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Bishop-Stephens, Will

Contact details

Position: Lecturer

Location: Office: G1.52

Email: w.bishop-stephens@uel.ac.uk

Contact address:

School of Arts and Digital Industries (ADI)
University of East London
Docklands Campus
University Way
London E16 2RD

Brief biography

Will is an animator, artist and author. He uses comedy in his films and these usually have a direct, hands-on and lo-tech feel, even when using comparatively sophisticated techniques in animation or narrative structure. 
 
Found-objects and software, high and low culture, silliness and sadness all have a place in Will's work.   
With a first degree was in Fine Art Sculpture, Will retains an independent outlook on animation and a fascination for the way it works. Before he started animating he exhibited around the UK in group and solo shows and he made handmade fanzines, from which came a book, published by Walker Books in 2004, ‘Wrongboy’s History of Earth: an inaccurate history of evolution’.
 
Will graduated from the Royal College of Art Animation MA in 2006.
 
His professional practice includes lecturing, writing, directing and animating his own films, commissions and directing collaborative and community films. Clients have included writing and directing for NHS Communications, BandCampTV, Sunday Best Records with Kid Carpet, a Flash animation series for the CBBC website and with Annex Films on two commercials and a WWF fundraising film directed by Osbert Parker. His independent films have been screened at festivals around the world and have won audience and jury awards.
 

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Activities and responsibilities

•

‘Kid Carpet & The Noisy Animals’, Backdrop and Interactive

animation, Tobacco Factory Bristol. Scratch Shows March

2011, Edinburgh Fringe 2011 show under development.

•

30 Second Viral Campaign Animation for West Dean Summer

Festival, 2011

•

Titles, animated sketches and live-action puppets for Music

and Comedy TV pilot ‘

BandCamp’, BandCampTV, Norway and UK.

•

‘Danger Man’,CBBC interactive, 7x 1min. Flash Animation.

Writer/Director/Animator

•

‘National Health’,4min19secCommissioned by the NHS to

celebrate their 60

thanniversary to be screened in NHS hospitals.

Writer, Director & Producer.

•

‘Kid Carpet- I don’t Want to Fall in Love With You’, pop

promo, Sunday Best Records. Screened on MTV and

47,932 views

on Sunday Best’s YouTube channel, at time of writing.

Writer, Director & Producer.

•

‘Topsy Turvy’, NPower.Ad, Dir. Osbert Parker, Annex

Productions. Stop Motion Animator

•

‘Photograph of Jesus’, Dir. Laurie Hill’s winning entry to

the Getty Images/Short & Sweet Film Challenge, 2009 Stop-

Motion Additional Animation.

•

“The Adventures of John and John” Graduate Film, RCA, 2006.

Writer, Director, Animator.

Prizes:

* 3

rdPrize, McLaren Award, Edinburgh Festival.

* Best Student Film at Animé Caribe 2006, Trinidad and

Tobago,

* Jury Prize at the E-Magicians Festival, Paris,

* Film grant from the Fondation

Jean-Luc Lagardère.

* Audience Prize, International Screening 3,

L.I.A.F, 2007

Selected screenings for “The Adventures of John and John”:

•London Int. Animation Festival• Melbourne Int. Film

Festival • Moscow Int. Film Festival• Stuttgart Festival of

Animated Film • Dresden Film Fest• IFF Rotterdam •Premiers

Plans, Angers • Clermont-Ferrand, Short film Market •

Edinburgh International Film Festival McLaren Award

screenings• E-Magicians, France • Anifest, Hungary •

Cinanima, Portugal • Sleepwalkers Film Festival, Tallin,

Estonia • Animé Caribe, Trinidad and Tobago • P.I.S.A.F

South Korea •

Represented internationally by The British Council

PROFESSIONAL:

Previously

•

“Wro ngb oy’ s H ist ory of Ea rth ”

(illustration below)

Written and Illustrated by William Bishop-Stephens

Published October 2004,

ISBN 0-7445-8644-5, Walker Books Ltd.

(Over 4000 sold)

INDEPENDENT WORKSHOPS & COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS:

•

‘What Makes Us Happy?’ a film project for Orleans House

Gallery and LBRUT council, produced during a season of

Animation Workshops with members of the public. Leading and

Directing.

•

‘www.makeanimation.org’, offering Animation Workshops,

Animation Summer School. Specializing in collaborative

films for organizations, made during workshops with the

target audience.

•

‘Recycling Works’, Public Information Animation for

Guildford Borough Council in collaboration with borough

schools. Director, Lead Animator, Workshop Leader.

•

‘Seasons of Sport’, Animation promoting sport in the London

Borough of Richmond upon Thames, made from children’s’

workshops during artist residency at Orleans House Gallery.

•

Animation Workshops for 11-13yrs and 14-16yrs at the

Victoria & Albert Museum. Leader.

•

Introduction to Animation, Rydens School, Surrey. Leader

•

Portfolio Day, drop-in advice and tutorials, V&A museum.

INDEPENDENT WORKSHOPS & COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS:

Previously (selected)

•

Octogon Club Workshop leader for an innovative series of

Animation Workshops for young people with a range of

profound learning difficulties, Orleans House Gallery

•

Screening and interview for Cinephilia ‘Animation Worlds-

Lines and Scratches’

http://www.cinephilia.co.uk/west/

•

“What We Say Matters”, made with young people for a DfES

campaign commissioned by the London Borough of Richmond

upon Thames. Distributed to all schools in the borough

November 2007. Director, Lead Animator, Workshop Leader.

•

“Inner Picture” National Portrait Gallery, Orleans House

Gallery, Positive Activities for Young People.

Dur. 00:06:40, Screened NPG, 2004. Director, Lead Animator,

Workshop Leader.

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Areas of Interest/Summary of Expertise

Animation, Stop-motion animation, Drawn animation, narrative, movement, space, colour, model-making, open-source engineering, natural history.

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Teaching: Programmes

Animation

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Teaching: Modules

DV1600 Animation 1

DV3600 Animation 3, with Marc Coker and Pia Borg.

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