Cat Class Killgar

A while ago, Harry Partridge (this talented guy that some of you may have heard about), asked me if it would be possible to create a more rigged version of one of his characters, as a kind of experiment. Initially, I was skeptical, but after mucking about with Toon Boom Harmony’s Master Controllers, I was more enthusiastic. I’d previously given them a good workout when I was Lead Rigger on Doctor Who, and once I had fully digested what was capable, I decided to give making a head model a go. Suffice to say that I think both Harry and I were blown away at the results. The frustrating thing about quality 2D animation is that- especially when just one or two people are involved, your ambitions tend to be limited by the quantity of work required. Harry’s work in particular is known for its epic scale, and so even a small amount of automation would benefit his work enormously. But only if it looked just as good as the sort of thing he creates manually. I don’t know how far one can push this technique yet- it’s still early days, but if it allows Starbarians and other shows to get made in a way which allows for more adjustments and more of a work/life balance for those bonkers enough to want to make their own animated epics, then hopefully this is a step in the right direction.

As for Cat Class Pop, this is more of an inspirational series, rather than an educative one- so epic 80’s music with laser lights and neon was absolutely required to fit the mood of Harry’s wonderful creation. Hope you guys like it!