Doctor Simpo's Animated Antidote

DOCTOR SIMPO’S ANIMATED ANTIDOTE CARTOON COMPETITION
I think we can all agree that a bit of light heartedness would go a long way right now. Don’t know about your but I could certainly do with a good laugh and I’m hoping you’re going to give it to us through creating your own animations.

Not only are there awesome prizes and the chance to have your film showcased at the very popular Holmfirth Film Festival, but as well as this Doctor Simpo is going to help you to create your funny masterpiece.

Time to get creative. Doctor Simpo wants to see your animated antidote to Covid 19. Every Wednesday since the enforced lockdown Doctor Simpo has been releasing his animated antidote tutorial videos for all, with some top tips to help aspiring animators taken from his newly published animation hand book: Doctor Simpo’s “Bring Stuff to Life?” which contains the 12 principles of animation plus his own “Top Tips”, providing clear and simple explanations on how to create believable animations. Doctor Simpo will continue to release his animated antidote for a further 6 weeks, continuing on from Wednesday 3rd June at 6.30pm.

PRIZES GALORE!
Holmfirth Film Festival (once home to the British Hollywood before Hollywood – Bamforth’s and the longest running sit-com in the world Last of the Summer Wine), in conjunction with Doctor Simpo and Bates Mill Creative Spaces want to help you through lockdown and see the funny side of life again, using the magical world of animation.

The top prizes are split into 3 categories of:

● CHILDREN (-17) = £75
● STUDENTS OF ALL AGES (registration details) = £150
● PROFESSIONAL/ADULT (18+) = £300
● The top 10 shortlisted animators from each category will be contacted via email and these animations will be screened at the Holmfirth Film Festival in November 2020 - details to follow on submission. The winning films will be decided by a public vote.

How to Enter:
1. Get Excited!
2. Subscribe to Doctor Simpo’s YouTube Competition Channel here.
3. Watch out for Doctor Simpo's weekly animation tips to help you to create the best animations that you can.
4. Get cracking and have some FUN!
5. Follow the brief to create 60 seconds or less of funny, silly, wacky-wild, down-right-daft screen time to blow away the anxiety of our times, with above all – LAUGHTER!
6. Your cartoon must be less than 60 seconds, with sound where possible.
7. Your file should be 24 fps, 16:9 aspect ratio and exported as h.264. (Other formats are accepted, if they work, the risk is yours!).
8. Please submit your animation via WeTransfer to doctorsimpo@hotmail.co.uk before the deadline of 12 Noon on 1st August 2020.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE! I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE ALL YOUR AWESOME CREATIONS!

Remember your favourite animations that you see on-line or on the telly-box aren’t just moving pictures but they have funny sound effects and even music. Doctor Simpo has worked closely with a local musician; Napoleon IIIrd, for many years although now they are working in an isolated capacity.

“Doctor Simpo and I have been making plans together for years, so when he asked me to provide score for this series of animations, naturally, I immediately said yes. This is such a great opportunity for people to showcase their skills or try their hand at something new. If you have suddenly found yourself looking for ways to occupy your time, get making stuff. You won’t regret it.” 

James Mabbett is a sound artist, musician and composer. He produces large and small pieces of sound art, release albums and composes for ensemble and film; all from Studio Napoleon iiird, his home in the dramatic, isolated landscape of the Pennines. His website - www.napoleoniiird.com features music and film he has been working on recently as well as information about the remote, surround sound concerts he has been performing on-line during lockdown.

But who is Doctor Simpo…?
Doctor Simpo is a sequential narrative specialist, but he prefers to call his field of practise CARTOONS; he is a part-time Senior Lecturer at Leeds Arts University and his other dream part-time job would be to draw for the Beano. He once owned a scarily funny Joke Shop called Frighton in the seaside town of Brighton and now lives back in his hometown of “sunny” Holmfirth.

During lockdown, Doctor Simpo is running his cartooning commissions, animation studio and university lectures out of his totally awesome vintage campervan, which is an ex-RAF-ambulance located outside his family home, which allows him to care for and be close to his elderly Gran.

“That’s almost all folks!!”
Holmfirth Film Festival are also running a ‘Feeling Isolated?’ film making competition for details on this please see the website: http://www.holmfirthfilmfestival.co.uk/content/film-competition

For more information visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVkhwtqRMW8