Behind the scenes, in addition to overseeing the complex manufacturing of Stickybones here in California, we’re ramping up another aspect of our company--one that we feel will add tremendous value for you and give you the opportunity to get the most possible benefit from your Stickybones.
While we work toward finishing up delivery of Stickybones to the rest of our community of pre-order backers, we have some wonderful news we cannot wait to share with you.
As a company founded by animators, we’re in a special position to not only make exceptional physical tools for artists and animators, but, emboldened by a passion to help other artists and animators, we are also in a position to provide you with world class instruction that you can apply to your own work through the use of Stickybones.
How do we propose to do this? Well it’s already in motion. Read on dear reader...
We are thrilled to introduce you to the newest member of Team Stickybones!
Meet Florian “Flo” Perinelle, who has come aboard at Stickybones as Head of Stop Motion Education and Animation Supervisor.
If you are interested in stop motion animation, either as a hobbyist or you want to make a career out of it (whether or not you’ve even tried it before) read on to see how Flo’s joining Team Stickybones will benefit you.
Flo has joined us fresh from years of animating at the best stop motion animation studios in the world, like Aardman and Laika. And he’s eager to pass onto YOU the wealth of stop motion animation knowledge he has amassed during his years contributing to films many of us know and love-- like Kubo and the Two Strings, Boxtrolls, Paranorman, and Pirates: Band of Thieves (and even Laika’s upcoming Missing Link that we’re greatly looking forward to…coming out early 2019.)
Interested in acquiring next-level stop motion knowledge from Flo? Subscribe to the Stickybones YouTube Channel where we will regularly post videos featuring Flo’s guru-level stop motion animation wisdom.
WATCH HIS FIRST VIDEO HERE
We know Stickybones has applications that stretch far beyond stop motion animation. And that is why we will also be regularly posting a variety of videos relating to art, film, animation and other Stickybones related goodness.
We are beyond excited for him to join us and share his incredible amount of knowledge with the Stickybones community.
Get to know Flo. Below, read his first interview as part of Team Stickybones. He’s excited to get to know you, too, as we grow our community and interaction spaces.
Q&A With Florian “Flo” Perinelle
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Sure! I'm Florian and am a professional stop motion feature film animator. I was born and raised in France--in a not-so-nice part of the Paris suburbs. (Not exactly like the film Amelie.) However, at 16, I moved to Paris to learn about art and design, which is when I got to experience some of that romantic Paris feeling. I started my career as a product designer and later tried stop motion animation for the first time when I was 23 years old. At the time I didn’t realize it would become my new career. But I gave it a good go and never went back to product design.
You've animated at two world class stop motion film studios. Quite notably; Aardman and Laika. What was it like and what was your favorite aspect of each studio?
Both Laika and Aardman are great, yet different in many ways. As an animator, the main difference between them is the style of animation. I feel so lucky to have had the chance to work in both studios, as they taught me so much. I guess my favorite aspect about working in each studio is actually what makes them so different from each other. When working there, you step into their world. The first few months are scary because you need to adapt your animation to their style. It's not always easy at first. What you thought was working in one studio might not fly in the other. You need to be open and flexible in order to adapt quickly and your colleagues are your best companions in this case. I have learned so much from my peers.
[above] Florian animating on the set of Boxtrolls at Laika
Why did you decide to join Team Stickybones?
I want to help people reach their highest potential with stop motion animation and give them the skills necessary to make a career out of it, if they choose. I believe the Stickybones products are awesome and have unique potential. They can be the go-to tools for creating teaching materials accessible from almost anywhere in the world. Since starting my career, I’ve realized that good, practical stop motion education is hard to find. Some countries have very good teaching (like the UK, where I happened to learn) but other countries might have nothing at all. I was lucky to have been in the right place at the right time for my training. But I have met so many people who yearn for the chance to learn the skills needed to turn their passion for stop motion into a career and don’t have access to a program near them. My dream is to give them the tools and skills to do just that and Stickybones is the missing link I’ve been searching for.
If someone who has never animated before wants learn stop motion now, what would be a few things you would suggest?
If you want to learn or improve your stop motion animation, then you’ve come to the right place! We will do everything we can to give you the tools (both physical and knowledge-based) to learn stop motion. If you subscribe to our YouTube channel, you will find our first two intro videos to get you started. We will be continually posting more videos containing valuable information. In a nutshell, though, to get started stop motion animating, you need a shooting space and stage, a few lights and a camera hooked up to a computer with stop motion software. Then, to learn the technique, you can start with animating simple non articulated objects and try to breathe a little bit of life into them, and work your way up to a fully animatable puppet. And that is where Stickybones shines. You don't have to spend ages learning how to make a stop motion puppet / armature if your goal is to learn how to animate one. Get your Stickybones and follow our lead.
You have an impressive resume having animated on so many stop motion films and projects; from Creature Comforts to ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, Kubo and the Two Strings and the upcoming Missing Link—among others. What was your favorite stop motion film to work on so far?
They were all great in their own ways! Some have been great for the end result and some have been great for the people I've met and the fun we've had. Others for how much I learned along the way and some for how they influenced the trajectory of my career. I am so glad I was part of every single one of them. Again, I could talk about why each of them were great, but I can't pick just one to say that it was better than the others as a whole.
Can you tell us about the first time you saw Stickybones in person?
I have to give a big thanks to my close friend Mark Gaiero for this actually. I was telling him about the project that had been running in my mind for a long time about wanting to create online stop motion instruction and how it would be amazing to have the students, anywhere around the world, get the identical animatable puppet as the one I'd have so we could talk about the specifics of animation rather than them having to make or deal with a puppet that I'd have no idea how it behaves. That's when Mark told me about Stickybones. It was still a young Indiegogo campaign at the time and I went online to check it out. I was blown away. It was exactly what I'd hope for. I contacted Erik and Lauren to voice my excitement, congratulated them on their achievement and talked to them about the project I had in mind. They said they'd love to meet up so we did. And over a few pints in a bar in south-east Portland, they showed me the Stickybones. Still a prototype at the time, it was even better than I expected. I was instantly seduced by it and could see the huge potential it had. And still has. I can't wait for us to take it there.
[above] Left to right: Lauren Baker, Florian Perinelle, Erik Baker. This photo was taken in Portland, Oregon on the day we all met for the first time. We demo’d the Stickybones prototype for Flo, who was working at Laika at that time. The meeting went swimmingly--this moment set the stage for the universe to align and for Flo to join Team Stickybones now in present day… which will have a lasting impact on the exciting unfolding of our company’s future.
Can you tell us why you chose stop motion as a career path?
It took me a long time before I even considered it as an option. I wasn't really aware of that world, let alone aware of the fact that I could earn a living doing it. That changed when a friend introduced me to the wonders of Aardman's animation. I fell in love with it! I realized it had this amazing way of combining all of my long-time interests into one product: Sculpting, anatomy, movement and acting. I had to give it a try! I don’t regret, even for one second, that I did.
Name some of the stop motion animators you look up to and why?
I have to say, from the most junior to the most experienced of the animators I've met, they've all been full of surprises. After working with them a while, and you get to appreciate their style, you think you know what to expect-- but then they come up with this incredible shot that makes you go "how did they animate that? It's so good!" Working in this industry is very humbling in that way. I’ve been animating among some of the most talented in the stop motion industry and it has been very inspiring. Sorry I can't name just a few people in this case... I'd name them all but we'd run out of space!
Everyone has a favorite/least favorite shot. Name yours and why?
Well, I don't know about everyone, but I have plenty of least favorite shots! Haha! It would be difficult for me to pick the winner. Stop motion has this unique aspect that prevents you from coming back to tweak your shot when it’s done. I guess that is both the beauty of it and the hardest part of it at the same time. Often, you only see a mistake after you are long passed it in your animation. And if it is one of those mistakes that isn’t bad enough for your supervisors to let you reshoot it, then it stays there forever. (And to you, it is particularly obvious.)
My favorite shots are fewer. However, there is one I quite like although it technically might not be my “greatest.” It’s probably the situation in which I animated it that has an influence on why I like it so much. It's a shot from The Magic Piano, a film we shot in Poland. This kid character is doing parkour on Paris rooftops as he tries to catch up with the "flying piano." Eventually, he gets to the end of a roof and can't go further. In this shot, after jumping over a few chimneys, he slows down his run and comes to a stop. From an animation standpoint, it was a pretty long and technical shot--I was feeling so sick while doing it too (must have been coming down with the flu or something!) I was having cold sweats as I was animating it--racing the clock to get it done on time. I was totally animating on auto pilot mode and was feeling pretty sorry for myself that day. In the end, though, the shot turned out pretty good! Is that the recipe for good animation, do you think? ;)
What do you enjoy doing when you aren’t stop motion animating?
I enjoy doing many things when I’m not animating--even though animating seems to be what I spend most of my time doing. Though, now that I have a toddler at home, when I'm not playing with puppets I am still taking care of a miniature human being!
Favorite animated movie of all time?
Favorite animation of all time in an animated movie, I would say Tangled. Favorite Stop Motion animation in a movie, I’d have to go for Missing Link, which is not even out yet--Just you wait, the animation is pretty up there! As for my favorite animated movie of all time.. I gotta say, I'm leaning towards Coco at the moment. It really moved me.
Coffee or tea?
Definitely coffee. Espresso, black. No cream, no extra water, no sugar and especially no straw! (please don't share the picture where I drank exactly that)
Favorite dessert?
I'm not big on cakes, but even if I’ve already eaten way too much, there is one dessert I can always magically find room for--and that's my grandma's apple pie. Slightly warm with a spoon full of creme fraiche on top... it's so bad. It's so good.
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Please help us welcome Flo to Team Stickybones!
If you’re still waiting for your Stickybones, we thank you for your patience--it’s been a long creation period. But we’re shipping now and you won’t have to wait much longer. We're working hard to post valuable stop motion videos to have waiting for you to view so that as soon as your Stickybones does arrive, you’ll have some starting resources to help you to jump in immediately and start creating.
Thanks for reading. Thanks for encouraging. Thanks for supporting!.. Now if you have received your Stickybones, go out and post something cool and tag us, so we can thank you for that too! :)
Cheers,
P.S. [below] The only way Flo will be seen drinking coffee at the Stickybones studio…with the world’s tiniest coffee mug in hand filled with straight espresso-- black with no cream, hot (never iced,) no sugar, no extra water, epic hand pose, and most certainly… no straw.
….that is UNTIL….
One day during lunch break at the Stickybones studio, we took a little break at a nearby cafe. It was then that we obtained photo proof of some of the biggest sacrilegious coffee crimes Flo has ever committed. Iced coffee!! And through a straw!! With extra sugar and extra water! And is that cream? Did he enjoy this blasphemous caffeinated moment? We think he did. Well… at least we enjoyed witnessing it--call us monsters, but the rest of Team Stickybones loves a good iced coffee! :D
Click HERE to watch the first Stickybones video featuring Flo!!
If you are interested in obtaining a Stickybones for yourself and have not yet pre-ordered—it is not too late. You can still contribute to any of the perks HERE and your Stickybones will ship to you once it is made freshly made in California.