AMY ASHTON Photographer Illustrator Animator
About
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Schadenfreude
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Karen
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Hear No Evil
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Contact
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About Amy Ashton, aka A-TROOP, works primarily with illustration, photography and animation as a means of visual communication. After pursuing a foundation degree at Central Saint Martins School of Design, Amy went on to attend the Bristol School of Animation where she developed a passion for filmmaking and storytelling. Coming from a fine art background has had a strong influence on Amy’s traditional/digital hybrid style of animation and experimental approach to design. Whichever way she decides to work, Amy likes to explore themes that engage and elicit a response from her audience. Studying animation has expanded on Amy’s photography and illustration and now plays an integral part her work. In the future, Amy is looking to coincide her interest in animation and digital storytelling with larger projects, such as music videos, short films and documentaries. 2
Skills Excellent
Moderate
Digital Photography Analogue Photography 2D Animation Adobe Photoshop
Adobe After Effects Adobe Premiere Adobe InDesign Stop Motion Pro
Cover: Domestic Self-Portrait #1, 2011 Above: Domestic Self-Portrait #2, 2011
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Schadenfreude Stop Motion Animation 2:16 mins 2012 Production: 12 weeks Schadenfreude is the story of Old Owl and his difficulty in finding solitude in his local park, which is constantly broken by Little Owl and her childish hijinks. When Old Owl’s patience has been pushed to the limit by Little Owl’s oblivious nuisances, he resorts to devious plans to get the peace he’s after.
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Schadenfreude was my first venture into animation and a real turning point in my creativity. It was a refreshing break from the po-faced seriousness of fine art, which allowed me to indulge my unnatural obsession with owls. When it came to making Old Owl and Little Owl, I wanted to give them personalities which the audience could relate to. Little Owl represents the playful inner-child whereas Old Owl represents a slightly more devilish side. Working in 2D stop-frame allowed me to experiment with using different textures to create a warm and childish charm.
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Stills from ‘Schadedenfreude’ 2012
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Karen Mixed Media 2:50 mins 2013 Pre-Production: 11 weeks Production: 14 weeks When Jake, a reclusive twenty-something, decides to go out with an old mate, he’s introduced to Karen, a vivacious young girl with whom he becomes infatuated with. After the two hit it off, Jake is looking to take things further but a series of sexual advances eventually leads to sexual assault.
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I stumbled across the story for Karen in an online forum in which people were confessing to committing rape and sexual assault. What struck me most about the story was how the perpetrator failed to recognise the severity of the situation and his attempt to justify his actions. My main reason for making Karen was to defy the misconceptions of rape culture and victim blaming by focusing on the mindset of the perpetrator. I chose to combine live-action footage with animation to create a contrast between Jake’s romanticised view of Karen and the harsh reality of his actions.
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Stills from ‘Karen’ 2013
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Hear No Evil Photographic Project 2010 - 2013 In 2010, I visited Kampala, Uganda to do some work experience at four of the captial’s deaf schools through the help of my Aunt. In the month I spent there, I built up a strong relationship with the staff and students and learnt about the discrimination and challenges they face from being deaf.
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I am currently in the process of launching a campaign called Hear No Evil, which has been funded by UWE’s Better Together fund. Hear No Evil will give creatives in Bristol the opportunity to promote themselves through a series of fundraising events each month. The profit made from the events will go towards providing the deaf schools new teaching resources and equipment. To introduce the campaign, I will be exhibiting a collection of my photographs to give people an insight into the cause.
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Ntinda Vocational School for the Deaf, Uganda, 2010
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CONTACT amyashton7@gmail.com 07415689828 @AshtonMania
Amy Ashton is available for film and animation projects including music videos, short films and documentaries.
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