"Welcome to the blog for the upcoming animated movie ETHEL and ERNEST based on the book by acclaimed illustrator and author Raymond Briggs. London animation studio TVCartoons Ltd aim to start full production by the autumn of 2011. A 90 minute animatic has already been done, and the project was presented by producer John Coates and director Roger Mainwood at Cartoon Movie in Lyons, France, in March 2009."
"Ethel and Ernest is primarily a hand drawn film, with all the characters being drawn in TVPaint. But some objects, such as vehicles, will require a computer model to be built and will be rendered to fit in with the drawn images. "
The death of producer John Coates delayed start of production , but now they are getting started .
"Production on the Ethel and Ernest film is being split between Lupus films in London, Studio 352 in Luxembourg, and Cloth Cat Animation who are based in Wales."
There are a few line tests from "Ethel and Ernest" on animator Peter Dodd's demo reel:
"Here on Ethel & Ernest, we are using animation software, TVPaint, to create our 2D feature film in a style that feels hand-drawn. Ethel & Ernest Animation Supervisor, Isobel Stenhouse says that “TVPaint is the best animation software I have used in terms of being able to create realistic brushes, with the use of a functional lightbox, and a great user interface. Most animators who have made the transition from paper are delighted when they realise what they are able to achieve using this software, such as instant playback, and of course, the ability to undo, whilst creating a sketch-like image that closely matches their traditional drawing style.”
Animator, TVPaint Beta-Tester, Animation Educator and Consultant.
MacOS 12.7.1 Monterey , Mac Mini (2018) , 3.2 GHz 6-Core Intel Core i7,
16 GB RAM , TVPaint PRO 11.7.1 - 64bit , Wacom Cintiq 21UX 2nd Gen.
,Wacom Intuos Pro 5 , Wacom driver version 6.3.39-1
Ah, this time I knew for this article already : Thierry sent it to me while I was in Hiroshima. That is so kind.
BTW, I had the pleasure and honour to be invited to the crew screening a month ago. I was totally amazed by the quality of the film on every levels : animation, compositing, music... I knew the story already (for I had read the book when I was at Cloth Cat studio) and they totally kept the spirit : you laugh, you're moved, you will eventually sob or cry even if you know what's going to happen.
This is the kind of film that ilustrates hard times, but in a way, you envy Ethel and Ernest for their devotion to each other despite the terrible events of WW2 and other huge changes of the twentieth century.
The trailer is available, I shall post it as soon as I arrive at TVPaint office.
I'm listening at the Pegbar & Grill Podcast (which is quite interesting by the way) and in Episode 9 roughly in the middle Peter Dodd is talking about switching from pencil and paper to digital and how easy it was using TVPaint. And again 10 minutes before the end.
By the way: Since Tim Court and Sam Taylor, the makers of the podcast, both intensively using TVPaint, they talk frequently about it. I also strongly recommend Episode 5, talking to Michael Schlingmann aka Felix Sputnik (also his name here on the forum).
Windows 11 22H2 / TVP 11.7.0 PRO WIBU / Cintiq 22HD
Windows 11 22H2 / TVP 11.7.0 PRO WIBU / Mobile Studio Pro 16" (2019)
Android 13 / TVP 11.7.0 / Galaxy Tab 7 FE INSTAGRAM
I've already listened to Mr. Schlingman's episode and I really appreciated them. Thank you for mentioning Peter Dodd's interview, I shall listen to it tonight
Oh then you'll appreciate Peter Dodd's interview too, including the raunchy animation stories from his early animations done in France
Windows 11 22H2 / TVP 11.7.0 PRO WIBU / Cintiq 22HD
Windows 11 22H2 / TVP 11.7.0 PRO WIBU / Mobile Studio Pro 16" (2019)
Android 13 / TVP 11.7.0 / Galaxy Tab 7 FE INSTAGRAM
"The animators work with a computer software called TVPaint. All the other classic Raymond Briggs films – The Snowman, The Snowman and the Snowdog, Father Christmas etc – have been animated on paper; Ethel & Ernest is the first to be made 'digitally'.
This software has now become the “industry standard” according to director Roger Mainwood. Animators work on a tablet called a Wacom Cintiq, still drawing each character movement by hand, only on a digital screen rather than with pencil and paper."
Animator, TVPaint Beta-Tester, Animation Educator and Consultant.
MacOS 12.7.1 Monterey , Mac Mini (2018) , 3.2 GHz 6-Core Intel Core i7,
16 GB RAM , TVPaint PRO 11.7.1 - 64bit , Wacom Cintiq 21UX 2nd Gen.
,Wacom Intuos Pro 5 , Wacom driver version 6.3.39-1