Jan 3, 2014

Random Acts: Making Space for Independent Animated Films in the UK

In October 2011, Channel 4 in the UK began airing a new initiative entitled Random Acts. The program was designed as a space for specially commissioned shorts of three minutes or less, dealing with a variety of media, from spoken word to ballet. The series was originally scheduled to air five nights a week for a year, but before it ended, Channel 4 commissioned another 260 films.

Channel 4's description of the series is as follows:

With the mission of "television as art, not about art," Random Acts brings together artists, performers, and experimental filmmakers, unencumbered by presenter Random Acts allows artists, performers, and experimental filmmakers to create their own work without the distraction of presenters and without being constrained by the conventions of television. The short films are part of Channel 4's innovative approach to arts content, using the screen creatively to support and nurture new and contemporary artistic talent.

Among the media offered is animation. Indeed, participants from outside of animation include well-known figures such as poet Benjamin Zephaniah, and the animators working at "Random Acts" are undoubtedly in good company.

Among those involved are some familiar faces from the current crop of British animators. Chris Shepherd ("Dad's Dead," "Who I Am and What I Want") for "Lifeclass," featuring cartoonist Jim Medway's signature cat design; Robert Morgan ("Bobby Yeah") for Invocation" for his distinctive approach to stop-motion horror, and David Shrigley ("Who I Am and What I Want") has produced no fewer than five short films for the series.

The other shorts are relatively newcomers to the field. Foxy was created by Stephanie Tandy Johnston, a 2012 fine arts graduate, and Lesley-Ann Rose of Spatula Head has only one previous directing credit ("I Once Had a Brother" in 2011).

The animation produced for "Random Acts" varies in tone and has no set house style. On the other hand, there are a few works that are resolutely populist: 12foot6 brought back Dave Anderson's 90s comic character Bastard Bunny in "Boozers Ain't Wot They Used To Be ), which was revived in "Boozers Ain't Wot They Used To Be". One example is Elizabeth Hobbs' short Imperial Provisor Frombald, a hand-engraved stamp directly on film that tells the true story of a suspected vampire dug up in 18th century Serbia.

It is clear, however, that these films generally emphasize concept over technique: the retro look of Lupus and Tegn's Conspiracy, or the humorous character animation of Bastard Bunny, for example, are more firmly While some of the films aim for an aesthetic, "Random Acts" is a place where ideas are pursued rather than refined staging.

Unfortunately, these films are not arranged to attract a large audience: they are shown at various times in the late-night slot, hence the "random" tag. The broadcast history shows that one night it aired at 12:40, the next at 11:55, and the night after that at 1:20. For example, Heather Phillipson's short film "Splashy Phasings" aired between a late repeat of the comedy panel game "8 Out of 10 Cats" and a televised poker tournament.

Looking back at Channel 4's animation history, this was something of a hiatus: in the 1990s, the channel's animation initiative 4mations, like MTV's Liquid Television, was a block dedicated to showing a few shorts at a time. The channel's animation initiative, 4mations, was a block dedicated to showing a few shorts at a time. For example, Gael Denis' 2011 short "City Paradise" aired in the 7:55 p.m. post-news slot as part of "3 Minute Wonder," a program comparable to "Random Acts."

Looking at things glass-half-full, however, it is encouraging to see that Channel 4 still supports animation. However, Random Acts shows that Channel 4 animation is still with us and adapting to the new media environment.

To see all the short animations produced for Random Acts, visit.

Image captions (top to bottom). 1. "Reading," one of AL & AL's contributions to Random Acts. 2. "A and E Down Under" by Kajal Verma. 3. Bastard Bunny from Boozers Ain't Wot They Used To Be. 4. Imperial Provisor Frombald by Elizabeth Hobbs