ANIMATION ARTERY

Earlier this year saw the publication of a "cracking new edition" of Cracking Animation, the book I wrote with Aardman Animation's Peter Lord on the history and making of stop-frame animated films.

The book (published in the USA as Creating 3-D Animation) has gone through three editions and it is probably my No.1 best-seller, despite the fact that (as a result of my having signed a really bad contract) I earn no royalties from its on-going success!

Sometimes, however, rewards come in different ways and I was thrilled to receive the following e-mail from American student, Emiline Mesmer...

As a young girl, I was always fascinated with stop-motion animation, but I'd always viewed it as being inaccessible or trivial.

Just a few months ago, I decided to give it my best try, by chance stumbling on your book Creating 3-D Animation. It helped me enormously and with my make-shift studio, tucked away in the corner of my high school's art room, I managed to create a few, small studies that will never see life off my computer.

However, each year at my school we host a blood drive in memory of one of the former students who lost her battle to leukemia. To promote the drive, the art department throws together a video of silly humor-ridden shenanigans centering on the day of donating. In light of my previous experimentations, I concocted an idea for a short, stop-motion clip that would grab attention. After three weeks of being holed away in my little corner of the room, I was left with a work that means more to me than any of my previous artistic adventures.

I thought that you might like to see it since it was your book which facilitated my happiness.

There is sound, but speakers have to be all the way up to hear it.

With gratitude,

Emiline

And here is Emiline's film...

Thank you, Emiline, for sharing your film and your enthusiasm. I'm delighted to have had an involvement (albeit inspirational) in its making and I look forward to seeing your next movie!