SPREAD THE ART WORD: Jack Norris and the Loco Motion Animation Club

Sunday, 10 December 2006

Jack Norris and the Loco Motion Animation Club

Jack Norris and the Loco Motion Animation Club

When you go into Jacks website at www.loco-motion.org.uk this is the welcome you will get:-

If you live in the Basildon area, you may have seen some of our films. If not, then you will soon!
Loco Motion is becoming more known in the area through events and screenings as the only club of its kind…

We are a club of young people and associated adults who rarely receive guidance from professionals – we are self-taught, and much of the fun is the experimentation. However, we have managed to raise the quality of our films to a high standard, through practice and skill.
Our more experienced members not only focus on animating and directing their own projects, but aim to teach and guide the new members!

You can check out some of our animation work by taking a look at the current Film Clips we have to show you!
Don’t forget to take a loooook at the uber-tastic pictures we have in the Image Gallery! If you don't want to browse all the images, take a quick look at the Top Ten images!

Who-What-When-and-Where?
Loco Motion was founded by Jack Norris and Mike Harrington, who continue to coordinate the club and the films. Loco Motion was formed when their ideas collided…
Mike Harrington continues to run as Chairman of the START (Support Through Art) association, although he will soon be stepping down from this position. As an artist, Mike has always been hugely involved in the community, doing workshops, making sculptures and participating in other events. At the time, Mike was administrating the establishment of the new Studios2 art centre, when the animation club was suggested by Jack.
Jack Norris, a 17 year old ex-Woodlands School student, has been a keen animator since he was in infant school, starting with flick books, and then experimenting with web cam films. Jack joined START in 2003, to get guidance for his artistic skills from Mike and the other artists.
Loco Motion was born not long after Mike asked Jack for ideas concerning new clubs to get Studios2 up and running. Jack suggested the animation club, and Mike agreed it would be a good idea! After a few months of planning and preparation, we officially launched the club in January 2005. Two Different Worlds was planned and constructed alongside establishing the club, to be the opening project.

Two Different Worlds
Loco Motion has completed the production of its first fully produced short film, ‘Two Different Worlds.’ The film is an animation produced with plastercine models, and based on the people of Basildon! Two Different Worlds was supported by the Lottery through the UK Film Council’s First Light initiative, which gave £4,000 for the production of the film. Funding also came from Essex County Council, whose 'Challenge 2000' scheme gave £2,500 to pay for new equipment, and Basildon Council, who supplied funding to purchase the group’s first camera! This film was premiered at the Festival Leisure Park UCI cinema, and will also be in a private screening at Leicester Square’s Odeon cinema!

Now that the introduction is over lets ask some searching questions...How did you meet Mike?

I actually met Mike (and Dean and Ingrid, I think) about 6 years ago, when I was 10 years old. It was a fortnight- long START workshop – but I can’t actually remember what art I did! All I can remember is Mike, and the START certificate I got at the end! I think I still have that somewhere.
Of course, I saw Mike around from that point – I think he recognised me a couple of times as the little kid from the art workshop! Then, it was in 2003 that I decided to get private art tuition, and my mum suggested phoning up good ol’ Mike Harrington. So…we did, and soon enough I was going to his house every week for private art lessons. We covered loaddddds of stuff – looked at famous artist’s work, deep theories about colours, perspective…

Yeah…perspective. That was it! That’s really what got me to move from private tuition to joining START.

And the rest is history as they say, but tell me a little bit more on how the club got started?

I had spent most of Summer 2004 making little animations with a friend, Joe Spinner, and Mike had been told about this many times! At this time, Mike was looking for ideas for new clubs to establish the new Studios2 Arts Centre. I suggested an animation club.
I phoned Mike every week to make sure the club was on, and that he was going to it.
Of course, we would end up talking for ages on the phone, even though we were about to see each other anyway. One week, we were talking and he said;
“Oh, you know we’re looking for a new club. And you said we should do an animation club.
“Yeah?..”
“Well, I think we should do it!”

Soon, I invited my animation companion, Joe Spinner, to come along!
Jamie Livermore did some pictures and ’thought showers’ on the board. I tested the usefulness of the cameras and wires we had. Mike wrote down a lot of things about membership, and support. Joe made a plasticine model of a burger.
But slowly, we were getting somewhere.
Quite remarkably, the burger was actually used as a prop in McDoogles, in Two Different Worlds, nearly two years later.

What are the qualities of the members of the group?

Hmmm, certainly a tough question.

Greg Horner's head is bursting with ideas – but he simply hasn’t yet got the concentration to make them into films before he finds something else to do! I certainly want to work with Greg closely at some point and get his ideas made into a fully produced…err…production.

