Alasdair Brotherston Archives - Trunk | Animation Production Company
Trunk has created a series of beautiful teasers for the Financial Times.
On 20, Feb 2018 | In Press | By Pip
Alasdair + Jock like lunch, in fact they like all meals, it would appear food nourishes them. But it’s lunch that has taken centre stage the last few weeks due to a project for the Financial Times. At first our producer thought it was for an article about his magical budgeting skills. No. It was in fact much more wholesome a project; to make a set of teasers and illustrations for the acclaimed feature ‘Lunch with the FT’, an article that has been popularly carried for decades, and that features every major creative and business name you can think of. The relaxed, yet spirited interviews take place in a restaurant of the interviewee’s choice, and the bill is footed by the FT, who else? The order and receipt are then published for your deliberation, cogitation and digestion.
With an extensive archive of wonderfully candid lunches to exploit, the FT editorial team wanted to give them a fresh twist. Alasdair + Jock developed appetising little mysteries for each, revealing subtle clues through beautifully animated vignettes that reflect the humour, warmth and tangue of the interviews. With two new ones from Charlie Brooker, and Alma Deutscher, and two oldies from Jonathan Franzen (coming soon) and Nigel Farage, there was a nice mix of subject matter to call on. Chris Swaine and Marty O’Brien at Fonic created beautiful soundbeds for each, which really help contextualise the pieces, even using a snippet of Alma Deutscher’s piano work to help illustrate her story.
Producer Richard Barnett notes, “Large established media houses have a massive mine of data which remains essentially untapped. For example the Financial Times has articles stretching back over a 100 years. These teasers demonstrate how archives can be made relevant to the contemporary media conversation, whether interviews, opinion pieces, or historical articles, as history repeats itself, they often become more relevant with time. By creating visual introductions to published interviews a wider audience can be captured than could have been achieved by text alone.”
The interviews along with Jock’s wonderful illustrations were published in the FT Weekend edition, as well as online, and the teasers were successfully shared and re-tweeted on social media. The projects were created using a mixture of photoshop, flash and after effects.
Click below for press coverage :-
Credits:
Directed by Alasdair + Jock
Producer: Richard Barnett
Illustration: Jock Mooney
Animation: Alasdair Brotherston, Lesley Dart
Sound and Mix by Chris Swaine and Marty O’Brien @ Fonic
Commissioned by Natalie Whittle and Kevin Wilson @ Financial Times
Visual Reference for Rattle That Lock
On 11, Aug 2015 | In news / blog | By Layla
Here’s a glimpse behind the scenes on Rattle That Lock. We took a load of photos as visual reference for our mega-talented illustrator Jock Mooney. It’s fun to see various animators and Trunk people in cameo roles throughout the piece
Trunk Animation’s video for David Gilmour’s Rattle That Lock
On 10, Aug 2015 | In Press | By Pip
Trunk Animation’s epic music video for David Gilmour’s new single Rattle That Lock started with a brief but intriguing phone call back in March.
‘Hi it’s Fiz Oliver, the producer at Hipgnosis. We’d like to come in and have a chat about a project for David Gilmour.’
The opportunity to work with such an iconic studio for such a renowned musician was both extremely exciting and slightly daunting for directors Alasdair + Jock. Hipgnosis was created in 1968 when Creative Director Aubrey Powell teamed up with close friend Storm Thorgerson, and together they re-wrote the visual language of album covers. They created some of the most outstanding images in music history for Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney, Peter Gabriel, Black Sabbath, 10CC, and Pink Floyd. Powell and Thorgerson famously brought London’s air traffic to a standstill when the large inflatable pig they were using as a prop for the Pink Floyd ‘Animals’ album shoot broke free from Battersea Power Station and drifted into Heathrow’s international flight path. Since Storm Thorgerson passed away in early 2013, Aubrey Powell has consistently worked with David Gilmour and Pink Floyd, continuing the tradition of bespoke design.
David GiImour has stood at the pinnacle of musical achievement for over forty years. A core member of Pink Floyd, the singer, songwriter and virtuoso guitarist’s unique sound can be heard on his latest solo project “Rattle That Lock”. The title track on the album of the same name was inspired by an unlikely mix of the French SNCF rail announcement jingle and John Milton’s epic 17th century poem Paradise Lost.
