“our sexy 8,000-square-foot warehouse officestudio” near trendy Granville Island. But the
studio’s full-time staff of 12, and about as many
intermittent contractors, does little animation
locally. “We have reps in Toronto and in the
States, and that’s where most of our clients
come from,” Alcock says. Working through top
ad agencies, that list includes Coca-Cola, Kraft,
Procter & Gamble and Bank of America. The
spots themselves can be anything from a fivesecond viral on the Internet to international TV
campaigns. Global Mechanic also does custom series production, such as the combined
live/animated PBS television series Fetch! with
Ruff Ruffman for WGBH Boston.
Like most other animation studios, Global
Mechanic is highly supportive of its employees’ personal artistic projects. “I always went
into commercial to finance my own independent work,” says Alcock, whose recent short
film, Vive la Rose, is an NFB co-production thiat
is currently on a gallery tour. On the studio’s
Website (www.globalmechanic.com), employee-produced independent films are given
their own presentation space.
The result is a hugely diverse repertoire,
with no special house style. Although that’s
counterproductive according to some business minds, Alcock considers variety a plus.
“More and more, I think, agencies are looking
for production houses who can take a strategic
goal or a feel that a brand wants and figure out
the most cost-effective technique. If you have a
wide range, it really helps that process.”
Head Gear Animation
“I’m lucky because every day coming to work is
a pleasure,” says Steve Angel, co-owner of the
Toronto shop Head Gear Animation. “Smushing Plasticene with cool people: Who wouldn’t
want to do that for a living?”
OK, so it’s slightly more complicated than
that. But the company that he founded with
partner Julian Grey in 1997, as a means to enjoy independence while flexing their creative
muscles, has succeeded in that regard and
commercially as well. With an output that consists predominantly of commercials, broadcast
design and short films, Head Gear has serviced
dozens of high-end clients, such as Ikea, Kellogg’s, Nestlé and Pizza Hut.
Both partners had a magazine background
and worked for a time at Cuppa Coffee, which
opened their minds to the limitless creative
potential of animation. Still, it is flexibility
and quality design that have provided Head
Gear’s keys to survival. “Personnel-wise,” says
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Angel, “we have eight people who come in
rain or shine, though we were up to 30 at one
point. We still need access to talented freelancers of all kinds when the work shows up.”
And though Head Gear employs an eclectic
mix of animation styles, including Canada’s
first stereoscopic cinema campaign, for milk,
“Our thing has never been about tech tricks—
it’s design and stories. If learning new techniques helps that, fine, but we’re not about
tricks for their own sake.”
Business, Angel reports, is picking up after
the past few grim years. “Historically about
two-thirds of our work was in the U.S. This year
it’s 80 per cent Canadian, now that the advantage of the lower dollar is gone. There are fewer
dollars out there, and the jobs are typically
smaller. But we’re designed to be lean, so even
though volumes have gone down we’re OK.”
Now, however, is not the time to skimp on
quality. “Animation is becoming easier and
cheaper to do, so more people are doing it,”
Angel notes. “The result is that quality is very
polarized. There’s more crummy stuff, and
more really great stuff. Being consistently good
is more important than ever.”
So is hustling—and sometimes luck—in an
increasingly international game. “It’s totally
common to bid a job against shops in London,
New York and L.A. for an agency that is across
the street. It can be tough. We recently lost out
to an Argentinean company for a New York client and we weren’t sure why. Then we found
out the creatives would have to fly down there
for six weeks. Toronto in February, or Buenos
Aires? I guess it was an easy choice.”
Guru Animation Studio
[opposite, top] Global Mechanic, Long Term Thinking, 2006: All done in Flash, these beautiful illustrations come to life because every frame was hand-drawn. Subtle 3D clouds give the spots dimension while the wonderful bright colours make them really stand out on air. Global Mechanic worked with
designer Justine Beckett’s beautiful images, focusing on line, happy and nuanced movement, and an
overall sensibility of simplicity, calm and alertness. Director: Bruce Alcock; client: Western and Southern.
[opposite, bottom] Global Mechanic, At the Quinte Hotel, 2005: A fluid, vibrant and kinetic riff on one
of Al Purdy’s best-known poems, recalling the experimental, interpretive work of Norman McLaren. It’s
not a literal adaptation but stays true to the playful, erudite spirit of the poem. The studio used oil paint,
acrylics, graphite, charcoal, wire, cut paper, a beer mug, linoleum, bottlecaps...you name it. Almost all
the animation was done in-camera, except for a bit of compositing after the fact. Director: Bruce Alcock.
