Spooky animated film by USW alumni hits the big screen

An award-winning stop-motion animated feature film created with the help of University of South Wales (USW) graduates recently hit the big screens nationwide for Halloween weekend.

Written and directed by double-BAFTA winner Mike Mort, Chuck Steel: Night of the Trampires, created by Bridgend-based company Animortal Studio, is still available to see in Showcase Cinema, Nantgarw.

Featuring the voices of Jennifer Saunders and Paul Whitehouse alongside Mort’s, the action comedy horror film tells the story of no-nonsense maverick renegade cop, Chuck Steel, who has his work cut out when he discovers an evil is about the descend on the city of Los Angeles; the scourge of the Trampires – mutant hybrids of vampire and tramp.

Mike first designed the lead character, Chuck Steel, in his school notebooks over 25 years ago, and developed the script for the film 10 years ago. Now finally, after a 4-year shoot, involving 425 puppets, and with subsequent delays due to the Covid-pandemic, Chuck Steel is hitting the big screen.

Mike praised the quality of the USW graduates who worked on the film: "Wales has long established itself as one of the top creative hubs in the world for animation, and we were extremely grateful for the dedication, passion and skills that the USW students and graduates working with us brought to the project. I have no doubt that they will have gained immeasurable experience from their involvement with the film, and I’m sure will go on to enjoy rewarding careers in the industry and help keep Welsh animation alive." 

Many of the film's animators studied Animation at USW, and were also part of the BAFTA-nominated team who worked on A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon.

Ed Jackson, who graduated from USW in 2004, was one of the animators who worked on the film. He said: “Working on Chuck Steel was an incredible experience. Even though it was a feature film, it had the feel of a series production, in terms of the team and general crew camaraderie.

“It was the most challenging animation I’ve ever done; having to sculpt through the lip sync for Chuck Steel for every frame of animation, but the most rewarding at the same time – you really felt like you were working on something unique and special. There really has never been anything like this created, or attempted, in stop motion and I encourage fans of the art form to get out to cinemas and enjoy this epic mad ride while they can.”

Henry Nicholson, another of the animators on the film, is a lecturer at USW. He said: “Some of the techniques we used on this film had never been done before; such as shooting with a go-pro camera attached to a dolly, with a modified casing to accept mini lenses. There was a lot of trial and error initially, to get the look we wanted. That summed up the whole project – it was so ‘out there’ and quite unlike anything else, but it all added to the feeling that we were working on something pretty special.”

Sarah Strickett, Lecturer in Animation at USW, added: “We are delighted to see so many of our graduates’ names on this film. Stop motion animation is making a great come back, and Chuck Steel is no exception – it’s incredibly funny and really quite brilliant.”

Sean Gregory, another of the animators who graduated from USW in 2014, said: “It was an amazing experience to work on Chuck Steel. All the facial animation was hand sculpted frame by frame, so it was a good learning experience working with clay at that level of detail. It was also great to be directed by Mike Mort. His vision was so clear with the film as he knew exactly what he wanted to see. So I really grasped what he was going for straight away. It was also fun to work with so many friends and graduates of USW; it just felt like a bunch of mates making a film in a big warehouse, so there was a great sense of community.

“People need to go and see this film because every frame is packed with detail and finesse. It’s so cinematic and there is true artistry everywhere you look, so you need to see it on the biggest screen that you can find. It’s also really funny and doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is something I really admire in a film. So many talented people worked on it and it should be enjoyed by as many people possible!”

For more information, go to www.chucksteelthemovie.co.uk.