Paul Thomas continues his brief autobiography of his struggle to find success as an independent animator. This is a little known fact. I had met with Anne Wood (creator of the Teletubbies) and cast as one of thirteen animators she sought for a new children’s TV series called The Magic Mirror. A major company was… Read More »
Paul Thomas continues his brief autobiography of his struggle to find success as an independent animator. Julian Holdaway was a great help. A rostrum cameraman based in Bob Godfrey’s basement. He introduced me to books, people and places in the animated world and helped sustain my desire for knowledge of my craft. I had learnt… Read More »
This guest post by Paul Thomas gives us a brief autobiography of his struggle to find success as an independent animator. Animate – verb – to make alive or lively. On Christmas day 1966 my present of an Action Man went missing then reappeared later that day. Where had he been? In the new year… Read More »
Dale Hemenway wrote an article in Animator number 24 telling how some of his cartoon sequences came to be shown on the BBC programme ‘Hartbeat’. The programme was hosted by Tony Hart, who had a unique approach to art. He featured many different styles of animation produced by young, freelance or independent animators. Dale wrote… Read More »
Paul Thomas was interviewed in Animator Issue number 11 in 1984. At the time he was running the Tiger Trax animation studio, situated in a block of flats just off the Old Kent Road.
Paul began his animation career at Bob Godfrey’s studio and at the time of the interview, was doing sequences for Tony Hart’s BBC TV programme “Take Hart” and design work for the Kate Bush fan club magazine. He also contributed a regular cartoon strip to Animator mag under the pen name of Dr Scratch, featuring a rather droll dog called Scratch.
Paul recently discovered the Animator mag web site whilst searching the Internet and dropped me an email with his latest news.
He has left the concrete jungle of London for the green and pleasant land of Salisbury, Wiltshire. Paul is now the director and writer for a children’s puppet performance group called Tin Harlequin. He told me that forming the group “was a dream come true”.
Animator Barry Leith with Paddington at FilmFair studios (1982)
Paddington Bear was featured in Animator’s newsletter issue 3, winter 1982 when we interviewed director of animation Barry Leith at FilmFair Animation Studios. At the time Barry was working on the Paddington Bear TV series. In that series Paddington was a puppet and the humans drawn animation, cut-out and mounted on card so that they could be integrated on the same set as the puppet.
The short film “Skywhales”, was featured in Animator’s newsletter issue 7, winter 1983. It was written and directed by Derek Hayes and Phil Austin at Animation City. Skywhales has been discovered by a new generation, thanks to its appearance on YouTube, and has become a cult classic on the Internet.
The films of Sheila Graber were featured in Animator’s newsletter number 5, summer 1983. At the time she had recently given up her post of Head of Creative Studies at King George Comprehensive School to pursue animation on a full-time professional basis.
Animation by a Young Film Maker was an article written for Animator’s newsletter issue 2 autumn 1982 by Michael Salkeld. At the time he had just become the winner of the BBC Young Filmmakers competition.