Run Wrake: Involuntary Darkness

19 Sep 2006 Category: Features, Film / Animation, Illustration, Worldwide

Run Wrake is known as an animator and illustrator, who has collaborated with Howie B and created visuals for U2’s Vertigo tour. His latest short animation “Rabbit” has been very successful at many film festivals all round the world and Run Wrake himself came to Japan as a guest of the International Animation Festival Hiroshima 2006 held last month.

Written by Chiemi
With the kind cooperation of Hybrid

Could you introduce yourself first, please?

My name is Run Wrake, I’m an animator and illustrator based in London. I think this is… my 4th visit Japan.

I heard that you got invited to the International Animation Festival in Hiroshima as a guest this time and also won the Special International Jury Prize with your short animation “Rabbit”. Congratulations! Could you tell us a little bit about the animation?

From “Rabbit”
(You can watch the intro of Rabbit from “Recent Work” of his website)

The story is basically a very simple morality tale about greed - the dangers of greed and exploring nature. It came about when I found some 1950’s stickers in a junk shop about 20 years ago. When I was moving the studio out of Soho about 2 years ago, I fond them again in the bottom of the drawer and thought it would be great to make a film out of them. There were about 200 different stickers.

What kind of stickers were they?

They were educational stickers for kids to learn words. There is an illustration of something and a word below. For example, there is an illustration of iron and it says “iron” underneath. I’ve got maybe 40 or 50 sheets. I wanted to try to use the style of the images for the whole film. So I made a story out of them.

So, do you mean that you redrew them with the same style?

No, no. I scanned them into Photoshop and cut them out. Like for the idol, I cut out his right and left hands, one layer for right hand and one layer for left hand… and another layer. So I ended up with the idol and any of the characters as one Photoshop file but lots of layers. And then Aftereffects, you kind of joined them, and you animate them. So, all of them were scanned. No drawing at all apart from the morphs when the idol zaps flies.

How long did it take to finish it?

I finished this last August. It took about 16 months from the start. I spent about one year for actual making animation and 4 months for pre-production. Very long time… Howie B helped out the music and all sound effects were done by a guy called Craig Butters, who did an absolutely fantastic job. Usually I do picture after the sound but this time I did all the animation first. So that was slightly different thing… But there are 79 tracks of audio sound effects. That means almost every fly has its own effect, plus the music on top. It’s amazing.

I’ve seen some of your other work and I always think that you have very interesting yet slightly “dark” ideas. Where do those ideas come from?

People ask me that question often but I don’t know. I just write down ideas and look through books and pick up a picture there, listen to music.. so I really don’t know where they come from.

For example, the music video you created for the Charlatans “Try Again Today” (Go to “Recent work” to watch) has a scene that their heads that attached to scribbled body, spin around and fall off, then roll over on the floor…

Oh I can explain that one! For that video I had a week to come up with an idea for the pitch. I couldn’t come up with anything and I started to scribble ideas out. At the end of the week, I had about 10 pages of scribbles. The song is about “try again” and scribble is kind of “trying again”. So I sent it to their record company pages of scribbles and they said “This is great idea. Develop it.” That’s why it’s scribbles. And the heads thing, I was told that I couldn’t do filming this time but I could capture any bit of their video. Obviously, a lot of them were not the picture of whole body, so it was much easier to cut out a head and do something with it.

How about your character “Meat head”, a man who get barked by a dog on the street and suddenly his head turns into a piece of meat? Isn’t that idea a bit dark?

Mmm.. Meat head is quite dark. He originally appeared in “Jukebox”, and it was metaphor for fear. I don’t like dogs… I wanted to explain that he was scared. So the character meets the dog and in his mind, he thinks that the dog is seeing him as a piece of meat. That’s why his head turns into a piece of meat. In that film, subsequently I like the idea of its universal character. Underneath of the skin we all are meat. Whatever the color of the skin is, we all the same. One heart, two lungs and veinss..So that’s why I stuck with it.

Who are your influences? And anyone you like recently?

I really like the Fleischer Brothers, who did “Betty Boob” and “Popeye” but their early stuff in 1930’s was very surreal and use lots of loops and beautiful lines. When I was in college Dada was massive influence. And also Russian constructivist, Rodchenko. Again, 1930’s Russian poster design and graphic design are so beautiful. I’m still big fan of Bauhaus too. For recent stuff… I like Shynola and Psyop in New York. And Michel Gondry… pretty much everything he does is sickeningly good.

So what do you think about Japanese animations?

I really like Hayao Miyazaki who did “Howl’s Moving Castle” and “Spirited Away“. Those are absolutely beautiful. I mean, unbelievable. I’m not a huge fan of manga, to be honest. I find there is often too many little bits to absorb… what I love about Miyazaki’s work is the amount of animations. They are absolutely stunning.

Do you have any plan for the future?

Meat head! (banging the dask) More Meat head! Meat head is taking over the world! And I’d love to make a feature film before I die basically. Hopefully I’m still young enough to do it…

Oh, you are young enough! So finally, any message for our readers?

