pushes its limits to create a new style of animation.
The second project is called Short Shorts. It provides a grant of €10,000 to produce a minute-long animated or live action short. These shorts will be shown where the medium began: before the main feature in a cinema theatre. To avoid distribution legalities, the shorts will be shown as part of the advertising section. Brown Bag films are currently producing an animated short on racism for the first run of the project and the industry eagerly awaits the screening.
In November 2000, after a gap of three years, the fourth edition of the Irish Animation Festival was held in Dublin. Ruth Maher and Denise Mulvaney, two former Dun Laoghaire students, took up the task of organising the event. Both worked in the multimedia side of animation and planned a festival that emphasised how new technology would aid a small industry like the Irish. As well as screenings, classes and lectures, the festival also provided the launchpad for a project by the Cartoon Saloon studio in Kilkenny. The studio works commercially producing mainly flashcards for online clients. This work had funded their bid to produce a feature length animated film. With backing from the FÁS Millennium Arts and Culture fund, the group consisting mostly of Ballyfermot graduates has already made a pilot for the classically animated Rebel, a story based in the monastic settlement of Kells in the 9th century.
Cartoon Saloon's bid for the first fully Irish-produced feature length animation demonstrates what a difficult task it is to source funds for such an enterprise. Even more difficult is securing a distribution deal in order for the film to be seen. Gerry Shirren of Terraglyph attests to the difficulties his studio found when releasing their features; although one was on general release in many European countries, there lies no hope in securing a distribution deal in Ireland due to the lack of independent distributors.
In 1989, the European Media Programme launched CARTOON, a group to bring together animators from all over the European Union. In 1990, the Cartoon Forum was begun, consisting of a three or four-day conference in a remote location in Europe with the purpose of introducing animation producers with projects in development to broadcasters, financiers and distributors. Groups who had worked separately for decades now found that they were in a single forum and that co-operation between them was more productive than continuing alone. The Cartoon Forum Conference was hosted by Ireland in 1996 and took place in Galway.
In review, the animation scene in Ireland at present is a hopeful one. The establishment of the animator's group Anam has helped to raise their profile and open up the art to a wider audience through festivals. Bord Scannan's involvements through the now established Frameworks scheme and new initiatives such as Irish flash and Short Shorts have meant that there exists a support structure for animators starting out. Where they go after this is what many in the industry are now asking.
The link between commercial and arthouse animation is a strong one, the existence of both perhaps due to the opposing methods being taught in Dun Laoghaire and Ballyfermot. Each depends on the other to a degree, the commercial on the arthouse for artistic credibility and a free rein for creativity, the non-commercial on the industry for the financial means to produce personal pieces.
Animation in Ireland began through the work of individuals; from the early experimenters through to Steve Woods, Aidan Hickey and Jimmy Quin, and it is still due to strong individuals that the industry exists here today. Andrew Kavanagh expresses regret for those in the college system who fall by the wayside, but also states that those who undertake to work in animation do so fully; there are no half-hearted attempts. A veteran of the animation scene, Aidan Hickey has seen many studios close and people who have worked in the industry for over a decade finally give up.
The mentality and commitment of animators in Ireland is unique. This will mean that the industry either blossoms or wilts, but never dies. Most of them share the belief that Hickey expresses: 'There are those of us that do it [animation] and will always do it' (Hickey interview). A steadfast wish to animate is what has created the current positive situation and it is what will remain, regardless of how the sector develops.
Bibliography
ANIMATION COMMITTEE, THE, Realising the Potential of the Animation Sector, IBEC Audiovisual Federation, June 1998.
CARTOON SALOON AND YOUNG IRISH FILMMAKERS, THE, Turning Darkness into Light; REBEL, FAS Millennium Fund and Arts Council, Dublin 2000.
IRISH FILM ARCHIVE, Database of Irish Animations, Eustace St., Dublin 2.
IRISH FILM SHOWCASE, www.filmboard.ie/film_file/frameworks.
SOLOMON, Charles, The History of Animation-Enchanted Drawings, New York: Knopf, 1989.
Interviews
Rory Bresnihan, independent animator, Dublin, 23rd November 2000.
Cathal Gaffney, animator, co-founder Brown Bag films and Anamu Brown Bag film Offices, Dublin, 17th November 2000.
Aidan Hickey, independent animator, animation scriptwriter, Dublin, 20th December 2000.
Andrew Kavanagh, independent animator, Dublin, 18th November 2000.
Gerry Shirren, joint managing director, Terraglyph Productions, Dublin, 29th January 2001.
Steve Woods, independent animator, co-founder of Anamu, Dublin, 18th November 2000.
