Manchester Animation Festival: Tim Searle's Masterclass

I think this presentation was by far my favourite event of the whole festival, and I think it's mostly down to Tim's character. From the get go (or rather not, considering he experienced technical difficulties before he had even started) you could see that he was a down to earth guy which made his presentation very interesting and entertaining to watch, and not only this but I found it to be very beneficial.

Like most of the other speakers, Tim started off by telling us about his background and it was interesting to learn that he was initially studying Photography at Farnham. He got into animation by going to Annecy "for the laugh" which "changed everything" as he discovered he "needed to entertain". From here he worked on a number of different projects with a number of different companies (including Triffic Films, Baby Cow Animation,Viz) before he began working at Tiger Aspect Productions (previously known as Tiger Television) and working on Mr Bean.

To make it an "official Masterclass", every so often Tim would throw in some top tips, these are a select few:
- Don't be a dick.
- Keep your shower short.

On a more serious note:
- Create a business plan. Be aware of finances and keep cash coming in.
- "How many times have you heard 'I can't draw'". It all requires PRACTICE. Don't rush straight to the computer, instead draw first as "the illusion of it being all natural" takes practice.
- Be an enthusiast. "If you're going to do it, DO IT".
- Have a plan.
-Take a few chances.
- COLLABORATE, and again, don't be a dick.

In all seriousness though, his points were very valid and this talk - as well as the majority of the others I attended this year - have really stressed the importance of getting your work out there and showing your enthusiasm in the animation world. To put this to the test, I approached Tim after the talk hoping to chat with him and I was lucky to do so. He was a very friendly man and was happy to answer all of my questions. He told me that it's not so much as important to specialize but to do whatever it is you're doing well, and advised me to keep my animations short and precise and to not try stretch my resources too far. It's better to have a short, well made animation than to try to make it seem more impressive by making it longer and dimming the quality.

I have since added Tim Searle on Twitter and he is now following me too. He also requested to see my project once it is finished, and I can't wait to show it to him!