Gosh Monsters

David Ridges, Craig Knowles and Sam Jones were asked to take original designs by schoolchildren and turn them into fully realised creations for Gosh Monsters. We really like what they came up with, hope you do too.

Kilogramme are thrilled to announce that they have been shortlisted for the category ‘Best Use of Animation’ at this year’s prestigious Big Chip Awards.

In our second seasonal interstitial for Cbeebies, we were asked to creatively interpret a child’s description of what they liked best about winter.

The nominated piece was directed by Sam Jones. Animation was by Sam, David Ridges, Craig Knowles and Andy Gubba using a combination of Flash, Max and After Effects.

https://vimeo.com/32847783

 We also produced an ‘Autumn’ version too!

https://vimeo.com/31436382

Tall Tales pt1

Hello,

Here's something we made for a bit of fun:

http://vimeo.com/37323787

It should be the first of a few, so we'll let you know when more start to fall into place.

We make 'Jam'

Kilogramme were recently asked by our friends at Stardotstar to help out on a new and exciting project of theirs ' Jam'. In their own words …."We’re building a web platform that will make it easy (and fun) for not-for-profit organizations to build and run their own affordable, beautiful websites – enabling them to communicate with members, volunteers, beneficiaries, patrons, funders and the general public, and to do whatever they do…better."

We were asked to design and produce the logo. A simple, country fair-style jam pot design was decided upon and cloth textures and twine were used to give it a home-made, ‘crafty’ appearance, echoing the project’s ethos of a hands-on personal approach.

The project is funded by Nominet Trust http://www.nominettrust.org.uk/stardotstar

For more info go to http://wemakejam.org/home

Sharpie

http://vimeo.com/25811815

This is a film we've just made for a project called Sharp Futures. The aim of Sharp Futures is to encourage schoolchildren from underprivileged areas of Manchester to consider a career in the creative sector. Three schools were shortlisted to have their storyboard for a film about the environement animated. It was a close competition with all three schools producing some excellent ideas, but the winning pitch was decided as MCMA Boys school.

Sam Jones has been working with the students since the end of last year and did the majority of the work on the film's direction and animation. David Ridges animated Sharpie's pipe travelling scene with Jon Turner lending his 3D max skills to the project as a whole.

We think there's some really nice work in the film. The majority of the shots and content of the film were decided on by the students and they got a brilliant reception at it's premiere last night. Sam did a great job working up their designs and pulling everything into shape.

Hope you like it!

Unbound

Kilogramme recently entered the literary world when they were commissioned by Firestep to help launch Unbound, a new digital publishing platform launched at the Hay Festival 2011 by writers Dan Kieran, Justin Pollard and Co –founder of QI John Mitchinson.
The revolutionary new approach allows members of the public to fund & influence authors’ works at the point of creation.
All illustrative design work and animation on the site was produced by Kilogramme’s Claire Grey and Creatively Directed by Steve Maher of Firestep.
http://firestep.net/index.aspx
After seeing the animated film that explains the premise of Unbound , ‘This Life’ creator Amy Jenkins requested a bespoke animated short to promote her proposed novel ‘The Art of Losing’.
To find out more and see the films go to…http://www.unbound.co.uk/

Forest Fire

http://vimeo.com/24108549

We thought you might like to take a look at one of our latest films promoting fire safety.

It was commissioned by Richard Haywood of ViralFilms in Canada and our brief was to go for a ‘Yogi Bear’ design style.

Character design was by Craig Knowles, background design by David Ridges & direction by Claire Grey.

It was animated by all three of us over a week.

Hope you like it!

Kilogramme Easter 2011

Happy Easter everyone!!You can watch the animation here.

Check out our new Easter short directed by Claire Grey.
It was designed by Craig Knowles and animated by Claire Grey & David Ridges.
It was created using a combination of Flash, After Effects and 3dsMAX.

