James Cunningham
Directing
Biography
James Cunningham believes that although animation is ultimately just a tool, it can be a very powerful tool — the kind that allows filmmakers the ability to craft exactly the images and angles that they want to realise their vision. Cunningham’s own career has seen him specialising in computer-generated imagery, be it full 3D animation or visual effects added to live action. Since graduating from Elam (in Auckland) in 1997, he has crossed back and forth between the stylised CGI images found in his own shorts, and the photo-realistic kind used in live action commercials and movies. Cunningham studied photography at Elam, following it with a Master of Fine Arts in digital animation. In 1997, working alongside producing partner Paul Swadel, he completed rollercoaster-style short film Delf (short for ‘digitally engineered life forms’). The film featured two tadpole-like creatures on the chase, set to a driving Pitch Black soundtrack. Delf — and follow-up films Blinder (1998) and 14-months in the making Infection (2000) — all starred computer programmes as on-screen characters, moving through their own digital worlds. Delf and Blinder both won attention — Blinder even got local theatrical release alongside movie In the Company of Men. But Infection proved to be Cunningham’s international breakthrough. Peopled with a troupe of syringe-soldiers and the Dali-like moving eyeball seen in Blinder, Infection became one of the biggest selling-Kiwi shorts to date. Alongside invitations to 20+ festivals, the stylish tale of digital robbery competed at Cannes in 2000, plus indie showcase Sundance. When Cunningham heard the pitch for Poppy, a tale of WWI soldiers from talented young writer David Coyle, he felt strongly that it would gain added power as an animated film. Months later, Cunningham and film-making partner Paul Swadel began rehearsing with actors Paul Glover and Matthew Sunderland, using umbrellas and golf-clubs filling in for rifles. Later they captured footage of the actors during an extended day of motion capture at Weta Digital. Cunningham spent 14 months making Poppy, aided by a small support team that grew from one to three artists across the year. In total it took 4,500 hours to produce the 10 minutes of animated film. The result was two awards at international computer graphics conference Siggraph, a ‘Best Technical Contribution’ Award back home, and invites to a run of festivals, including Melbourne, SXSW and Telluride. Cunningham continues to be involved in animated shorts as teacher of the 3D animation course at Auckland’s Media Design School. Among his goals is making sure the work of students wins international recognition. Led by Cunningham, two shorts from the Advanced 3D production class were finalists at the 2010 Visual Effects Society awards: Time for Change, and submarine tale Das Tub (Time for Change and sci-fi spoof First Contact were also selected for premier CGI showcase SIGGRAPH). Das Tub also went on to win Best Short Short at the 2011 Aspen Shortsfest, and Cunningham took Best Director at the Honolulu Film Awards.
Known For
Two tadpole-like creatures with enormous eyes chase each other around, to a driving techno soundtrack. Then these digitally-animated characters find themselves plunged into a different reality - one where a single wrong move could mean they exist in only two dimensions. After completing this mind-warping mini-rollercoaster ride, creator James Cunningham and producing partner Paul Swadel worked together on bank robbery tale Infection, which won invitation to the Cannes Film Festival.
Delf
An end of days comedy animation about an amorous cricket and a starving hedgehog who wants to eat the last cricket left in the world.
Prickly Jam
It is not easy to find love, especially if you are falling apart, stinky and a little bloody around the edges. Welcome to Rotting Hill, where the extinction of humanity has led to the rise of a new species - ZOMBIES.
Rotting Hill
A precocious kitten wants to be a witch's familiar and must pass a test or she will forever be just simple cat, but the witch sees something in the kitten she does not expect.
Kitten Witch
First Contact is a sci-fi comedy which shows why there are so few visits from aliens these days. Two aliens interrogate a sub-contractor who they sent to Earth to handle 'first contact', but things didn't quite go to plan. A hilarious discussion on the appropriate use of probes ensue.
First Contact
A mutant hero, a virtual bank heist. A digital action thriller. A three fingered virus is let loose on a computer system with the express purpose of erasing a student loan.
Infection
A father possum reads his kids a story that's an alphabet of the most dangerous animal of all: humans! Inspired by the Edward Gorey classic, a black-comedy for kids and parents alike.
Accidents, Blunders and Calamities
Poppy is a Performance-Captured CGI drama set on France's western front in World War One. Two New Zealand soldiers are trapped behind enemy lines and are trying to find their way to safety. They find an orphaned baby under it's dead parents in a ditch. One of the men wants to save it, the other does not.
Poppy
Lost in the frozen depths of the Atlantic a German U-Boat crew find themselves on a collision course with objects stranger than they can fathom. The truth leaves them bathed in confusion in this submarine drama of domestic proportions.
Das Tub
Another day at the work... of robots.
Shelved
In an ancient world a warrior and his son are on a quest get a wish from a magic dragon, to fix the son’s stammer but the forest conspires the stop the father. The boy decides to go on alone to face the unknown creatures that await. On his journey he discovers his own inner strength and convinces his father to accept him as he is.
The Dragon's Scale
The adage that in a long-term relationship things can get a little like clockwork is given a twist in Time for Change. A simmering spousal feud between two wooden figurines on the town clock of an Austrian village, comes to a head with unexpected results. Lederhosen, accordions, and desire for a young blonde are oiled with a keen sense of black humour.
Time for Change
A digitally engineered life form struggles with a belligerant operating system. In a skewed look at human/computer relations a belligerent digital light blinds our hero into desperate measures. The only way to stop the incomprehensible blinding pain is to opt for physical disablement. Meticulously hand-made on Silicon Graphics computers and Alias-Wavefront software.