Director Chris Cray, creator of the webcomic “Uneasy Going,” has launched Somesense, a London-based animation studio for commercial and original content.
The new venture will create character-focused fare, grounded in narrative, with craft and technique at the forefront of production. Artists Pencil Bandit, Akvile Magicdust and Matt Partridge join Cray on the roster and among them have a diverse set of clients to date, including; BBC, Disney, Google, Headspace, Nickelodeon, E4, Vice, Vanity Fair, Facebook and Cartoon Network. The four bring their unique, idiosyncratic styles to the Somesense multiverse as animators, directors, illustrators and writers who collectively specialize in webcomics, character design and short form content.
Cray stated, “We believe that there’s nothing that can’t be expressed through animation, and we’re all putting that idea to the test, adding to our animated universe every day. Animation is personal for us and we want to make that strong, personal connection with an audience through content which is packed with super fun character designs and well-acted performances.”
He continued,“You’ll find sketch comedy here, pop art social realism, sci fi pop culture and dreamy relatability. You might encounter some paradoxes and illusions but they’re just part of the charm. When you first visit, it may seem like nonsense, but take a minute to adjust. There is some sense here… but only some.”
Cray added,“Even before COVID, we’d been perfecting a robust workflow for remote working, which meant that we’ve been able to take the new health and safety landscape in our stride.”
SMPTE elects board officers, regional governors
SMPTE®,the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has revealed the board officers and regional governors who will serve terms beginning in January 2025.
Three new officers--Richard Welsh as SMPTE president, Eric Gsell as SMPTE executive VP, and Polly Hickling as SMPTE Education VP--have been elected for a two-year term from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2026. One SMPTE officer, Lisa Hobbs, will be continuing her service as SMPTE secretary and treasurer for another two-year term. Additionally, Raymond Yeung will be stepping into the role of standards VP on Jan. 1, 2025.
“SMPTE’s membership has spoken,” said SMPTE interim executive director Sally-Ann D’Amato. “These officers have been tasked with an important responsibility, one each of them is prepared to tackle head-on. These next two years are looking bright for SMPTE!”
In addition to the officers, 10 regional governors were elected by the Society to serve two-year 2025-2026 terms.
These include the following regional governors, re-elected to continue their service:
Asia-Pacific Region Governor
Tony Ngai, Society of Motion Imaging Ltd.
EMEA - Central & South America Region Governor
Fernando Bittencourt, FB Consultant
United Kingdom Region Governor
Chris Johns, Sky UK.
USA - Central Region Governor
William T. Hayes, Consultant
USA - Eastern Region Governor
Dover Jeanne Mundt, Riedel Communications
USA - Western Region Governor
Jeffrey F. Way, Open Drives
Also elected were four newcomers to the SMPTE Board:
Canada Region Governor
Jonathan Jobin, Grass Valley
USA - Hollywood Region Governor
Allan Schollnick, Voxx... Read More