“Just So Darwin” nominated for a Bafta

Just So Darwin has been shortlisted for a Bafta in the Childrens category for best Primary Learning programme. Mew Lab created the title sequence for the 13 episode show as well as background designs and compositing the episodes.

(WATCH Episode 1)  or  (WATCH Episode 2)

Sam, a 7-year-old tortoise, loves to hear his Grandad Charlie tell stories about different animals and why they are the way that they are.

The stories that Grandad Charlie tells have been passed down to him through generations of tortoises; they started out when a small tortoise overheard them many many years ago.

Each story has one or two key ideas based on Darwin’s theories and is relevant to the science curriculum for 6 to 9 year olds. For example; animals change over time and different animals have different useful features such as trunks or shells. ( 13  episodes x 5 minutes for the  BBC)

You can view here the  full list of nominations for the EA British Academy Children’s Awards in 2009.

Children between the ages of 7 and 14 vote for their favourite Film, TV Show, Video Game and Website at www.baftakidsvote.org

New BBC Film in production

Mew Lab have just returned from Southern Italy were they spent a week photographing the landscape for a new film for the BBC. The film  called “The Magic Fish” is based on a italian fairy tale and will be screened on BBC Two next year.

Audience Award for Home? at LIAF

“Home?” Director Shaun Clark (Watch Film)

Home? has won the Audience Award for best film in the Abstract Panorama at this years London International Animation Festival.

www.liaf.org.uk

Return To The Forbidden Planet

Mew Lab have created a series of B-Movie style animations to accompany the stage play of “Return To The Forbidden Planet”.  The animation sequences will be projected onto two large screens on the stage to accomapny the performance.

Kitchen Sink Cabaret

Origin (2007), Lightman (2005) and Home? (2008) Directed by Shaun Clark will be screened at The Adelphi Club, Hull. The films are part of an evening of music and films with all proceeds going to “Shelter”.

The Adelphi club is one of the last surviving underground live music venues in the country. One man, Paul Jackson, the club’s owner, has championed original live music, and in doing so has nurtured fledgling talent, many of whom have gone on to become household names. The club has played host to thousands of live bands  local, national and international  making the Adelphi the undisputed music capital of Hull.

The Witch’s Ballade

Kim Noce has created an illustration for the poem  ”The Witch Ballade” by Doreen Valiente  inspired by the style of Italian & Dutch medieval paintings.

View Full size illustrations

The Witch’s Ballade Illustration

The Witch’s Ballade_Town Detail

The Witch’s Ballade_ Witch Detail

Two new films in progress

Shaun Clark has been hard at work making two new short films “Welcome to Joetown” and “Lady and the Tooth” (work in progress title).  Currently the two films have had a rough edit and music and sound will follow once the edit has been locked. Composer Chris White is composing the music for both films.

Lady and the Tooth (2009)
Technique:    2D Drawn Animation & Cut-Out. Running Time:   4 minutes (approx)

Welcome to Joetown (2009)
Technique:    2D Drawn Animation & Cut-Out. Running Time:   3 minutes (approx)

Lightman at Nozstock

“Lightman” Directed by Shaun Clark will be screened in the Cinetent at this years Nozstock Festival. The Cinetent will showcase programmes from BBC Film Network, onedotzero, Encounters, Shortsip and Rural Media as well as Nozstock’s own selection of shorts, spanning animation, narrative tales, documentary, experimental visions + music videos from professional to amateur filmmakers.

Nozstock Festival is run by family and friends and takes place on a farm in Herefordshire on Friday 31st July until Sunday 2nd August . With only 5000 people Nozstock offers a grass roots intimate experience with all the quality acts you’d expect.

It is colourful, unique, crazy and thrilling incorporating four stages, three dance arenas, a theatre and comedy area with round the clock giggles and a new kind of burlesque glamour, cinema, kids corner, two bars, food and drink, diverse stalls and circus skills.

The  Buzzcocks and Red Light Company amongst a few that will be playing this years festival.

Glastonbury Festival

Anyone who was lucky enough to attend the Glastonbury festival this year may have seen “The Village Screen” at the festival. The two big screens were showing amongst other things a number of short films. Mew Lab director Shaun Clark had four short films included in the screenings. “Lightman” (2005) and “Philophobia” (2006) were screened mid evening while “Origin” (2007) and “Home?” (2008) were screened in the late night Glastonbury sessions.

“1030 Footsteps”

Mew Lab Director Shaun Clark has started work on a new film “1030 Footsteps”, the film should be completed before the end of the year and delas with similar themes as his previous film “Home?”.

