Animated Exeter: Book your tickets for this half term
Animated Exeter takes place this February 18th-23rd, at a number of venues in and around Exeter. Whether you’re into animation, an avid gamer, visual effects fanatic or just want to treat yourself to some extraordinary entertainment - it all starts here. An innovative street game is the 2013 festival highlight.
Bristol-based Slingshot have created a new immersive game for Animated Exeter, based on the Philip Reeve story The Exeter Riddles. Time Winders puts the player at the centre of a narrative adventure. Players race to find their way to locations in the city centre. Each location is set in a different time zone with a challenge at each stop.
Time Winders uses the latest in pervasive gaming technology combined with animation and theatre to create a unique story telling experience where the player controls the action.
Animated Exeter is an independent animation festival that attracts around 20,000 into Exeter’s city centre during the February 18th-23rd half term. From traditional stop motion and drawn animation to CGI visual effects and games development, Animated Exeter offers fantastic opportunities for young hopefuls in the South West, whilst presenting some of the finest work in international animation, for audiences of all ages.
For 2013, Animated Exeter is shifting its focus from large-scale projection to Games – and not just computer games. The festival will sizzle with a rich combination of street games, talks on gaming development, animation for games and a full-on Game Jam. But there’s more: whether you are a keen young animator, a family looking for a fun day out or just enjoy animated films, there’s something for everyone including animation in the streets of the town.
Other highlights
Throughout the week there are great workshops for all ages. Little ones get to make their own Moomin and make it move in Moomin-Mania, create a Shadow Puppets show with Don Newton or watch Nice, an animation and puppet show for families.
Freddie Tschepp from the British Film Institute's animation workshop team is visiting Exeter to help children and adults create a Silent Movie in stop frame animation and there is a wide selection of workshops for beginners from FlipBoom to Drawing for Animation.
Young students and adults can hone their gaming skills
Game City Night - a dazzling after-dark exploration of videogame culture, fusing intimate developer presentations with a relaxed and accessible atmosphere.
Mind Candy, a British entertainment company based in London and the creator of kids' hit, Moshi Monsters, will be talking at our Careers Day about animation for gaming, and holding a Game Jam. This will be their first appearance in the South West.
Double Negative - Britain's award-winning Visual FX house whose portfolio includes Skyfall, and Harry Potter will be also giving a presentation on the Careers Day and animation students will get a chance to book One to One Surgeries from those in the know!
Discover the secrets of stop frame cinematography at the BAFTA Masterclass with Tristan Oliver, who has shot animation and commercials including including the Oscar™ and BAFTA-winning Wallace and Gromit films and the Oscar™ and BAFTA-nominated The Fantastic Mr Fox, or perhaps flex your writing muscles at a workshop with one of the UK’s most successful screen writers, Alan Gilbey.
Animated films, of course, feature too. We are delighted to present a free showing of some of TVC’s iconic animated adaptations of favourite children’s books for our youngest audience, TV Cartoons produced by the late John Coates and another free showing of the now rarely seen Yellow Submarine.
There are plenty of feature films and festival goers will be able to watch over four hours of the best British animated short films at three events, Screen Out Loud, The Young Ones, and the Graduate 2012 and a showcase of the latest animation talent in ShowMetheAnimation Presents.
Last but not least, we are presenting a FREE outdoor finale show The Exeter Riddles, which will be performed by Mischief La Bas and a host of local talent. The show takes place in Belmont Park at 6.30pm on Saturday 23rd February and will feature performance, animated projections, lighting and pyrotechnic effects, with music composed by Exeter College HND Music students.
The festival, this year, will coincide with exetreme imagination, Exeter's festival of writing for and by young people, so the city will be buzzing with activities this half-term. Both festivals, supported by Exeter City Council and the National Lottery through Arts Council England, are themed around storytelling and childhood and this exciting collaboration has stimulated a vibrant interactive line up that is not to be missed.
See what else is on at www.animatedexeter.co.uk
Booking Telephone: 01392 667080 or online at www.exeterphoenix.org.uk (booking fees apply online)
