The Stop Motion Animation Commission has become an integral part of the Moving Parts: Newcastle Puppetry Festival recipe. The commission challenges artists to create a piece of stop motion animation in their own style using our cast of characters designed by Rachael Horner.
Competition was very high this year. We received many high calibre applications from all over the UK and it was very difficult to make a shortlist. After careful consideration we chose Harriett Bradbury. Her sense of humour, attention to detail and technical skill really shone through and we are excited for her to take our characters in a new direction with the commission.
Harriett Bradbury is a stop motion filmmaker based in Bristol, UK. Her first short, ‘Love Bugs’, won the RTS West of England Student Award 2020 and her latest project ‘Under the Sea’ is currently being shown at various film festivals.
Her distinct aesthetic style is characterised by low-tech materials and a tactile, handmade quality. Meanwhile, her work is heavily inspired by a love of comedy; specifically dry, deadpan or absurdist humour and is predominantly character driven.
Harriett says: “I’m so grateful to have been chosen for the Moving Parts stop motion commission. My idea is quite ambitious, but if executed correctly, will hopefully be very funny and charming!
“I’m taking the characters in a direction that I don’t think has been explored before, so that’s really exciting and I very much appreciate the trust of the Moving Parts team! I’ve been a follower of Moving Parts Arts and the Newcastle Puppetry Festival for a long time, so it feels amazing to represent them this year.”
The 2021 Stop Motion Animation Commission created by Harriett will be premiered on Friday 6th August, 7pm as part of the online festival programme. Stay tuned for details by signing up to our newsletter.
Previous commissions
The first Stop Motion Animation Commission was created by Lesley-Anne Rose in 2017:
Animator Chloe Rodham worked with writer Caroline Hardaker to create the 2019 commission:
