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Art&Graft's In Pursuit of Magic is a Reminder of Why We Do This at All
London-based studio Art&Graft spent two years creating a collaborative animated short film to combat industry burnout and reconnect with their creative purpose.
What: Directors Vicky Ghose, Mike Moloney, and Stephen Middleton led 42 staff members to create 'In Pursuit of Magic,' a short film produced through a 'blind' collaborative process inspired by the game Picture Consequences.
Why it matters: The project serves as a structured method for studios to prioritize self-initiated work, ensuring internal creative talent remains engaged during long cycles of commercial projects.
Deep dive
- The project took two years to complete, involving 42 studio members.
- The process utilized a 'blind' hand-off method where animators did not see previous sections.
- Five distinct characters were designed in varying styles including 2D, 3D, and hand-drawn animation.
- The studio manages non-commercial output through a dedicated internal initiative called 'Sparks'.
- The work acts as a cultural counterweight to the pressures of commercial client work for brands like Apple and Meta.
Decoder
- Picture Consequences: A collaborative drawing game where each person draws a part of a figure without seeing the previous additions, revealing the final image only at the end.
Original article
In Pursuit of Magic took the London studio Art&Graft two years and 42 people, all answering one question: what is the pursuit of magic for you?
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