Visiting Lecturer: Daniel Quirke (28/10/22)

Today, we had a visiting lecturer called Daniel Quirke, a graduate from the National Film and Television School and an animation director. He also does motion graphics as a day job when he’s not working on these projects. He gave a very diverse talk about his work, but also offered some feedback on our work and reinforced some advice I’ve heard about breaking into the industry.

Daniel is a recent graduate, only graduating in 2020 pre-lockdown. I wasn’t expecting someone as young as him, it feels like he already has accomplished much since then winning BAFTAs and working with high-end productions. His work is primarily stopmotion and/or mix media, but as someone who doesn’t really know much about either of these processes, it was a very enjoyable talk.

Daniel talked about his LIAF sting, which felt apt given we’d just finished ours a few months back. What was fun about this short film was the mixed-media approach to it all. From painting on acetate, to painting on a formed clay (I think?) to finding random objects that could double up as scenery (projector motors doubling as generators etc.), the film feels very textured and formed. This is truly an experimental piece and yet feels believable. It’s such a different approach from how we tackled LIAF, and equally as fun.

Another project Daniel spoke about was this RTE Jr animation called Dagda’s Harp, showcasing to use the difference between the animatic and final stages. One of the things he talked about was how he was adapting information to a younger audience. In the animatic, the 2D animated sections weren’t present, and his younger siblings who fit the audience demographic were struggling to understand the story. The 2D section was fitted in to help bridge that gap.

One of the general things that Daniel touched upon was the idea of budget, and how it affected his practice. Budget naturally affects how we make things, both in terms of time and money. For this film, the budget wasn’t a massive amount, so it wouldn’t have been possible to cast alternate mouth shapes or eye balls. As such, he took on the process of drawing the features on the faces, and rubbing them out and redrawing similar to 2D animation. I found this fascinating, seeing how a limitation became a strength to the film.

After getting some feedback regarding sound design, music and how to angle shots, I asked Daniel how I should be preparing myself to get into the industry as someone in their second year. The answer I got was a reinforcement of advice I’ve heard prior, but not unwelcome: make your presence known online. Give people a look-in into the work you’ve been making. You don’t need to show full films, especially at this stage – focus on showing clips that showcase the best of your ability, whether it’s a walk cycle exercise or a short bit of animation. Continue to grow your presence online, on social media and your own dedicated site that’s up to date. It echoes what I’ve heard before, and what I’ll likely keep hearing until I can make my presence known.