David Gilmour’s song, with lyrics by Polly Sampson, was inspired by Book Two of Milton’s poem which sets out to deal with the grandest of themes. The poem, which encompasses twelve books, concerns the Biblical story of the Fall of Man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angelSatan and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. In book one Milton lays bare his intention, to “justify the ways of God to men”. With a brief to reference Gustave Doré’s sensational mid-19th century illustrations for Paradise Lost, the project needed a team who could not only bring the intricately detailed etchings to life but could do so in a manner that captured the depth, drama and scale of both Gilmour’s song and Milton’s poem.
Trunk directors Alasdair + Jock were perfectly placed for the project. Taking advantage of the rare but well-judged need of a development period, the team set to work studying the poem and its wider significance. The film’s rich narrative takes its main inspiration from the first three books of Milton’s poem but incorporates details from all twelve. The film follows the fall of Satan from the kingdom of Heaven and his subsequent journey through Pandemonium, Purgatory and Chaos on his way to corrupt the virgin Earth. As the tale plays out, Satan takes on new forms as his character also progresses. Starting as the beautiful yet fearful Fallen Angel he is first re-born as a sinister, masterful Cormorant before finally transforming into a lithe Serpent that wreaks havoc on the Earth in a cloud of jealousy and rage.
Having both attended Edinburgh College of Art, Alasdair + Jock revelled in the opportunity to develop the imagery and weave some of their favourite art references into the mix. Goya, Bosch, Piranesi, Bernini and John Martin were all heavily referenced, as were smaller details from the famous ‘She Wolf’ Roman statue, a subtle skeletal illustration from ‘The Birth of Venus’ by Botticelli and an Otto Dix inspired dead horse. A particular favourite of the team is a sequence set in a petrified forest, influenced by Gustave Doré’s illustrations for The Inferno and German printmaker Albrecht Dürer.
Once David Gilmour and Polly Samson had signed off the overall concept, Trunk’s producer Richard Barnett pulled together a team of 12 animators, art-workers and compositors. Over the next three months Alasdair + Jock threw lakes of fire, petrified lost souls, and even the hounds of hell at the team. With Jock creating massive original drawn artworks for the backgrounds and Alasdair pulling all the elements together in the composite, the team worked tirelessly to create mesmerising sequences.
With the creative bar set so high, technical challenges were never too far away. The level of quality in the animation came at a cost, both in time and resources. Each frame went through a range of different processes. The animation was roughed out, cleaned up and had layers of art-working added. The animation was then composited with highly detailed backgrounds, adding further lighting, effects and camera moves. Finally, the whole sequence was sent through a colour grade at Glassworks. Working with the talented sound designer Barnaby Templer and his team at Fonic, the film was brought to life with layered foley and sound effects, which were then delicately mixed with David Gilmour’s track.
The finished film has all the elements that we have come to expect from an Alasdair + Jock animation. A beautiful play of light evokes the softness of Doré inspired prints, while the strong visual narrative captures the epic nature of Milton’s poem. A dark humour underlines many of the scenes and the detailed imagery reveals countless references to the poem layered throughout.
The video demonstrates Trunk’s position as one of the country’s leading animation production companies, with a client list that boasts the likes of Blur, Elton John, The Rolling Stones, Elbow, Hot Chip, Madness and Coldplay amongst others. The finished video will accompany the release of the album by the same name on social media. The De Luxe Box Set also includes a documentary by Aubrey Powell, charting both the making of the song and the animation process itself.
Click below for press coverage :-
Credits:-
Director: Alasdair + Jock
Producer: Richard Barnett
Production Company: Trunk Animation
Creative Director: Aubrey Powell @ Hipgnosis
Producer for Hipgnosis: Fiz Oliver
Associate Producer: Daniel Negret
2D Animation: Layla Atkinson, Alasdair Brotherston, Stuart Doig, Carlos De Faria, Alex Potts
3D Animation: Clélia Leroux, Rok Predin
Art Workers: Rachel Callinan, Ana Garcia, Théo Gremillet, Laura Ireland, Reina Shibahara
Illustration: Jock Mooney
Compositing: Alasdair Brotherston, Andy Hague
Audio Post Production: Fonic
Sound Editor: Marty O’Brien
Sound Design and Mix: Barnaby Templer
Grade: Matt Hare @ Glassworks
Producer for Glassworks: Paul Schleicher
Music: David Gilmour/ Michaël Boumendil / Lyrics: Polly Samson
A Hipgnosis Ltd Production
Rattle That Lock published by Pink Floyd Music Publishers Ltd., administered by Imagem UK Ltd. / Sixième Son Édition
© 2015 David Gilmour Music Ltd.
