Jojo in the Stars

Jojo in the Stars is a film by Marc Craste, a senior animation Director at Studio AKA in London. It is a compelling use of atmosphere and spare story elements that packs an emotional whallop in the end. My only complaint is that there arent' more in the series. I know that a lot of you may have already seen the short and also visited the studio site but it is always such a treat to watch the shorts and commercial again...and again. "Jojo" is the first film to come out of Studio AKA, which actually grew out of a series of short one minute animation's called "Pica Towers," elements of which were developed for some TV idents.

The Characters were created in CGI, using Softimage XSI and After Effects for postproduction. Emphasis was placed on creating a compelling atmosphere with dramatic lighting and reductive forms whilst capturing the absorbing beauty of black and white film. The idea was to explore a look not often associated with computer generated images, avoiding the overall sheen and even lighting in favour of a more heavily textured, less defined look.

Awards

- BAFTA 2004 ~ Best Short Animated Film.
- Clermont Ferrand 2004 ~ Prix Du Meilleur Film D’animation
- Aspen Short Film Festival 2004 ~ Special Jury Prize
- International 3D Awards Copenhagen ~ Best Short Film
- Animasia SICAF 2004 ~ Short Film Grand Prize
- Bradford Animation Festival 2004 ~ Grand Prix
- Brief Encounters Festival 2004 ~ Best of British

I've been in correspondence with Philip Hunt (a studio partner/director) and Director Marc himself. I got to screen a copy of Jojo they furnished me(we made a trade, my books for the dvd copy of the short. I was reluctant since my books, in my opinion, don't quite make it up to the level of a finished short. I keep my silence) projected large in a proper screening room--that was a treat. You can order your own copy of the short from the studio, they just offered it for sale late last year.