{"id":33168,"date":"2018-05-21T07:00:38","date_gmt":"2018-05-21T07:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skwigly.co.uk\/?p=33168"},"modified":"2019-08-09T20:27:40","modified_gmt":"2019-08-09T20:27:40","slug":"joanne-chalkley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skwigly.co.uk\/joanne-chalkley\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with ‘Clangers’ director Joanne Chalkley"},"content":{"rendered":"

Following its successful 2015 revival<\/a>, the timeless world of <\/strong><\/em>Clangers<\/a> has again returned to CBeebies this month for a new series of brand-new adventures. Narrated by Michael Palin,\u00a0co-produced by Coolabi Group<\/a> with Smallfilms and animated by Factory<\/a>, the new batch of stories will see the beloved ensemble – Mother, Major, Granny, Small, Tiny plus companions the Soup Dragons, the Froglets and the Iron Chicken – put in a variety of new, sometimes ‘quite noisy’ situations while staying true to the warm tone and stop-motion look that made its original incarnation so endearing. Skwigly spoke to series director and animator Joanne Chalkley from Factory about her career and the challenges of stepping into the established world of a children’s classic.
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You’ve had a long and varied career in stop-motion working on some very well known and loved stop-motion characters and films, what do you feel have been the highlights in your career so far?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is hard to separate out highlights. Almost every new project brings some new high. At Cosgrove Hall Films<\/a> I worked on a series called Rotten Ralph<\/em>. It was naughty, funny and so well written that when a new script came in the crew would all read through it together. It was an honour to know Mark Hall a little and I have carried his sage advice with me through the subsequent 20 years.
\nHamilton Mattress<\/em> was my first professional short film and a chance to work closely with my mentor, Barry Purves<\/a>. I think I produced some of my best animation for him on that project.
\nTim Burton’s Corpse Bride<\/em> was a big high and a chance to work in London. I went down as an assistant animator but was quickly moved up to full animator. It was both wonderful and terrifying, great high\u2019s but a mass of self-doubt too. I worked on it for just over a year. I got to meet Richard E Grant too.
\nCreature Comforts USA<\/em> got me a foot in the door at Aardman Animations<\/a>. The emphasis was on getting a good performance as opposed to the amount of footage you produced. A rare treat in our cash strapped industry.
\nI enjoyed my time in computer games. It showed me that creativity can thrive in any format and proved I had transferable skills.
\nI took a sabbatical from Lego games to work on Wallace and Gromit \u2013 A Matter of Loaf and Death<\/em> for a short time. It was a real high to work with Nick Park. I particularly remember doing a close up of Fluffles, the poodle. Due to her poofy hair, I had to animate her ears from behind with pins. It took four attempts to get the subtlety Nick was looking for.
\nChuck Steel: Night of the Trampires<\/em><\/a>. Mike Mort<\/a>\u2019s gloriously funny, gory, rude and irreverent film. I watched the animatic and didn\u2019t stop laughing. Shot on singles and with sculpted faces, it really tested my plasticine skills. I don\u2019t think I have ever had to animate vomiting before.
\nThe biggest high has been working on Clangers<\/em>, both as an animator and director. There is such affection for this show from all quarters. I feel I have done good work, with wonderful people. It is a very special show. It also allowed me to meet Michael Palin, one of the few people I truly admire. He visited the studio during filming of series one and I was so shy I could barely speak to him. I have since remedied this.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Joanne Chalkley – Factory<\/p><\/div>\n

With this wealth of experience behind you did you feel comfortable taking on the role of series director?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I love animating and feel lucky to have had such an interesting career so far. Over the years I have taken various creative and supportive roles and always believed that I would make a good series director. I have a passion for storytelling, a lively imagination and a good sense of humour. I am organised, and I communicate well. Directing felt like a natural progression.
\nAfter animating on the first series of Clangers<\/em> I was asked to direct Scream Street Bites<\/em>, five one-minute films for CBBC and Factory. There are not many female directors in our industry and I have never before been encouraged to put myself forward. I approached Phil Chalk<\/a>, Managing Director at Factory, and asked to be considered for the vacant director\u2019s position on Clangers<\/em> series 2. I was a little cheeky and suggested it was about time we had a northern woman directing.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Can you remember how you felt when you heard the series was being revitalized for modern audiences?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was happily working in computer games when I heard Clangers<\/em> would be made at Factory. I immediately sent through my showreel and got in by the skin of my teeth. My reel arrived the day before they were making the final decisions on crewing. Clangers<\/em> was my favourite show as a child and I was a little worried it might be over modernised. I soon realised that the directors, Mole Hill and Chris Tichbourne, had huge affection for the original series and felt it was in very safe hands. Peter Firmin and Daniel Postgate<\/a> (Oliver Postgate\u2019s son) were both involved from the beginning too. Dan writes many of our scripts, often the more deliciously quirky ones.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n