David Gilmour | Rattle That Lock | Alasdair + Jock
On 31, Jul 2015 | In news / blog | By Richard
Trunk Animation’s epic music video for David Gilmour’s new single Rattle That Lock started with a brief but intriguing phone call back in March.
‘Hi it’s Fiz Oliver, the producer at Hipgnosis. We’d like to come in and have a chat about a project for David Gilmour.’
The opportunity to work with such an iconic studio for such a renowned musician was both extremely exciting and slightly daunting for directors Alasdair + Jock.
Hipgnosis was created in 1968 when Creative Director Aubrey Powell teamed up with close friend Storm Thorgerson, and together they re-wrote the visual language of album covers. They created some of the most outstanding images in music history for Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney, Peter Gabriel, Black Sabbath, 10CC, and Pink Floyd. Powell and Thorgerson famously brought London’s air traffic to a standstill when the large inflatable pig they were using as a prop for the Pink Floyd ‘Animals’ album shoot broke free from Battersea Power Station and drifted into Heathrow’s international flight path. Since Storm Thorgerson passed away in early 2013, Aubrey Powell has consistently worked with David Gilmour and Pink Floyd, continuing the tradition of bespoke design.
David GiImour has stood at the pinnacle of musical achievement for over forty years. A core member of Pink Floyd, the singer, songwriter and virtuoso guitarist’s unique sound can be heard on his latest solo project “Rattle That Lock”. The title track on the album of the same name was inspired by an unlikely mix of the French SNCF rail announcement jingle and John Milton’s epic 17th century poem Paradise Lost.
David Gilmour’s song, with lyrics by Polly Sampson, was inspired by Book Two of Milton’s poem which sets out to deal with the grandest of themes. The poem, which encompasses twelve books, concerns the Biblical story of the Fall of Man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. In book one Milton lays bare his intention, to “justify the ways of God to men”.
With a brief to reference Gustave Doré’s sensational mid-19th century illustrations for Paradise Lost, the project needed a team who could not only bring the intricately detailed etchings to life but could do so in a manner that captured the depth, drama and scale of both Gilmour’s song and Milton’s poem.
Trunk directors Alasdair + Jock were perfectly placed for the project. Taking advantage of the rare but well-judged need of a development period, the team set to work studying the poem and its wider significance. The film’s rich narrative takes its main inspiration from the first three books of Milton’s poem but incorporates details from all twelve.
The film follows the fall of Satan from the kingdom of Heaven and his subsequent journey through Pandemonium, Purgatory and Chaos on his way to corrupt the virgin Earth. As the tale plays out, Satan takes on new forms as his character also progresses. Starting as the beautiful yet fearful Fallen Angel he is first re-born as a sinister, masterful Cormorant before finally transforming into a lithe Serpent that wreaks havoc on the Earth in a cloud of jealousy and rage.
Having both attended Edinburgh College of Art, Alasdair + Jock revelled in the opportunity to develop the imagery and weave some of their favourite art references into the mix. Goya, Bosch, Piranesi, Bernini and John Martin were all heavily referenced, as were smaller details from the famous ‘She Wolf’ Roman statue, a subtle skeletal illustration from ‘The Birth of Venus’ by Botticelli and an Otto Dix inspired dead horse. A particular favourite of the team is a sequence set in a petrified forest, influenced by Gustave Doré’s illustrations for The Inferno and German printmaker Albrecht Dürer.
Once David Gilmour and Polly Samson had signed off the overall concept, Trunk’s producer Richard Barnett pulled together a team of 12 animators, art-workers and compositors. Over the next three months Alasdair + Jock threw lakes of fire, petrified lost souls, and even the hounds of hell at the team. With Jock creating massive original drawn artworks for the backgrounds and Alasdair pulling all the elements together in the composite, the team worked tirelessly to create mesmerising sequences.
