New York commercial production company to rep multi-disciplinary animator/director in the U.S. and Europe.
Film and animation production company Not To Scale announced that it has added Canadian director/animator Drew Lightfoot to its roster for representation in the U.S. and U.K./Europe. With experience working on commercials, music videos, TV shows and feature films, Lightfoot brings a fresh perspective to each project.
“Drew is a great addition to the Not To Scale family,” says Eve Strickman, executive producer at Not To Scale New York. “His strong live-action work supported by an animation background makes him an amazing asset for any project. He can tackle projects from so many different angles, and is always a pleasure to work with.”
“I’m very excited to join the global network of talent and to craft animated and live-action stories to life for international clients,” says Lightfoot. “I’m also very much looking forward to getting back to the U.K. marketplace. I do miss London.”
Starting animation at the age of 10 with Lego blocks in his parents’ basement, Lightfoot’s early interest led him to clay animation and an internship at the age of 13 at a small animation studio. His career in stop motion kicked off at 17 when he flew to New Zealand to work on an animated TV show before moving on to commercials in Australia, Canada and the U.S.
After studying classical animation and dipping his toe into directing, Lightfoot was hired as lead animator on Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride in London. This led to animation directing work for U.K. directors Dougal Wilson, Frank Budgen and Johnny Green on major campaigns, including Big Yellow Tide and Sony Bravia Play-Doh Bunnies, which both won pencil awards at D&AD.
After that, Lightfoot migrated to directing, helming commercials for the likes of Volkswagen, PlayStation, Orange, Bud Light, Toyota, Maynards and Virgin Mobile, as well as a wide range of music videos. “This is where the passion for live action and the craft of animation merged together -- marrying the endless possibilities of animation with the human elements of live-action,” he explains. “My approach is to never execute the same visual twice. I’m constantly experimenting and dabbling in new technologies.”
In 2015 Lightfoot was selected to direct a 360° film, Horizon, for Canada’s 150th anniversary, which will travel across the country this year, first as a dome experience and then as a VR film. The film is a time capsule of artistry and performance in unexpected places around Canada. “It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life, being able to travel all across the country, collaborating with incredible talents, including national ballets, symphonies and Olympic teams in astoundingly beautiful surroundings,” explains Lightfoot.
Source: Not To Scale
