In 1981 TVC were again chosen as one of the animation studios to produce sequences for HEAVY METAL THE MOVIE these being soft landing and the twenty minute DEN sequence. Jimmy Murikami the director of the soft landing episode decided to use cut-out animation of a Corvette car and driver taken from specific angles which were then retouched by airbrush and ultimately combined with highly stylized animation backgrounds. TVC used every available means to enhance and refine their experimental concept in the time allotted.
Eventually his sequence was embellished by sound effects and music, but that came after soft landing was completely animated and enhanced with special photographic effects.
Den the second sequence TVC animated was directed by Jack Stokes. Working against a tight deadline, Stokes storyboarded the entire sequence in a few days, the original storyboard I was handed looked very nice but it wasn’t animatable.
The one regret that everyone involved in the production expresses is the lack of time.
Last year TVC produced 35 minutes of animation as part of a one hour T.V. special titled CASTLE based on the book by David McCauley. The film paints a vivid picture of life in medieval England and of the building and defence in battle of one of the Welsh castles.
One of the highlights of last Christmas’s TV season was the showing on Channel 4 of TVC’s THE SNOWMAN the half hour special captured the style of the Raymond Briggs book and with a haunting theme song THE SNOWMAN was another winner for TVC.
One of the animators who played an important part in the development of THE SNOWMAN Joanne Fryer was a Movie Maker Ten Best winner in 1974 for her animated film “Make-Up”. She also worked as a painter on Watership Down before joining TVC.
