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Aardman Brings Insect Tattoos to Life

Aardman Animations’ Karni & Saul create a miniature predator story in the world of tattoos in Skinmean, a short for Channel 4’s Random Acts

Aardman Animations directors Karni & Saul recently directed a new Random Acts film titled Skinmeal, which will have its premiere broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK on Wednesday, July 3rd. Skinmeal is a miniature predator story in the world of tattoos. In a Lynchian-style beach scenario, a girl lies sunbathing in electric light and is suddenly infested by her own tattoos.

"In Skinmeal, we tried to make a piece that was visually tempting and at the same time had a sharp edge to it," said Karni & Saul, directors at Aardman Animations.

The film is loosely inspired by the work of David Lynch. Karni shot the live action footage on a Digital SLR camera in the studio at Aardman. Saul drew inspiration from tribal art to design the tattoo bugs. The insect tattoos were then animated in Maya by the CG team at Aardman and composited in After Effects. Saul also created the mood music. The result was a moody piece based on the food chain or as we call it skin meal.

Karni & Saul were commissioned by Lupus Films to create a 3 minute short for Channel 4's Random Acts, a short-form daily arts strand screened on the channel late at night. Random Acts launched in 2011 and in its first year showcased 260 specially-commissioned three-minute films chosen for their bold and creative expressions of creativity.

Source: Aardman Animations

Jennifer Wolfe's picture

Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.

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