Stop motion animator/director Hayley Morris has joined IAMSTATIC, a Toronto-based shop headed by partners Ron Gervais and Dave Greene. IAMSTATIC is also on the roster of the recently launched animation division of New York/San Francisco-based studio BODEGA which, said Gervais, means that Morris will have U.S. representation through that relationship. She had earlier been handled in the U.S. by Click 3X and prior to that th1ng (“thing one”).
Morris, the face behind her own animation studio Shape and Shadow, uses traditional stop-motion and hand drawn animation techniques to tell stories that unfold through layered textures, hand crafted details, and inventive storytelling. She has directed commercial projects for Samsung, Hewlett Packard, Burt’s Bees, HumanaOne, Kate Spade, The Detroit Zoo and Paragard, among others. Morris has additionally helmed music videos for Iron and Wine, Explosions in the Sky, Pure Bathing Culture and Grammy Award winning violinist Hilary Hahn and Oscar nominated composer Hauschka.
Morris has also been an animator and fabricator on commercials for Special K, McDonald’s, Toyota, The New York Times, Cadbury, and a fabricator for the NYC Macy’s Christmas Windows.
Morris’ work has been featured in film festivals and museums worldwide. Her short film Undone won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Animated short at Slamdance and her sets, puppets and music videos were shown at La Gaité Lyrique’s “Motion Factory” exhibit in Paris. The exhibit showcased 15 directors from around the world who create hand made films in a digital age. Morris is also adjunct faculty at the Rhode Island School of Design. Morris gained inclusion into SHOOT’s New Directors Showcase back in 2011.
IAMSTATIC partner Greene said, “Adding Hayley to the team is really exciting for us. We have been a fan of her work for a long time and to add her talent in stop motion and traditional animation to our toolbox provides us all new paths for collaboration. We will also be able to offer our skill set to her process.”
Known for polished CG driven work, IAMSTATIC recently expanded its capabilities by adding long time collaborator 2D animator/director Norma Toraya to its roster. The addition of Morris reinforces the company’s goal to gather a group of artists who can together share and support each other’s work.
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More