"Don't Panic" and most recently "Trouble" from the band's "Parachutes" album have been circulating the airwaves, showing off Hope's moody, layered and textured look. He uses 3D Studio Max to create cutout birds, animals and morphing flowers, alternately animating and filming elements placed in the videos. "Don't Panic" shows an animated cross-section of a landscape, with filmed elements (read: body parts) of band members placed on cutout bodies. "The only reason I'm using cutouts is that I'm using this software and it's the only way I know how to get people into it and I want them in there," says Hope of his technique. But, for "Trouble" Hope filmed the band on green screen with a Digital Betacam, leaving them whole, choosing to animate the background and surrounding elements.

His first short film "The Wolfman," which TBWA London producer Graham Cappi discovered on TV and was later turned into a Playstation 2 commercial (see Boards Online, August 30, 2001), was borne out of a performance piece that Hope and a friend created called "Man-chine," involving a part man, part machine character.

The realization that the performance piece was going nowhere prompted Hope to parlay his soundscape-laden mechano-human exploits into an animated film.

A fusion of ranting dialog, grinding noise and layered 2D/3D animation, "The Wolfman" is the kinetic otherworldy adventure of an astronomer living on a disproportionately small planet who longs to become a werewolf. The film shows his transformation as he becomes, bit by bit, "a man dog, a hairy person," flying off into the universe wreaking havoc on neighboring celestial bodies. In short, it rocks.

"I wanted to create this sound/noise thing. I wanted to create the effect of whiteout guitar. You know when bands, I guess Velvet Underground is the prime example, just finish out on white noise sound to this crescendo," he says.

He has also directed an award-winning music video for King Biscuit Time's "I Walk the Earth," as well as spots for soft drink Robinson's through HHCL.

A self-taught animator, Hope created "The Wolfman," which was awarded the McLaren Animation Prize at the Edinburg Film Festival 2000, on his home computer in his bedroom. "I'm still using all low-end software to make my stuff. I never use flame or Henry," says Hope. "[I'd use flame] eventually if I knew why. I just don't know what it would give me that I can't do already."

He admits that his knowledge of sophisticated software and conventional animation techniques and processes are limited. However, given the choice between high-tech and low-tech, Hope's stance is quite clear: "[In flame suites] you're getting coffee served all the time, you've got people sitting around, you've got producers, directors and clients ... and there are all these sofas, they're obsessed with them. You can't make good work in a coffee bar. You've got to sit on your own and focus."

But judging by his comments, it seems the only thing that might convert him would be efficiency. "I'd like to work a lot less hard on projects," he laments. "I find myself working 90 hours a week on a project." As for future work, he's taking a break right now, catching his breath after completing "Trouble."

Webfiles:
Passion Pictures> http://www.passion-pictures.com