Look out for meat head… slightly dark.

Dark again! Anyway, thank you very much! We all are looking forward to seeing more of your meat head stuff!

Run Wrake’s Rabbit is going to be released as a DVD soon. Also full version of Rabbit will be shown at “Short I: State of the Art” at a film festival RESFEST which is going to tour 45 cities all round the world from next month! Check it out!

19 Comments

1. This is wonderful, reminds me a lot of the old Sesame Street animations I grew up with.

   Posted by: Joey on September 19th, 2006 at 10:59 pm

2. Very good site! I like it! Thanks!
   Sinus Infection

   Posted by: sinuss on September 20th, 2006 at 5:48 am

3. Very good site! I like it! Thanks!
   Crock Pot Recipe

   Posted by: reciperr on September 21st, 2006 at 8:05 pm

4. [...] Pingmag have a nice recent interview up with champion animator and illustrator, Run Wrake. ( found via accent feed ) Seems he was visiting Japan for the Hiroshima International Animation Festival – where his new short ‘Rabbit’ picked up a special jury prize. Plenty of screenshots and storyboard shots in the article too, worth a look. And especially exciting to hear he has his eyes on a feature film. [...]

   Posted by: { { { { - - Sky Noise — >>> » Document » Run Wrake News on September 25th, 2006 at 5:42 pm

5. [...] Pingmag have a nice recent interview up with champion animator and illustrator, Run Wrake. ( found via accent feed ) Seems he was visiting Japan for the Hiroshima International Animation Festival - where his new short ‘Rabbit’ picked up a special jury prize. Plenty of screenshots and storyboard shots in the article too, worth a look. And especially exciting to hear he has his eyes on a feature film. [...]

   Posted by: { { { { - - Sky Noise — >>> » Document » Run Wrake News on September 27th, 2006 at 11:50 am

6. [...] I love this cartoon. It’s super-creepy and brilliant. You can read about the creator, Run Wrake at PingMag, and order the handsome DVD box here.Link (Via Metafilter) [...]

   Posted by: Rabbit - amazing animated short film « le grand large on October 14th, 2006 at 11:14 am

7. I recently posted a fui here

   http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarchi/110275148/in/set-1691349/

   with a link to the url

   Posted by: sarchi on October 14th, 2006 at 5:38 pm

8. [...] Un film de Run Wrake. [...]

   Posted by: Rabbit (scurtmetraj) at tales from the Weed-Chip Cookie land on October 15th, 2006 at 12:22 am

9. [...] Article with the creator - Run Wrake: Involuntary Darkness   [...]

   Posted by: Henry Phish » Rabbit - Run Wrake on October 20th, 2006 at 1:28 am

10. [...] From an interview with Run Wrake: The story is basically a very simple morality tale about greed - the dangers of greed and exploring nature. It came about when I found some 1950’s stickers in a junk shop about 20 years ago. When I was moving the studio out of Soho about 2 years ago, I fond them again in the bottom of the drawer and thought it would be great to make a film out of them. There were about 200 different stickers. [...]

    Posted by: “Rabbit” by Run Wrake -- Random Ramblings on October 25th, 2006 at 12:56 am

11. [...] Update: PingMag has an interesting interview with director Run Wrake. [...]

    Posted by: :: Jeff Milner dot Com :: » Blog Archive » Idol on October 28th, 2006 at 4:11 am

12. [...] Rabbit (8:20) est un petit film d’animation qui traite de notre rapport avec la nature. Tout simple, mais vraiment très original. Et un vrai bijou pour les amateurs de désign graphique. Coeurs sensibles s’abstenir. Laissez un commentaire sur ce billet [...]

    Posted by: Blog AMIGO EXPRESS - Service multi-accès de covoiturage pour le Québec et les Maritimes » Bonbon visuel (eye candy) on November 16th, 2006 at 4:37 am

13. Hi all!
    very good site!!

    http://myblog.es/jennajameson

    Posted by: Jenna Jameson on December 8th, 2006 at 4:58 pm

14. Simply the best of all animators!
    When will I be able to buy some Meat-Head stakes in the grocery nearby?

    Posted by: Rotem N. on January 18th, 2007 at 5:45 am

15. Fine and pretty site! Very good owner!
    XXX fbf

    Posted by: XXXlai on February 16th, 2007 at 5:37 am

16. [...] with the artist here. More work and a fitting biography [...]

    Posted by: stampkit » Run, Rabbit. on March 28th, 2007 at 12:18 pm

17. thanks for your subject. it is very important

    Posted by: nakliyat on February 29th, 2008 at 5:47 am

18. legal bueno tri

    Posted by: tales on February 21st, 2009 at 4:45 am

19. Excellent. As an aspiring illustrator this article was really inspirational. Thank you Ping Mag. I love your site. :)

    Posted by: bursa evden eve nakliyat on March 31st, 2009 at 6:59 pm

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