“Elephants” wins Welsh BAFTA

Congratulations to Sally Pearce the Director of “Elephants” which has won the Best Short Film Award at BAFTA CYMRU (Welsh BAFTAs). Mew Lab’s Shaun Clark worked on the film as a After Effects Animator.

View Clip of “Elephants” by Sally Pierce

“Picture This” at Waterstone’s

View all the illustrations

Kim Noce has created a series of illustrations for “Freddie and The Fairy ” written by Julia Donaldson for the Waterstone’s “Picture This” Competition.

Home? at the London International Animation Festival

“Home?” the short film made by Mew Lab animation director Shaun Clark has been selected for the London International Animation Festival. The film will be screened in the abstract panorama during the festival week (August 28th to September 6th).

The festival will take place predominantly at the Curzon Cinema in Soho, the heart of London, UK, and LIAF will be screening the best of the world’s most recent animation and some specialised programmes and retrospectives. For more details look at www.liaf.org.uk

Mew Lab on Vimeo

Their is now a selection of work from Mew Lab on their Vimeo page! Click here

Amnesty International Media Awards 2009

Mew Lab are currently hard at work producing a “sting” and several graphic presentation slides for the annual “Amnesty International Media Awards” being held in London this year.

“24/7″ Animated Documentry

Mew Lab Director Kim Noce is currently producing 30 seconds animation for an awareness video; for Bracknell Teenage Pregnancy Unit . The film will be shown in the Berkshire area of England later in the year.

All’s Well That Ends Well

WATCH trailer

Mew Lab Director Shaun Clark is currently animating a series of animals for the National Theatre production of William Shakespeare’s play “All’s Well That Ends Well”. The animals will be composited by another animator onto a series of backgrounds which will be projected throughout the play.

Shaun Clark: Assistant animator

Home? at MIAF 2009

Mew Lab Co Director Shaun Clark will screen his new film “Home?” at the Melbourne International Animation Festival (22nd-28th June 2009).

Origin at Glimmer 2009

Mew Lab are pleased to anounce that Origin (2007) will be screened at “Glimmer 2009, the 7th Hull Short Film Festival“

Just So Darwin

Last year Mew Lab, Shaun Clark and Kim Noce, created a twenty second title sequence, created backgrounds and composited 12 episodes of animation for the BBC series “Just So Darwin”.

The twelve part series is currently screening on BBC TWO

(WATCH title sequence)

(WATCH Episode 1)

(WATCH Episode 2)

Home?

Home?. The new short film by Mew Lab Director Shaun Clark will premiere at the Bristol Encounters festival as part of the “Emerging Talent” section showcasing the latest animation from around the world. This programme will provide the shortlist for the 4mations International Newcomer Award. Supported by 4mations.tv

LIAF 2008 Trailer

For the fourth year running Mew Lab are proud to make this years London International Animation Festivals “Trailer” to promote the festival taking place at various different cinemas across London this August.

WATCH LIAF 2008

WATCH LIAF 2007

WATCH LIAF 2006

LIAF 2008 is to Screen 220 films from 30 different countries, showcaseing the whole spectrum of creative animation, showing that animation is so much more than slick blockbusters and special effects.

Forget Me Not travels to Hiroshima

WATCH Forget Me Not

Kim Noce Channel Four “AIR Scheme” short film “Forget Me Not” was screened at the International Hiroshima Animation Festival. The film was part of a special program entitled “Animation for Peace”. The story is about an elderly woman recalling bygone memories of Wartime. As a child she had three imaginary pets that she held with strings. She carried them with her all day and night, until one day she lost them. She looked for them everywhere to then find them unexpectedly.

“Forget Me Not“, combines 2D cut-out, collages of archive photographs and animated embroidery.

Anansi and Turtle and Frau Holle

Mew Lab , Shaun Clark and Kim Noce, have been busy making two, five minute films for the BBC. Both films are aimed at 7-11 year olds and are to be recorded in many different languages as part of the “Telling Tales” series.

Frau Holle (WATCH )

In this traditional German folk tale, the gentle Clara falls down a well and ends up in a strange land where she moves in with the wily witch, Frau Holle.

She is rewarded with gold for her help and hard work, but when her lazy stepsister seeks the same experience, she is in for a surprise.

Anansi and the Turtle (WATCH )

Anansi invites Turtle into her home to share a meal, but contrives to eat all the yams herself – leaving Turtle hungry. Turtle returns the compliment by inviting Anansi to join him – and cleverly gets his own back.

Mew Lab

Welcome to Mew Lab, the collective talent of Shaun Clark and Kim Noce.