Well, That's That Buggered

Want to animate on Chomet's new film?  Forget Edinburgh.  From Digit Online:

Framestore sets up feature animation studio

UK visual effects house Framestore CFC has announced the formation of a dedicated feature animation studio Framestore Feature Animation.  [...]  Founded with the aim of becoming London's premiere feature animation studio, Framestore Feature Animation has – in partnership with Universal Studios – already commenced work on its first project. The Tale of Despereaux, based on the award-winning children's novel by Kate DiCamillo, will be directed by Sylvain Chomet, writer and director of the Oscar nominated Les Triplettes de Belleville.

[...] The formation of Framestore Feature Animation will involve a large scale recruitment drive by the company, with up to 200 new staff being expected to join as The Tale of Despereaux gears up through 2007.

[Cheers to Francis for the article]  Sigh.  I've absolutely sod-all desire to move back to London ever again, so I guess that's the end of any hopes of working for Mr Chomet.  This seems to confirm what had been rumoured earlier - of pre-production in Edinburgh and full production in London, instead of the initial plan to set up a full animation studio in Edinburgh.  So much for the 250 creative positions spoken of with such conviction and assurance in the Scottish press last year.  For the many many people who end up here on Falling Sky by searching for Chomet, Studio Django and the like, you'll want to be taking note of Framestore's job page and checking it every few weeks from hereon, and I wish you the very best of luck.  After this post, I'm finished with the story, just as the story seems finished with Scotland and me.

Back when I first heard about Chomet opening a studio, two years ago almost to the day, it almost sounded too good to be true.  So it has proven.  Here's all the stories on Falling Sky as they came in: April 04, May 04, July 04, September 04, October 04, that terrible November evening, April 05 (in which I wrote "what matters is, at long last, IT'S ON" - *smacks forehead*), April again, May 05, May again, then nothing until January 06, and finally today.

It's so strange to realise this has been going on for two years, with a few phone calls, emails and portfolio submissions chucked in for good measure.  If this all sounds rather petulant from me, my apologies - I can't help but feel a certain attachment to the comings and ultimately goings of Studio Django (in whatever name or form it's been in) for all that time.  Hell, I was all lined up for a storyboard interview in May last year until it was decided I would be better suited for the animation positions.  At the time I thought this was a blessing, allowing me six months to prepare some quality work for an interview which never came and never will.  What makes it all that much more galling is the terrible lack of official word, nothing direct from the source - were it not for news stories online, I'd still be under the impression that an animation interview is just around the corner.  At the very least, emails could have been sent by the studio to all those who'd applied, letting them know the state of play, explaining that Framestore would be the place to look for animation work... really, how difficult would that have been?

Back when I wrote that great November rant, I ended it with...

"It can still happen. I'll get over this disappointment soon enough, and the excitement of a feature animation studio opening less than an hour away from here will again have me jiggling with nervous glee. No-one ever said it was going to be easy."

...and genuinely believed it.  Ironic, then, that a couple of paragraphs beforehand, writing about the portfolio review itself, I wrote what's turned out to be a far more fitting coda:

Ultimately, you have to ask, why did I bother? Why was I so stupid and sure that this could actually work out?

Melodramatic perhaps, but genuine & heartfelt nonetheless, far more so now than then.  It's bruising, disappointing to get involved, build up hope, imagine and dream about something you give a damn about, how wonderful things could be, and then see it drift away to nothing.