Rachel talks to Gavin Strange. Gavin shares how he got into design and animation and became a director at Aardman, emphasising the importance of curiosity, self-motivation, and finding one's own path in the creative industries. He shares the importance of using different mediums, such as animation, to tell stories and make a positive change in the world.

Gavin highlights the collaborative nature of animation, the importance of nuance and empathy in discussions about climate change and animal welfare, and the value of small changes and personal responsibility.

He also gives advice for parents with children interested in animation and talks about his personal projects.

Gavin Strange

Website: https://www.jam-factory.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamfactory

Aardman/Greenpeace Turtle Journey: https://youtu.be/1iJbo3fhJFk

Curious About Nature is hosted by Buttercup Learning Founder, Rachel Mills.

Website: https://buttercuplearning.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buttercup_hello/

Email: info@buttercuplearning.com

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Curious About Nature is a nature show for families, home educators and teachers from the team behind Buttercup Learning and the UK's only nature prints with augmented reality.

There's a new episode every month where guests discuss nature and ways we can connect our families and communities to nature.

What we discussed in the episode

Background and Career [00:01:39 ]

Gavin Strange talks about his background and career, including his passion for design and filmmaking, and how he ended up at Aardman Animations.

Inspiration for Design and Animation [00:04:08 ]

Gavin Strange discusses his inspiration for design and animation, including his love for pop culture and graphic design, and how he discovered his passion for filmmaking.

Turtle Journey [00:08:52 ]

Gavin Strange talks about his work on the multi-award winning animation "Turtle Journey" in partnership with Greenpeace and Aardman, including the story behind the project and the use of animation to raise awareness about the plight of the world's oceans.

Translating empathy to plasticine turtles [00:10:33 ]

Gavin Strange talks about the inspiration behind the "Turtle Journey" animation and how they used claymation to create a human bond with the audience.

The production process of "Turtle Journey" [00:11:35 ]

Gavin Strange explains the process of creating the animation, including the use of stop frame animation and computer graphics, and the collaborative nature of animation production.

Learning from Greenpeace [00:18:45 ]

Gavin Strange shares what he learned about climate change from working with Greenpeace, including their positive and nimble approach to affecting change.

Animation as a tool for change [00:20:58 ]

Gavin discusses the power of animation to tell stories and create change, and how it can capture people's attention and imagination.

Advice for aspiring animators [00:22:03 ]

Gavin gives advice for parents on how to support their children's interest in animation, including using simple tools like pen and paper, and exploring apps and schemes.

Personal projects and curiosity [00:27:47 ]

Gavin talks about his personal projects, including a course on passion projects, skateboard designs, and a story he wants to turn into a film, and emphasizes the importance of curiosity and learning.

The importance of nuance in discussions [00:30:52 ]

Gavin Strange talks about the importance of nuance in discussions about climate change and how it can make people think about the treatment of animals.

Gavin's desire to tell stories like Greenpeace [00:32:50 ]

Gavin expresses his desire to tell more stories like Greenpeace, using comedy, animation, warmth, and heart to tell an important message and end with hope.

Where to find Gavin's work online [00:33:23 ]

Gavin shares where to find his work online, including his website, Aardman profile, and social media accounts.

• Greenpeace and Aardman's Turtle Journey
• Gavin Strange