BA (Hons) Animation Lecturers Steve Lawson and Theo Scott had the brilliant opportunity to take part in a two-day development programme with the Aardman Academy. In his own words Lecturer Steve Lawson describes taking part in the programme which took him and Theo to the Aardman studios in Bristol.

Read on to find out more:

Tell us about the Aardman Academy Lecturer Development programme?

The Aardman Academy Lecturer Development Programme comprises two days of talks and discussions with fellow academics and professionals, as well as with a variety of folks from across Aardman covering a range of related disciplines. It takes place at Aardman’s headquarters on Gas Ferry Road in Bristol.

Brilliantly organised and moderated by Aardman Academy course lead Stuart Messinger and producer Rachel Plant, the two days saw Theo and I spend time with:

Caitlin Williams (camera assistant), George Milburn (lighting camera / motion control operator), Nat Sale(studio manager), Loyd Price (head of animation), Celia Hunt (talent and production manager), Zoe Hütber (independent animator and filmmaker and personal friend, who I’m actually working with at the moment on her BFI-funded film The Flower Witch), Mike James (lead games designer), Georgie Reynolds (floor manager) and the directing duo Mikey Please and Dan Ojari

What were you most excited about?

I was really excited at the potential to have a good chunk of time at Aardman, and the ability to talk directly to some of the leading professionals in their respective fields. I was also looking forward to meeting other lecturers, and to the discussions that would ensue between ourselves and those at Aardman, which might yield useful information for us as educators. I was not disappointed. It was an immensely useful, informative and affirming experience, and I enjoyed mixing with the 9 or so other academics and sharing two wonderful days with them.

What did the two days include? 

The programme was wide-ranging and ranged from hands on practical sessions to cinema/theatre based lectures; though everything was informal, and questions and discussions were welcomed at any time. Owing to my background in stop-motion, I actually helped George and Nat out in their session, demonstrating DMX lighting to some of the other academics.

In between sessions, we drank liberal amounts of tea and coffee, and shared casual conversation with the other lecturers and Aardman personnel, which spilled in and out of the canteen (no pun intended), and into the various rooms where we had our sessions. We engaged in open and sometimes challenging discussions about difficulties we face as educators – preparing students for a difficult industry – and as working professionals. Topics included AI, employment (and its antithesis), strikes, developing technologies, employability, collaboration, perseverance, funding and storytelling.

How do you feel you benefitted from attending?

I’d say I benefitted enormously from having attended the programme but the most important findings arose from the ability to ask questions directly to some of the industry’s leading people, especially when I am myself so closely connected to the stop-motion world.

I stayed on at Aardman for an extra day, where I worked with Zoe Hütber on our film, which then led to a 20 minute chat to Peter Lord, the co-founder of Aardman and creator of Morph. On top of that, I came away with many new connections in the education sector – one of which is based in North Carolina – and at Aardman, having, I believe, made a good impression and demonstrated my specialisms, professionalism and ability to engage in discourse and reasoned discussion. In developing a good relationship with Rachel and Stuart, I hope to be able to maximise Aardman’s offer to our students, which I think is very great.

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