Bolexbrothers, a Bristol, U.K.-based studio known for its dark brand of stop-motion animation films, has signed a deal with New York-based firm Highway 61 for U.S. representation.
The now closed production house The Underground (a.k.a. U-Ground) formerly provided U.S. representation for bolexbrothers, which is headed by company founder/director Dave Borthwick. Andy Leighton serves as executive producer for the Bristol facility.
Borthwick will be the primary talent marketed, although bolexbrothers also employs director Mike Booth and works with a variety of animators. "Dave has taken on these young people—Mike is probably the most seasoned of the group—and is going to build a team of young, great animators around him," said Highway 61 director of marketing/sales and East Coast rep Christopher Miller. "It’s important that clients know [Borthwick] is always very hands-on. But his plan for the future is to be able to manage multiple projects at a time."
Among bolexbrothers’ notable commercial credits are two Borthwick-directed Nestea Cool spots: "Kwik Mart" (SHOOT Top Spot, 6/5/98, p. 26) and "Closed" via Fallon, Minneapolis. In 1999 and 2000, respectively, "Kwik Mart" and "Closed" were honored in the animation category of the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) Show at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Bolexbrothers has also directed spots for such clients as Coca-Cola, Carlsberg beer, Lego, Fanta and Scotland Against Drugs.
Miller related that the affiliation with bolexbrothers came about due to Chicago-based rep Susan Prickett, whom Highway 61 recently signed to handle Midwest sales. Prickett formerly repped The Underground, and had a relationship with bolexbrothers.
"In this day and age, there’s so much computer-generated animation," observed Miller. "What really excited me was the organic nature of bolexbrothers’ work. It’s very traditional 3-D stop-frame and pixilation animation [using live actors interacting with animation models in the same stop-frame time medium]. … and it’s a unique way of looking at animation. If you look at the clay animation work they do, what catches my eye is that it is so much more believable [than CG]. Certainly, the AICP recognition speaks volumes about their abilities."
Miller cited, for example, the spot "Aroma" for Lenders Bagels, in which various kitchen appliances, such as a teakettle and an oven, come to life. The ad, Miller said, is an apt illustration of the sense of believability typified in bolexbrothers’ work. "You get the sense that [inanimate] characters are performing."
And while a number of characters in bolexbrothers’ films and ads—for instance, the snowman featured in the aforementioned Nestea Cool spots—are on the dark and creepy side, they manage to evoke viewers’ empathy and come off as surprisingly touching at the same time. Said Miller, "Right from the beginning, the thing that struck me was that combination was such an odd balance … and yet it works."
"For us, [bolexbrothers] are a big part of trying to redefine what Highway 61 is all about," continued Miller. That effort began nearly a year ago, when executive producer Marc Rosenberg joined the company. "There was a need for some changes here. Marc and I have the same vision for the company, and we’ve had a great year of bringing in new talent. Bolexbrothers fit in well with our plan to bring in a little bit fresher, more conceptual creative talent."
Borthwick and producer Richard Hutchinson set up bolexbrothers in ’91, in order to have a studio from which they could work on the animated feature The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb, created entirely in 3-D pixilation. Conceived, written and directed by Borthwick and produced by Hutchinson, the film is a macabre and disturbing retelling of the classic fable. The critically acclaimed piece went on to win numerous awards, including the Evening Standard British Film Award for outstanding technical achievement, in ’95.
In ’96, Booth directed the short film The Saint Inspector, which has won a number of international honors, among them a Gold Award for Best Animation at the Worldfest Houston competition. Two years later, Booth’s second film, Little Dark Poet, premiered at the London International Film Festival. In ’97, directors Martin Davies and Andy Brown—who frequently work with bolexbrothers—completed a 10-minute piece called Keep in a Dry Place and Away from Children, through the company. Children premiered at the ’98 Sundance Film Festival and has won such prizes as a Silver Hugo from the Chicago International Film Festival.
In addition to bolexbrothers, Highway 61’s directorial roster consists of Tricia Caruso, Peter Cherry, Jeff Cooney, Steve Dell, Jeremy Goodall, Christopher Hawker, Adam Johnson, Jake Knight, Steven Levy, Max & Dania, Jamie Morgan, Jerry Sandoval, David Slade and Markus Walter.
Besides Miller and Prickett, the company’s sales network includes West Coast sales reps Darr Hawthorne and Terry Seward.