With the creative bar set so high, technical challenges were never too far away. The level of quality in the animation came at a cost, both in time and resources. Each frame went through a range of different processes. The animation was roughed out, cleaned up and had layers of art-working added. The animation was then composited with highly detailed backgrounds, adding further lighting, effects and camera moves. Finally, the whole sequence was sent through a colour grade at Glassworks.
Working with the talented sound designer Barnaby Templer and his team at Fonic, the film was brought to life with layered foley and sound effects, which were then delicately mixed with David Gilmour’s track.
The finished film has all the elements that we have come to expect from an Alasdair + Jock animation. A beautiful play of light evokes the softness of Doré inspired prints, while the strong visual narrative captures the epic nature of Milton’s poem. A dark humour underlines many of the scenes and the detailed imagery reveals countless references to the poem layered throughout.
The video demonstrates Trunk’s position as one of the country’s leading animation production companies, with a client list that boasts the likes of Blur, Elton John, The Rolling Stones, Elbow, Hot Chip, Madness and Coldplay amongst others.
The finished video will accompany the release of the album by the same name on social media. The De Luxe Box Set also includes a documentary by Aubrey Powell, charting both the making of the song and the animation process itself.
Director: Alasdair + Jock
Producer: Richard Barnett
Production Company: Trunk Animation
Creative Director: Aubrey Powell @ Hipgnosis
Producer for Hipgnosis: Fiz Oliver
Associate Producer: Daniel Negret
2D Animation: Layla Atkinson, Alasdair Brotherston, Stuart Doig, Carlos De Faria, Alex Potts
3D Animation: Clélia Leroux, Rok Predin
Art Workers: Rachel Callinan, Ana Garcia, Théo Gremillet, Laura Ireland, Reina Shibahara
Illustration: Jock Mooney
Compositing: Alasdair Brotherston, Andy Hague
Audio Post Production: Fonic
Sound Editor: Marty O’Brien
Sound Design and Mix: Barnaby Templer
Grade: Matt Hare @ Glassworks
Producer for Glassworks: Paul Schleicher
Music: David Gilmour/ Michaël Boumendil / Lyrics: Polly Samson
A Hipgnosis Ltd Production
Rattle That Lock published by Pink Floyd Music Publishers Ltd., administered by Imagem UK Ltd. / Sixième Son Édition
© 2015 David Gilmour Music Ltd.
For further information, please contact:
Richard Barnett, Trunk Animation
Tel: 0207 407 0221
[email protected]
www.trunk.me.uk
Trunk’s Al + Jock create a short for the IMO.
On 10, Feb 2015 | In Press | By Pip
Trunk’s Alasdair + Jock create an engaging and joyful short for the mighty IMO.
Having previously enjoyed creating a film to celebrate the Day of the Seafarer for the International Maritime Organization, Alasdair Brotherston and Jock Mooney were chuffed when they were asked to create another short for this prestigious body (www.imo.org) This time a short was needed to draw attention to the IMO’s role in protecting the world’s ocean environment. Overseeing the transportation of 12 billion tonnes of freight to every continent on earth requires the IMO to actively work with environment, academic and government agencies to embed environmental protocols and best practice initiatives across the entire planet.
Building on the previous films success a concept, script and look were developed that gave the guys at Trunk a lot of creative freedom. The proposed short would form part of an educational pack that will engage and start a conversation about the oceans environment with children aged 9-14 in the classroom.
For Alasdair and Jock working on a film for this particular target audience was new territory as Jock notes. “ We have never created something entirely for children before but adapting our style to engage with such a young age group was a joyful process. Both me and Alasdair ended up putting a lot of work into the short that was not perhaps strictly necessary, but we became engrossed in the details!” For the sharp eyed there is a reference to ‘Blinky’ the three-eyed fish from the Simpsons while some of the hand drawn textures have been influenced by Japanese printed textiles. Alasdair notes “The boat went through 15 different incarnations before we cracked it” the tooting funnel was lifted straight from the early Disney classic Steamboat Willie “We wanted a boat that was not babyish or too simplistic yet would not be too realistic” Jock continues “We wanted the short to be engaging without being schoolmarmish or preachy”
The short is certainly neither of those, and is a joy to watch, displaying a beautiful colour palette with plenty of trademark Alasdair + Jock elements. Jock’s favourite element in this piece was the pod of narwhals at the end. Overall the short perfectly informs and entertains.
