/ Don't hate the media, become the media.
Jello Biafra

Compared to the bustling life of London’s City, in the quiet, static suburb, lurk foxes. Suburb is a glimpse into what mischief these enigmatic creatures wreak on their man-made surroundings.

​

Hello Miles and Rainie, thank you for talking to The New Current, how have you been holding up during these very strange times?

 

Miles - Thanks for catching up with us! Finishing a creative degree from home was a process with quite a few ups and downs so we are definitely taking time to decompress and look after ourselves. 

 

Rainie - It is true that we all have been through tough times. I have tried to focus on what I can do, not distracting from negative thoughts. 

 

Has this time offered you any new creative inspiration or opportunities?

 

Miles - I’ve been taking time to work on my showreel and storyboarding portfolio, while also working at Passion Pictures as an assistant on a very cool upcoming project. I’m learning a lot from the artists there.

 

Rainie - As an international student, I expected to have a creative job in the UK. However, with the pandemic, I had no choice but to come back home and endured a difficult time seeking a job opportunity. Fortunately, I am currently working at a Studio Roomer in Korea as an animator with many creative people. 

 

What does it mean to be screening Suburb at the 15th BFI Future Film Festival?

 

Miles - I feel honoured to have the film recognised and screened at such an incredible venue.

 

Rainie - I feel honoured like Miles, and I think it means that the Suburb team gets the compensation for working hard for the film.

 

Suburb is going to be in the Citizens of Earth Section of the festival, are there any nerves ahead of the festival?

 

Miles - It’s scary to be considered among so many talented people! I’m just excited to see all work people have made 

 

Rainie - Yes, I am nervous. I hope people cannot find any errors in the film. I hope our film can make good moments for many people. 

 

Can you tell me a little bit how Suburb came about, what was the inspiration behind your animation?

 

Miles - Suburb came from my obsession with foxes in London, and how the world that they inhabit is such an evocative liminal space. They live in the dark and the silence of a usually bustling city, which must be a pretty lonely existence. I wanted to capture their experience in this film - innocent creatures grappling with their place in a world too big for them to understand. 

 

Rainie - The original idea is derived from Miles, and then our team developed the story together. So, Miles knows the initial inspiration of the film. But I would say that Suburb came from human's curiosity about how these enigmatic creatures live in man-made surroundings.

 

When working on an animated short, how close were you able to keep to your screenplay once you started shooting, did you allow yourself much flexibility?

 

Miles - In animation you spend a lot of time storyboarding and planning how each shot will have to look. We also took a lot of time on this stage of the production to perfect how the segmented panels in the film flow, making sure it was dynamic but easy to follow. After this point, animation and layout followed the storyboard quite closely.

 

Rainie - We had plenty of time spending how each shot will finally look. I had rendered a few different panel movements to choose the best one and BG artists sometimes changed angle or perspective as we developed the layouts. Therefore,  I would say that we had enough flexibility between the storyboard and the final look, at the same time, animators tried to stick close to the final storyboard.