Ross Phillips

We are proud to say that one of our talented team here at Kilogramme has recently won the Greyscale Gorillia 5 Second Project competition with his snappy short "Reverse"!

Check it out here!

Bon Appetit

http://vimeo.com/18749821

After a successful run on the animation festival circuit ‘Bon Appetit’ is now ready to make its full online debut.

A short film made by Craig, Dave and Claire in late 2009, it was designed by Craig & David, animated exclusively in Flash and composited in After Effects.

We’re proud to say it received a Special Commendation for the best use of Animation at the Big Chip Awards 2010.

We’re always keen to originate our own material here at Kilogramme and plans are already underway for the next animated adventure!

Christmas Time

Check out the Kilogramme Christmas Card 2010!

Follow this link to open your present... http://vimeo.com/17516687

It was designed, directed and animated by Craig Knowles and David Ridges, using a combination of Flash, After Effects and 3D Studio Max.

Currently to be seen on Cold Hard Flash and the Stash site.

http://coldhardflash.com/2010/12/kilogramme-crafts-a-christmas-animation.html

http://www.stashmedia.tv/?p=6688


Merry Christmas everyone!!

June

Hello,
Here's a bit of footage of some work we did for Hemisphere and NWDA. The films are on our vimeo page, but this makes for a nice people watching exercise. I've spotted at least 18 different private worlds hovering over people's heads.



http://www.vimeo.com/12818802


Also, we've finished another film for Oxfordshire DAAT. This one is about Cocaethylene and has a great little soundtrack, courtesy of John Wallace and Roy Medhurst.



http://www.vimeo.com/12801940

Big Chip

Hello,
It was the Big Chip awards last night and it turned out really well.
We lost in the category we'd entered, but Craig and David got a commendation for 'Bon Appetit' (should have won)and Kilogramme received the Anthony Wilson Original Modern Award.

I didn't bother to look at the bigger awards, because I thought they went to winners of other sections. So it was a bit of a surprise when half way through chatting to Dave, the lights hit our table and Kilogramme's name was read out.

Everyone says it's good one to get and it did feel nice. I'm really enjoying how things are coming along at the moment and have to say it's mainly down to people like: Claire Grey, Steve Maher, Craig, David, Sam, Luke Marsh, John Hedley, Jon Doyle and Christian.

We have, are and will be working on some really good stuff this year. Salad days.

Cold Caller

Hello,
Here's a public information film we've just finished for Euro RSCG Riley.
It's to warn OAPs in Wales about rogue traders and distraction burglars.
We based the design style on '101 Dalamtions' and used Flash and 3DSMAX to animate the main character.
I think it's one of the most polished things we've ever done.
Animation was provided by Claire Grey, Craig Knowles, David Ridges and Christian Johnson.
Design by Craig Knowles.
Backgrounds by Chris Coady.
Ink and Paint by Sam Jones and Gill Biddle.
Direction by Jon Turner.
Hope you like it.

http://www.vimeo.com/12078006
http://www.guardian.co.uk/cardiff/2010/may/25/doorstep-crime-in-wales-cold-calling-campaign-cardiff
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/10156198.stm

Latest

Hello,
Here are two films we've just made for the NHS in Oxfordshire.
Out of the blue, we got a call asking if we could make something about Mephedrone, Ketamine and Cocaethylene, featuring a porcupine.
We sent over a few designs and story ideas and the rest was one of the smoothest jobs we've ever had; no committees, no last minute changes, no crowbarring of content where it won't go. The only glitch was a re-record of the voicetracks, but that's nothing, relatively speaking.
We hope you like them. Cocaethylene will be along in a couple of weeks.

http://www.vimeo.com/11645963

http://www.vimeo.com/11626637

New Year.

Hello, here's an ad Christian Johnson recently directed for us.
It was made for WRG and has a pleasing, bouncy, campness to it.
Hope you like it.
http://www.vimeo.com/8757261

Other stuff.

