UWE Graduates Aim To Turn Stop Motion Production Around with New Animation Studio
Two UWE graduates of The Bristol School of Animation have formed a new stop motion animation production company, Back To Front Studios, based in the heart of Bristol. Co-Founders, Emma Windsor and Aiden Whittam aim to change the way commercial stop motion production is approached by harnessing the latest tools, technologies and techniques to allow their handcrafted creativity to shine.
Film still from “Everyone Can Be Someone”, a stop motion short film for Touch Community Services, Singapore. Animation director: Aiden Whittam.
Aiden and Emma started Back To Front Studios in response to what they saw as a real need for innovation in the ways small to mid scale stop motion is produced. Aiden, who studied on the BA Animation course said “The BA Animation course offered me an opportunity to develop my professional practice and connect into the industry.” Emma, who studied on the MA Animation course agreed and added “The MA course also offered a business related module that allowed me to explore creative business development, which was a really useful platform when we came to investigate our strategy for Back To Front Studios.”
Both co-founders share a passion for handcrafts, creative technologies and lateral thinking. “We formed Back To Front Studios as we wanted to refresh small to mid scale stop motion production by incorporating the very latest technologies and new materials in innovative ways.” said Aiden “We want to make sure we can offer our clients an efficient and sustainable service with authentic results. We don’t want to see stop motion largely confined to history because it’s too labour intensive and unsustainable for common use. It’s a beautiful medium with a distinctive feel that really connects with people.”
The team made a firm decision to base the production company in Bristol UK, so Back To Front Studios is well placed in a city with a high reputation for the creative industries and a rich history of stop motion animation, having been home to the infamous Bolex Brothers and current headquarters of Aardman Animations.
“At its roots, stop motion animation has always combined practical problem-solving with lateral thinking,” said Emma. “When you look back to the work of small studio pioneers like Wladislaw Starewicz, he was fearlessly exploring the cutting edge of technology of his time. Stop motion at its best has always been about thinking up new ways to use tools and tech that might not even be their original intention. We love exploring that.”
“We’re working with some amazing creative technology partners and we’ve got some exciting ideas in development that we hope will bring stop motion and handcrafting back to the forefront of everyday media production.”
About Back To Front Studios
Back To Front Studios is an independent, specialist fabrication workshop and craft-based animation studio based in Bristol, UK. Founded by Aiden Whittam and Emma Windsor, Back To Front Studios is committed to exploring new ways of working that support traditional craft but harness new tools and technologies for great creative results.
Web: www.backtofrontstudios.com
Social: @backtofrontstudios
