The AIR Scheme

The year after graduation I worked on a synopsis for a digital 2d animated film. Unbeknownst at the time, channel 4 pulled the funding and it ceased to exist. I kept the material amassed from the process and wanted to share some of the film’s development.

The original character sketch, just a couple of characters and some props. It’s always a good feeling to get something on paper. This was the catalyst for taking the idea further.

A quick model sheet, I started to take my sketch book everywhere, I would just open it and doodle ideas.

The ashes were on television at the time and I was swept up in the matches, I tried to watch as much as possible. Soaking up all things cricket.

I was looking to create a style for the film, something quintessentially English. A washed-out palette was the perfect tonal aesthetic.

Even with basic characters drawn, I was eager to start developing line tests. These were really just proof concepts but they were incredibly informative.

An early composite using after effects. It’s hard to envision now but back then, everything I did was in 4:3 aspect ratio, it’s so ugly.

A fleshed out run cycle featuring the bowler character. On 1’s with some smear frames added to enhance the contacts.

I always liked this boil, the lines were clean and it had so much life. The water coloured gave the images a lot of depth.

I started to draw inspiration from old cricket highlights and iconic matches I would find on YouTube, it was still in its infancy back then but it was great for old footage.

These are a few pages from the submission, I burned the midnight oil laying out these. Character sheets are always fun to design.

Looking back, working on the film pitch submission was hugely beneficial to my personal development as an artist. Now, after 15 years languishing on an old hard drive, it can have a brief moment on the crease, “How’s that?”.