There’s nothing like getting back to basics. I’m sure, if someone really, really wanted to, they could do something charming like this in 3D. But for some reason, they don’t.
It’s worth studying: it’s so simple. Everything happens in one shot. British director Simon Tofield is not cutting in and out for reaction shots and action shots. He’s not zooming the camera around the set. He even decided to do it in simple black and white, and so what? It just works.
Animators take note. Settle down and focus on storytelling, and if you don’t watch out, you just might create something nice.
That Simon’s Cat site is brilliant. Lots of stuff to dig through, and it’s a great example of how to generate a ton of charming, engaging material from a very simple idea. Keep It Simple, Simon.
Link sent to me by UK author Jack Eason. Thanks, Jack!
Yeah,
I’ve seen Simon’s Cat before in bookstores, and I think I’ve seen a couple of episodes on YouTube too.
The company he directs for has also won two Oscars for Best Animated Short (1992 and 2008):
http://www.tandemfilms.com/
Simon’s Cat has also won a bunch of awards; it’s listed under Awards at the Tandem site.