Peter Millard

0:00Hello. Thank you for the really nice introduction, Matt. It makes my next two slides a bit pointless.

0:26So I'm from Great Moven, these are the Moven Hills.

0:41This is where I started my artistic journey. I'm not sure how many people here would have done their art access course, but that's what I did in the Moven Hills Art College. These are some of my peers that I worked with. I was there for a year doing life drawing and painting through. I applied to do animation at University of Newport and the work there somehow convinced them that I am okay to do the animation course there, where I worked really hard and then made a bunch of short animations there with really bad titles, it seems.

1:26So the work I did there, I ended up going to somehow convinced them the Royal College of Art that I could do an MA in animation there, well worked even harder. Great night. And that's where I made a bunch of more films.

1:53So the MA those two years, I ended up working at the Natural History Museum for six and a half years of that part time. I only have one picture of me working there, which is that. But whilst I worked there, I made a lot of short films in my spare time and was lucky enough to travel to a lot of countries and go to film festivals and stuff.

2:25So I was trying to think like one film that would be a summary of the, I guess it was like ten years worth of work in the end, something like that.

2:38But I decided to make a showreel instead, which I haven't done since I guess my first year of university at Newport. So here's a showreel of some of those films. It's a blue dog, it's a blue dog, mum. Oh my god.

4:27So yeah, production companies just hold back. But you know, I did, I was doing that for years and I kind of just fancied a change to maybe make a film in a different country somewhere. And I was lucky enough to travel to Canada a lot over the years. And it's really easy to get just if anyone's interested. If you're 30 or under, you can get a holiday working visa, dead easy. So that's what I did, I managed to convince them.

5:04But I've been travelling to Ottawa International Animation Festival a lot over the years. And after going there a lot, I built up quite a few friends that live in Canada, mostly in Montreal.

5:20That's why I ended up moving. I'd just like to say a massive thank you to the British Arts Council for always funding me over there. I promise I'm always on my best behaviour when I go there. Definitely not put in the British animation industry to shame. But so I just wanted to show, I'm really proud of that one.

5:49I made an indent for the Ottawa Film Festival. It's one of the nicest things I was able to do. They gave me three rules for it. Like, Pete, it has to be under a minute. I was like, okay, that's fine. It has to have all the details of the festival. I was like, well, of course. And it has to include an owl. You have to have an owl in it. I was like, fine, this is easy. And this is what I made. It's a lot of fun. A lot of fun. A lot of fun. A lot of fun. A lot of fun. So that played before every single screening. Sure, they didn't regret that choice.

7:35But anyway, so I moved to Canada. I really wanted to make this film about... So I used to be a vegetarian a while ago.

7:46And then I started eating meat a lot of the time. Mostly pigs. And I told this to an animator friend of mine whilst I was in Ottawa called Stephen Sabotnick. Love you, Steve, if he ever watches this. And he said, well, if you love pigs, Pete, you should definitely watch this video. And it's of an American... I don't know what it is, like a competition of people doing pig noises. I really felt like I would like to share with you all. Because after I watched it, it really convinced me that, yeah, I really want to make a film about pigs now.

8:26So yeah, here's the video. Come on, pig. Piggy, come on, Piggy. Suuuu... Aaaaaaah! No! Aaaaaaah! Aaaaaaah! Aaaaaaah! So, John. Aaaaaaah! Aaaaaaah! Aaaaaaah! Aaaaaaah! Aaaaaaah! Piggy, piggy, piggy, piggy, piggy, piggy, piggy! Aaaaaaah! So... So... So that really influenced the soundtrack to a film I made.

9:53In Canada called This Is Pig Meat. I haven't really got time to show it all, but here's a little clip, just so you've got a little taster. You can see the whole thing online. Yeah, here's a little clip. Aaaaaaah! Aaaaaaah! Aaaaaaah! Aaaaaaah! Aaaaaaah! Aaaaaaah! Aaaaaaah! Aaaaaaah! Aaaaaaah! Aaaaaaah! , yes. If that's your bag, check out the whole film. So you're probably wondering why I'm back in the UK. I'm sure that's on everyone's lips. Somehow I've managed to convince Kingston University School of Art to give me a job as a permanent lecturer on the Illustration Animation course, where I'm teaching them all the most important walk cycles, like this. Ha ha ha ha!

11:19So yeah, I'm having a blast anyway. So whilst I'm working there, a few years ago, I was lucky enough to do an exhibition for Pigtoplasma, which is like a conference in Berlin, and it was the first time I had like, did stuff for an exhibition space. So, you know, I did sculpture, and I had like, drawings on the wall and stuff. And this is something I really want to do a lot more. So at the moment I'm doing...

11:50So I wrote this massive script, and the script's all about humans and our place in the universe. After reading it the other day, because I was writing it mostly in Montreal, because I was there on my own most of the time, and I was on my little flat. Yeah, to be frank, it does sound... Read a bit like a madman, who spent too much time on his own. But I'm going to make it anyway.

12:21So I've been making some sculptures, and this is sadly how I spend most of my evenings these days. I'm in a bath... In the bath... In the bath... I dance with somebody... I'm in heat with somebody... In my life. Yeah, I dance with somebody... With somebody who dances... , so here's some of the sculptures. There's another one. Here's the whole gang so far. I kind of want to make a hundred of them, is my aim.

13:07So I'll be working on that. I've also been... Oh, God, this next video. I've been making... I've been trying to make a soundtrack for the whole thing. And yeah, okay, here you have. Screw it, I'm playing it. ... Well, I have to get comfortable to get my funk on a bit. And yeah, of course, and I've been animating. So here's another video of me doing stuff. West, these people go to West. I have to open up the West. Here's a little like New Go West.

14:08This is what we're doing. ...

14:12So yeah, so that's what I'm up to at the moment. And to... I just show a tiny 12-second clip of... Yeah, I guess it's like a good summary of what I think humans places in the universe right now. And yeah, here's the clip. Oh, yeah. Pretty mad stuff going on out there.

14:54But yeah, thank you very much. It's nice that you're having me. And that's the end. All right.