I didn't get through to the next stage of NorthWest Vision's digital shorts scheme, unfortunately.
It's a shame, because I thought it was a nice, tight script.
On the plus side I'd already built some of the models from Craig Knowles designs, so I'll keep it as a pet project for now.

Christmas

Hello and merry Christmas.

Here's another post and a little something we did in the last few weeks.

http://www.vimeo.com/8329840

It's an ad we made for FrenchColwell and as you can see it gave Craig and David a chance to try something nice and fifties looking.

I'm really happy with it and surprised it only took the three of us ten days.

~

There's another ad coming in the New Year from Christian Johnson, but in the meantime we're trying to think up plot lines for a character Craig has designed.

I'm really into 'Six Men of Fortune ' by the Brothers Grimm, but as Terry Gilliam used it in 'Baron Munchausen' I'll have to keep looking.

~

SHORT FILM STUFF

The script weekend went really well. We were taken through the mechanics of scriptwriting by a script editor called Andy Ross.

He showed us how to work out what kind of script we had rather than writing one to a formula.

The most enjoyable part was probably the 90 minute speed pitching session.

On the downside I realized pretty early on that I didn't have a working ending, but on the upside that everything else did exactly what was needed.

If I timed the pitch just right I could finish before the none ending and leave on a huge cliffhanger. Which was lovely.

I think we've fixed the ending now and added a few more twists, but I'll find out in mid-January.

Hello,
Here's another post and something we worked on recently. It's called 'Age of Heroes' and was a pitch for MIP in October.
After Firestep took 'Akhenaten' over there last year they were asked to do something biblical and something classical too. They decided to work up tests on 'Theseus and the Minotaur' and 'David and Goliath'.
This time everything was put together at Newton st, apart from the sound which was added at Hullabaloo.
Working from Steve Maher's designs, Kilogramme, Christian Johnson and John Hedley modelled, textured, composited and edited the two pieces. Chris and John took on the majority of the animation.

http://www.vimeo.com/7917057










http://www.vimeo.com/7917538

We think they look pretty good and like what Vray and Z Brush can do.






Other news:

We've put in for next year's Digital Shorts through NorthWest Vision and made it to the next round.
There's a script development weekend on the 6th and 7th so I'm looking into riddles, old children's rhymes and The Golden Bough in order to firm up a tricky middle section.

First Post

Hello this is the news blog for Kilogramme Studios at Newton st.

It's the first one so it might be best to start with a catch up for the past year. I'll try to be succinct.

PROJECTS AND NOTABLE ARRIVALS:
In January, after spending a few months looking for a project for them; we finally started working with Craig Knowles and David Ridges, on the animations for a DS game. It's a tie in with Disney's 'A Christmas Carol' and was made in conjunction with Sumodigital in Sheffield.
Dave and Craig fitted in seamlessly and we finished early with a few comments from Sumodigital on how smoothly things had gone.
Always nice.

A lot of credit also has to go to Claire Grey who directed with aplomb and Andy Gubba who took the role of rock.

Craig and Dave have been with us since and brought a new dimension to our design and animation.


In May they helped me finish 'Bump' which is probably best described as an experiment in getting the sound of a brass instrument coming from within a pregnant woman. It's a bit of a curate's egg but when it works it has a certain charm and owes a lot to the people who worked on it.
http://www.vimeo.com/7792421



In October they finished their own film 'Bon Appetit' which you can peek at here: http://www.vimeo.com/7041471
It's quite the charmer and hopefully will go down well on the festival circuit.

In March we also welcomed Sam Jones. She started on work experience and helped out with animation on 'Streetmonsters' http://www.vimeo.com/7794759



Since then she has directed our piece for the Mr. Z challenge (not available to view at the moment, but a snippet can be seen here: http://www.vimeo.com/7663604)











as well as an ad for Camps solicitors.

http://www.vimeo.com/7680607





She also brings a new dimension to our design and animation and is Tabasco sauce to the cucumber raita and chocolate Guinness cake provided by Knowles and Ridges.