Introducing Jack Ellis
Design + animation: Jack Ellis. Mentoring: Graffio Arts. Video interview recorded by Aidan Matthews. Editing by Jonathan Fuillet.
Jack is a recent Digital Media Graduate from University of Lincoln and spent six months at Institute Research Lab on a Kickstart Internship. This is what happened…
We were familiar with the kind of folio that Jack turned up with. It’s often the case that young 3D modellers tend to gather in online communities that are linked to the game industry and other markets but don’t get the opportunity to develop a broader understanding of their practice.
We brought a specific premise to the table with Jack- creating 3D models is an alternative way of drawing or a virtual way to build. So what should you be drawing or building? To answer that a good starting point is to look at what creatives are dealing with in other areas of the arts. We bombarded Jack with concepts from across the arts and his understanding of why other creatives do the things they do, started to develop. Jack started to see how his work could be valuable in a host of different situations.
Jack really wanted to develop his 3D modelling abilities so he stuck with the 3D modelling program, Blender and explored it’s limits as we threw progressively more involved work at him.
When we can, we like to get interns to work on live projects. In this situation we ensure that there’s plenty of time available to develop the project, we create a back-up plan in case things get tricky for them and we make sure that their contribution to the project develops their practice and provides work for their folios.
Before we could get started we had to finish getting the lab ready to open it’s doors. We asked if he’d like to start after all the renovations were finished or if he’d like to help us with this. Jack chose the later and spent a month working with us pulling up flooring, painting and cleaning. By the time that was done, we were very grateful and he was itching to get on with some ‘real’ work.
Jack created an accurate scale model of the physical space.
The first project was the model and animate a virtual version of the lab. We set some parameters- it all had to be black and white and it had to fit a visual language we’d been developing for lab promotion.
The TV avatars float through the space as they engage with their mysterious research.
Jack completed a site survey of the physical space and then set to work modelling it. Jack explored the idea of avatars using analogue TVs that are in use in the physical space and used icons that represent the senses on the screens of these TVs as if the virtual members of the lab are conducting media research. Modelling in black and white with no grey that would help to show the form of objects was quite a challenge. Adding white lines to this of varying thicknesses just added to the complications.
Studio 2 is a flexible workspace. Jack showed the different ways that the space could be arranged with animation.
With each new challenge, we outlined the problem and asked Jack to find a way to tackle it. We were blown way by Jack’s ability to solve problems and his open mindedness and flexibility towards his work.
A fly through of the 18 alien models.
The alien models as part of 18 ALIENS at Beta X. Editing by Jonathan Fuilllet.
Creating rigging the aliens.
Using the rigging to create movement.
Jack gave each of the aliens a name.
Each of the aliens had it own style of movement to represent it’s personality.
The second project was 18 ALIENS. This project had a tighter time limit. Jack worked quickly to create and animate 3D models based on sprites created by Jonathan Fuillet. Each alien was rigged to ‘breathe’ as well as having its own movement system.
Both of these projects were in some degree, experimental in nature but as Jack’s confidence developed he began to take this kind of work in his stride.
We wish Jack the very best of luck for the future. If you have potential work opportunities for Jack, you can contact him here. We have internship, collaboration and co-working opportunities for other outstanding creatives. If you are a young creative with an impressive folio then get in touch.