Osbert Parker

Three time British Academy Award Nominated director Osbert Parker, is perhaps best-known for his signature style of using cut-out animation mixed with live action to create one-of-a-kind imaginary landscapes within commercials and short films.

For the past three years Parker has been experimenting and crafting two short films that are receiving great acclaim on the film festival circuit. “Film Noir” was nominated for best short animated film by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 2006 and also was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. It was included at the Telluride Film Festival as well.



"Film Noir" screened in competition at Slamdance this year whilst his newest short film, “Yours Truly,” (aka "Head over Heels") is screened in competition at Sundance 2008. "Yours Truly" won best animated film at last years Aspen Short Film Festival, the gold plaque at the Chicago Film Festival, best animated short at both Melbourne and St. Louis before being nominated for his third BAFTA in 2008.



Parker is a freelance director who has worked at Quentin Tarantino’s production company A Band Apart as their first commercial director in 1995 and as Steve Barron’s second unit director on Hallmark’s TV feature length ARABIAN NIGHTS. In 2005 he was selected by writer/director Richard Curtis as one of the directors to create a special animated MAKE POVERTY HISTORY film.

Parker’s commercial credits include such clients as Coca-Cola, Nike, Budweiser, The World Wildlife Fund and MTV.

He is currently creating the third short in his “Noir” trilogy and developing a mixed media feature
while he completes 3 new NPower commercials due for release later this year in April 2008. (via)



Osbert Parker interview Level 4 Animation Bir Martin Tierney

Osbert Parker: television commercials (via)





One of the most creative exponents of cut-out animation, Osbert Parker uses a blend of this and live action video in his films and, as in the four examples today, television commercials. A graduate of Middlesex Polytechnic Osbert is perhaps best known for his award winning shorts Film Noir (2005) and Yours Truly (2006), the latter being one I intend to feature shortly in the next few days. His commercial work shows all his often dazzling array of live action harnessed to different animation technologies. Physiology (for Kinkos) has an array of landscapes, notably the litter strewn skies above huge towering filing cabinets and a guy with a rubber neck, not to mention marching men with raincoats, hats and umbrellas striding out on a paper document; then we embark on a voyage into an eye and a desert before we hit paydirt and enter the office of Kinko's who solve all mankind's filing problems. It does what every commercial should do - grab attention and then the sales. Blackboard (MTV) has us being exhorted to change what we do and say, by two blackboards and a whiteboard in a mix of computerised and stop-motion work. Shoelace Soccer (NIKE) and School House (Coca Cola) similarly succeed in a crowded market place in securing attention for the product. Just for fun I've had my classes working out how many techniques Osbert has used. Goodness knows what they will make of his longer films. In a studio with a fine array of talent, his employer Curious Pictures has a director producing cutting edge, distinctive work.






Review of Osbert Parker's shorts Film Noir & Yours Truly.

FRagmentos de sus obras en curiouspictures.com

WEB de Parker