Based here in Margate, Jess Deacon’s love affair with paper started at university in Brighton where she studied as an illustrator. From there on her journey into animation weaved its way to Margate where she ended up around the corner from our studios. Having worked on a variety of commercial campaigns and personal projects in various capacities we are delighted she has joined our roster after her beautiful film ‘Revolution’ won an award and was selected for film festivals around the globe. Delve a little deeper into the pages of Jess’s inspiration and process in this interview below.
What inspired you to get into animation, and how did you get started in the industry?
I’ve loved stop motion animation for as long as I can remember. Watching shows like Bagpuss, The Clangers, The Herbs, Ludwig, Trapdoor, (to name but a few!) as a young child, I was transported. The imagination and tactile nature of these animations really sparked something in me that still exists today.
I began experimenting with animation myself whilst studying for a degree in Illustration at the University of Brighton. They had an old Quick Action Recorder (a grainy analogue line test machine) and I started to play around with cut-out style animation as a way of bringing static illustrations to life. After moving to London and working in the post production industry for a few years, I came back to animation and began working at a small design and animation studio in Farringdon who, at the time, were beginning to specialise in papercraft animation.