 | | At the launch |
Now in its second year, the FLIP festival is going from strength to strength, with audiences up from 400 in 2004 to over 600 in 2005, with a big growth in visitors from outside the region. Visitors came from as far away as Scotland and London to be part of an exciting programme of animation events, which included premieres and exclusive previews. Top of the list was the animate! scheme, funded by Arts Council England and Channel 4, which for the past 15 years has been challenging the boundaries of animation and showcasing the results on television. FLIP was also the first to showcase this year's BBC Three New Animators awards finalists.
 | | FLIP visitors |
The idea behind FLIP was to provide a showcase for animation talent in the West Midlands region and a focus for companies who otherwise don’t get to meet one another or talk to other agencies about how the sector might be developed and supported. A key part of the festival was the Regional Screening and the Forum as well as industry focused panels such The Animator’s Survival Guide to the Midlands, which looked at opportunities for animators in the region, and New Directions for Animators, which discussed newer areas such as computer games and content for mobile technology.
 | | At the FLIP Fair |
As well as this industry focus, there were lots of opportunities for families and young people to get involved in animation, from practical hands-on workshops to screenings of work produced by schools in the region. There was also nervous excitement and drama at the Student Animation Competition, where graduates could see their work on the big screen for the first time. Three lucky winners and runners up walked away with exciting prizes donated by Sumo Dojo productions, responsible for cult animation show Bob and Weebl. Undoubtedly the main attraction was West Midlands-based animation artist, Alan Batson, who has worked for some large household names in the animation business, including Disney, Pixar and Hanna Barbera. Alan had a wealth of experience to pack into his 45 minute talk which covered his work on the Little Mermaid, Toy Story and his most recent project, Friends and Heroes with Birmingham-based studio, The CharacterShop.
 | | Forum panel |
The festival is beginning to attract national attention and has a lot of potential, to show off the West Midlands as a creative and innovative centre. I believe that there is a great deal of talent in the West Midlands and that FLIP is a fantastic opportunity to shout about it and to bring people into the region. In the long term, the festival can help consolidate an emerging but significant creative industries cluster in the Wolverhampton region. PHOTO DETAILS - FROM THE TOP OF THE PAGE
1) Stuart Barnecutt and David Ledsam of Screenburn Ltd with Clare Reddington, SE3D Scheme Co-ordinator at the FLIP Launch
2) At the launch
3) FLIP visitors
4) The Institute of Innovation & Enterprise (Wolverhampton Business School, University of Wolverhampton) at the FLIP Fair
5) Regional Forum panel: Mick Foley (Sumo Dojo Productions), Sam Moore (Animator), Martin Povey (PS Creative), Melanie Lee (Definitely Red), Mary Matthews (Interactive Media Cluster Manager, Advantage West Midlands), Krysia Rozanska (C.E. Screen West Midlands), David Ledsam (Screenburn Ltd) and Kevin Bulmer (Synthetic Dimensions). | 