A highlight for both Alasdair + Jock was working with the immensely talented Joanna Scanlan. Alasdair notes “It’s always frightening meeting someone whose work you love but Joanna was a true professional, charming and funny and we had a great time directing the voice over to our script, Jock even pitched in providing the whistling used on the soundtrack”. Trunk’s friend and internationally respected composer Daniel Pemberton provided a superb score that neither smacks of Blue Peter or Captain Pugwash! And as always Fonic provided the sound and mix.
Created using Photoshop, Flash and After Effects the short has become one of Alasdair + Jocks favourite works. They both emphasise that it was a great opportunity to work on a commercial job that enabled them to be involved in every element of the production from script through animation to sound design.
Click below for press coverage:-
Credits:
Directors: Alasdair + Jock
Animation: Stuart Doig, Alasdair Brotherston, Layla Atkinson
Illustration: Jock Mooney
Composer: Daniel Pemberton
Sound Design and Mix: Marty O’Brian @ Fonic
Voice Over: Joanna Scanlan
Producer: Richard Barnacles
Commissioner: Karine Langlois and Lee Adamson
Client International Maritime Agency (IMO.org)
IMO | Shipshape
On 05, Feb 2015 | In news / blog | By Layla
Here’s a lovely treat for a Thursday morning. It’s Alasdair+Jock’s new piece for the International Maritime Organisation. Voiced by the lovely Joanna Scanlan it explains the work of the IMO to children.
Coca Cola | Wrapping Paper
On 07, Jan 2015 | In Alasdair + Jock, Commercials, directors | By Layla
Directed by Alasdair + Jock
Produced by Richard Barnett
Animation by Stuart Doig, Layla Atkinson
Sound Design & Mix by Marty @ Fonic
Agency – Wunderman NY
Trunk’s Alasdair + Jock create a 30 sec spot for Coca-Cola USA
On 06, Jan 2015 | In Press | By Pip
The super talented duo Alasdair Brotherson and Jock Mooney have created a festive video for Wunderman New York and Coca-Cola USA. This blue chip brand has been a fixture of Christmas holidays since they popularised the ubiquitous image of a red coated, white bearded and black belted jolly Santa Claus in 1931. The guys at Trunk were delighted to be part of such a continuing totem of pop culture.
Featuring Alasdair + Jock’s unique handwriting the short beautifully flows from scene to scene without any hard cuts. So, Coke bottle snowflakes seamlessly turn into wrapping paper that covers a bow tied present that is opened by Santa to reveal a host of hard working Elves. Throughout the short, elements fall, scatter and reveal patterns that are strongly campaign reminiscent of Christmas sweaters. This touch of humour sets the feel for the short that heralds Coke’s 2014 holidays. Jock stated, “The deceptively simple look of the short was achieved by a lot of hard work to ensure the transitions, reveals and flow looked effortless.”
This year’s campaign marries Coke’s two most famous associations – the holidays and sharing. But rather than just sharing a Coke the new spot focuses on sharing holiday wishes. For example by sharing your holiday traditions – what you are thankful for – or who makes you happy, Coke will reward participants’ with points that can be redeemed for items.
All the Trunk team really enjoyed working on the spot, and as Alasdair noted “it was great to do a nice festive character animation piece again, they’re always so much fun!”
As always the sound design and mix were carried out at Fonic in the capable hands of Marty O’Brien.
The short was greeted with delight by Coke who have commissioned a further two bumpers for this year’s campaign.
Click below for press coverage:-
Credits:
Directed by Alasdair + Jock
Produced by Richard Barnett
Animation by Stuart Doig, Layla Atkinson
Sound Design & Mix by Marty @ Fonic
Agency – Wunderman NY
It’s Terri Coverley!
On 06, Jan 2015 | In news / blog | By Layla
Alasdair+Jock were thrilled to get to work with the amazing Joanna Scanlan in a voiceover session just before Christmas. We’re all huge fans of The Thick of It here in the studio, it’s where we’ve picked up most of our best swearing, so it was really exciting to meet her. She did an excellent job and you’ll be able to see the finished result before the end of January.