Mike Harrington provided all the momentum we needed to get everything done at the studio. Mike and myself would be full of enthusiasm and often do half the work ourselves! It never took long for the other members to catch on and help out. Mike has since moved away, and although he is staying a member of Loco Motion, he can’t be there every week!

Jamie Eldridge is certainly a Loco Motion member worth mentioning. He is always enthusiastic, and is at the club rain or shine! Jamie doesn’t care much for messing around, like some of the other members – he would much rather just get on with making a film! He has made it clear that Loco Motion is more than just a hobby, and has chosen to take film production related courses at college. I hope to work with Jamie on our own a bit – because there are so many things I can teach him about film that he would put to better use than anyone else I know. However, I would advise that Jamie should attend the club whilst he is actually awake!

Mike Gunn, who hasn’t been a member for long, I have known for a considerably long time. As long as I have known him, he has been very keen when it comes to clubs, and organisation! Mike and I have worked on A LOT of different projects over the past five months or so. He takes it quite seriously, as I do – but we still enjoy it as hell! Mike is moving to Australia very soon and plans to establish Loco Motion in Oz!

Jamie Harrington has been at Loco Motion for longer than any other member – since Winter 2004. Although he likes to spend a great deal of time showing other members the videos he has made on his phone of friends falling off skateboards – he is still always involved when it comes to film production!

Josh Parkinson is another dedicated member. Even though his appearance and fashion sense has altered a great deal, his enthusiasm hasn’t gone anywhere! Josh likes to be a close-quarters filmmaking assistant, and is great at what he does at the club! I really can imagine this guy being a great cameraman or set design assistant in the industry when he is older!

Tom Price, another fairly new member, has strangely enough, been fairly enthusiastic about Loco Motion for more than a year before he actually joined! This is probably because of mine and Joe Spinner’s ‘Tacky Tom’ Blue Tack animations from 2004 – which seemed to have become a cult! Apparently, his younger cousin is now where he previously used to be – watching lumps of Blue Tack in amazement!
Tom has proved to be an excellent assistant for film production, and worked with me on a ‘Creative Partnerships’ project called ‘Einstein’s Dreams’. I have also ensured he is going to be recognised as the Top Banana of Woodlands School’s Loco Motion club! I know how much Tom is interested and he is welcome to follow Loco Motion’s climb towards the film industry – and perhaps gain some useful skills for the future.

Most of the members are quite passionate about the club, but it can be very hard to get them motivated. Hopefully, the way the club is run will be changing before the end of the year, and there will be a much more organised structure.
That means no more “hey, let’s grab a camera and make a totally unplanned and ridiculous animation about a car crash with Hitler in it!”

What are you working on now? What are your future plans? Tell me something about working with Tech Control?

We are starting work on six big projects – a codename of ‘Six Flix.’ These projects really show how Loco Motion is branching out. Due to the success of Two Different Worlds, three of them will be similar-styled plasticine animations.
Apart from that, we are organising a massive music video project with ’Tech Control’, www.myspace.com/techcontrol1 one of our partner groups who specialise in ‘Staging The Arts!’ Working with these guys, we are actually hosting a few music gigs, and running an X-Factor like competition to find the best bands!
Another project involves real life interviews! We are selecting locally recognised people to be interviewed with specially formulated questions! The resulting sound recording will be mixed with a plasticine animation – an idea inspired by Creature Comforts!

Last, but hopefully, not least, is ‘The Test of the West!’ This is separated from the rest because it is a computer game! As the only person who knows how to knock together a computer game, I am taking this one on myself. A couple of members have been invited to accompany me when I am putting it together, so they can learn how it’s done. I would say I have produced 10% already – and that already includes SO MANY individually drawn images it’s unbelievable.

Actually forming this group was quite a brave thing to do, could you give advice to anyone forming a group such as this?

Because of the recent formation of the Woodlands School Loco Motion Animation Club, I am actually writing a guide for teachers or other individuals and groups who wish to start an animation club. It will have a CD of example films, music and sound effects for use with any films produced.

Are you moving away from START, if so why?

We are moving away from START because we feel it is a good idea to be established as an independent organisation. This will also enable us many more funding opportunities! We still want a strong link with START, and – who knows – we may well be the ones who support them in years to come!

What do you hope the future is for Jack Norris, and what steps are you taking in this direction? Does anyone else want to get into animation as a career?

For the time being I am going to continue doing my own stuff and making sure Loco Motion moves on up. Other members are interested in doing it when they are older, as no one shows any signs of ‘growing out’ of it! However, with all aspects of careers in the film industry – it’s not completely clear what it is they can go into at the moment! We are just gonna stay indie for as long as it takes!
I hope I have answered your questions well enough….thanks!

You can find out more about the animation club by looking at their website
www.loco-motion.org.uk

Or talk on their forum with them at: -

www.loco.iforumer.com