Dan Binns on Why People’s Love of Traditional Animation Forms Will Grow Rather than Disappear

Dan Binns is a director and designer at Aardman, involved in multiple development projects and has recently directed ‘What's Up With Everyone’, a campaign developed to help young people become more aware of their mental wellbeing.

Dan directed a short film for the company Ryse who make green hydrogen fuel for buses. Influenced by fine art and vintage science graphic design, the end result made ‘sciencey’ graphics interesting and warm without losing the serious tone while clearly communicating the benefits for the world of using hydrogen.

In various roles Dan has worked for clients like Tesco, Disney, Google and Sky TV on projects for broadcast, advertising, short film and series. Later, as a director, he has been involved in a variety of different projects, ranging from short charity films to advertising and promotional work.

Name: Daniel Binns

Location: Bristol

Repped by/in: Freelance (Working with Aardman for a number of years)

Awards: The occasional thing but nothing to write home about!

LBB> What are some upcoming projects that you’re excited about? Tell us a bit about them?

Dan> We have an ad for Thatcher’s Juicy Apple just about to launch. They were looking for something different to the ads they had done previously, to give a new type of cider a slightly different identity. It’s a journey through a pint of juicy apple cider into a beautiful, animated world which shows where their cider comes from in a very summery, fizzy, sparkly way.

LBB> What excites you in the advertising industry right now, as a director? Any trends or changes that open new opportunities?

Dan> I’ve always loved traditional 2D animation and there seems to be an abundance of really strong 2D talent at the moment. I think slightly better tech and a focus on traditional craft has produced some really great artists and great work. There’s clearly a market for this work but with the future moving towards AI and different digital tools to generate content, conversely I think there'll be a rise in demand for things which carry the evidence of a human hand. 2D animation, stop motion animation, I think people’s love of these traditional forms will grow rather than disappear.

LBB> What elements of a script sets one apart from the other and what sort of scripts get you excited to shoot them?

Dan> Less is definitely more when it comes to voice over. I’m always excited by a script that has room to breathe or lets the other elements of filmmaking take over. Also anything that makes you laugh.

LBB> How do you approach creating a treatment for a spot?

Dan> I try not to have a set way of doing things although admittedly this does usually involve drawing, but doing that in ways which feel specific to the brief.

LBB> If the script is for a brand that you’re not familiar with/ don’t have a big affinity with or a market you’re new to, how important is it for you to do research and understand that strategic and contextual side of the ad? If it’s important to you, how do you do it?

Dan> I think it depends on the project. We made a short with a climate scientist on VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) and the research for that was sitting the scientist down and getting him to explain what he does in the absolute simplest terms possible.

For the latest ad with Thatcher’s Juicy Apple we have a lot of footage of our producer opening cans in various states of fizziness!

LBB> For you, what is the most important working relationship for a director to have with another person in making an ad? And why?

Dan> The producer – things fall apart pretty quickly if you’re not on the same page!

LBB> What type of work are you most passionate about – is there a particular genre or subject matter or style you are most drawn to?

Dan> Obviously animation but really, I just like to see work that’s good. A strong idea executed beautifully will always appeal, regardless of genre.

LBB> What misconception about you or your work do you most often encounter and why is it wrong?

Dan> I think whatever you’ve done, people just tend to assume that’s what you do. I think this generally can hamper trying something different, which is sometimes nice!

LBB>What’s the craziest problem you’ve come across in the course of a production – and how did you solve it?

Dan> A lack of Wi-Fi near an animator’s barge they were working remotely from caused a slight problem, but was easily fixed by a short drive to a nearby library.

LBB> How do you strike the balance between being open/collaborative with the agency and brand client while also protecting the idea?

Dan> Open but passionate in the defence of the ideas you believe in. Ultimately though, you have to accept that it’s a collaborative process, and where you finish is very rarely the same as where you started, and usually that’s a good thing.

LBB> What are your thoughts on opening up the production world to a more diverse pool of talent? Are you open to mentoring and apprenticeships on set?

Dan> I think the production world should be open to people of a much more diverse background than is currently the case. I would be happy mentoring or working with apprentices.

LBB> Your work is now presented in so many different formats - to what extent do you keep each in mind while you’re working (and, equally, to what degree is it possible to do so)?

Dan> It’s tricky, compositionally I do think it affects your choices and it can narrow the options a bit. I do miss just thinking about 16:9!

LBB> What’s your relationship with new technology and, if at all, how do you incorporate future- facing tech into your work?

Dan> I think the most interesting is where new tech just makes the traditional processes easier/quicker, helping you without removing the human element.

My iPad is a good example, I pretty much draw with that exclusively now. Real-time engines are also interesting, removing some of those processes which stand between the artist having direct control. It’s fair to say I’m more skeptical about AI but it seems to be doing fine without my approval so I’m sure my skepticism won’t bother it.

LBB> Which pieces of your work do you feel show what you do best – and why?

Dan> Well my showreel is supposed to do literally that so: Dan Binns Showreel

A 2D film made for the Scottish Government on autism awareness. One of my faves as we did a lot of visual development and came up with a style that really sat well with the brief involving a subject matter which should be handled with care.

‘What’s Up With Everyone?’ is a series of films we made in a mixed media style. This project was unusual in that we co-created the scripts and ideas with a group of young people, a process which was funny, eye-opening and crucial to the work.