SNEAK PEEKS

A still image from 'Mountain Engine' 

A poster advertising 'Thomas and the Quest of the Long Forgotten Engine'  as seen on the 'Thomas and the Christmas Disaster' DVD

Working in the world of stop motion animation has its difficulties however I find that ideas are the quickest part of film creations. Many of my Thomas project have a solid plot within the first hour of the epiphany; which is extremely exciting. It is only natural for the general elements to alter and become something else, or even evolve in some way, as this frequently happens when newer ideas take control. 

As far as I know the remaining projects that have now become dusty are that of 'The Secret Island' and my Railway series adaptation of 'Mountain Engines'. Despite these ideas being left behind, I have jumped the gun and started work on my last two Thomas films- the last of course being 'The Quest of the Long Forgotten Engine'. I have since developed an idea that arouse during the filming of 'Mountain Engines' and thus I jumped at the chance of making another half hour film. The plot has developed nicely and has in fact shaped the script to an emotionally sculpted vision of beauty; however the problem being that a large part of the script remains unfinished thus far.

You could say that I'm rushing things as of late, yet I feel that if an idea hits you then you have to take action before you forget. These ideas become opportunities for people to uncover how thrilling it is to be a film maker. To tell someone about an idea doesn't seem to cover what is really happening inside your head yet the beauty of film is that books, poems ideas reality etc, becomes an experience that can touch the audience you design it for. 

Many fans who have view my work have responded in the ways in which I intended, which feels rewarding and warming to know that my work has developed the appropriate emotion response when being manipulated through immersion and identification; to which they have shown emotion that I have intended. If there is anything that I love doing in my films, it's making people laugh and cry. Humour and affection seem to stimulate the very best of my artistry such as the Fat Controller sitting on the toilet or the films 'The Great Story of Toby' and 'The Great Story of Henry' that have stimulated tears of sadness and tears of joy. 

I wish for my next film to become one of the most visually stunning projects I've ever created. Challenging myself seems to be an intention in each project and this one is proving to be a larger scale than anything else! I'm hoping that all my fans will enjoy my remaining projects still to come as I take a bigger step into my University years of studying Animation. I will always be making films, never fret!

-Michael Evans