[above] Head Gear Animation, Excel Inferno, 2005: This job was a crazy combination of styles and
techniques. First Head Gear shot live-action actors at the disco. Then it animated heads to match the
actors’ movements. Next it built miniature sets that were shot separately, and composited the three elements together. Director: Steve Angel; executive producer: Sue Riedl; animator: Drew Lightfoot; lead
compositor: Nick Fairhead; DOP: Jeremy Benning; agency: Leo Burnett—Toronto; client: Wrigley.
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When Guru Animation Studio launched in Toronto, in 2000, as a character animation house,
owner and creative director Frank Falcone
brought with him the reputation for awardwinning, campaign-driven television commercials he’d developed at another boutique shop
across town, Topix. Growth was soon explosive, but not in the way Falcone anticipated.
“We had been approached to quote on a
number of TV series,” Falcone recalls, “but we
never took them too seriously because they
were strict service jobs, companies basically
looking for a factory.” Then along came Nelvana, one of Canada’s foremost producers of
children’s entertainment, seeking a creative
partner for the second season of the musical kid vid Backyardigans (playing on Nick Jr.).
What turned into a great fit, and a hit with
tots, propelled Guru into its current 50/50
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John Larigakis
Age: 21. Years in biz: One. Art school: Capilano University, IDEA Program.
Self described: Designer/art director
Recent honours: 2010 GDC Salazar Awards Winner (Best Branding), 2009 GDC National Scholarship Award, 2010 Applied Arts Student Awards (advertising, design, online animation). Inspired by: Clever writing, conceptual ideas and foreign places. Brings to table: With a passion for both advertising and design, John is a conceptual thinker who brings energy, excitement, a love for collaboration and his many ideas. Favourite job to date: I think
I’m still waiting for it! Pet peeve about business: Bad logos and big egos. Where you want to be in 10 years: Running my own studio or on my way
to becoming a partner of a great one. John Larigakis, Vancouver, B.C., larigakis.com, [email protected], 604.999.5452.
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1 Paper’s Back, 2010: This uplifting stop-motion animation shows us that the tactile nature of paper is something that cannot be replaced.
2 Powersmart, 2010: Readers are forced to flip this student ad for BC Hydro, reminding them to be “power smart” and turn off their lights.
3 WWF Campaign, 2009: Each animal graphic in this student project is a population chart done to scale, representing a specific poaching issue.
4 Life Distilled Ads, 2010: This student ad series breaks down everyday dialogue into its humorous truths, reflecting the brand’s straight-up personality.
5 Made Apparel Sustainable T-shirt Box, 2010: Student project. Made is a basics clothing company that uses recycled polyester from plastic bottles.
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1 Utah State Fair Rodeo, 2006:
Rodeo branding includes sponsor.
2 St. George Marathon, 2006:
Includes no. of miles in marathon.
3 Utah Blaze, 2005: For the new
arena football franchise.
4 Easy Street, 2005: For a highend French restaurant in Utah.
5 Muse, 2006: For a meta-seach
software company.
6 Bazzle Baby, 2006: For product
line launch in Target stores.
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7 Ticketmaster, 2007: The famous ticket vendor wanted to let customers know about its new online service, where customers could not only buy, they could
also sell or exchange tickets. But these two schlubs obviously hadn’t heard about it. While fans cheered wildly inside, next to two prime unused seats, this pair
lingered dolefully outside the stadium to the melancholy strains of Roy Orbison’s “Only the Lonely.”
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1 Northland Village Mall, 2005: “The intent was to establish a visual approach unique to Northland, yet still appropriate to their category,” says Calgary cocreative CD David McKean. “Research told us Northland’s shoppers didn’t like shopping and were looking to get in and out quickly. We took those opinions to
heart and crafted messages around the ease of the experience. The bags, icons of shopping, were modified to communicate key messages, such as ‘shop faster.’”
2 Easy Street, 2005: This five-star French restaurant in Park City wanted to emphasize its casual nature. Rare Method’s solution? Insult the French. At the
opening party, an actual Frenchman spotted the saucy ads and made a noisy scene before storming out. The entire room burst into applause, presuming he
was a paid actor. He was not.
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