Building Worlds with Izzie Garrett

Formerly a resident artist at Alexander McQueen's Sarabande Foundation, and a graduate of the National Film and Television School, Izzie Garrett specialises in crafting intricate, atmospheric worlds that are as surreal as they are charming.

Often animating with non-traditional materials and preferring to work with woven, tactile textures, Izzie fluently combines animation styles and techniques to transport audiences into the most unexpected places.

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

Izzie> I’ve been dipping into documentaries which I’m really excited about. I’m developing a film with John Davies who’s a brilliant filmmaker and I’ve been a fan of his work for ages so this is exciting! I’m also writing a kids TV show about deep space which is fun and silly and I’m enjoying learning about dark matter and black holes.

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

Izzie> It’s an interesting time for visual media generally now because of the huge amount of AI stuff you see everywhere. We’re pretty inundated with visual information all the time, and maybe because of this I think people really love a bit of craft, especially with stop motion – there’s something lovely about seeing something made with loads of detail and skill, watching how artists build puppets or light a set, I think will always hold a fascination for people.

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

Izzie> I love building a world, adding loads of detail and making it feel real… so a script that embraces that is great. Scripts with fun characters, or stories which make the most of being told through animation. I love working with agencies who are excited to do something new, who really embrace craft and are excited by the fact that animation is a little bit different.

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

Izzie> I think fundamentally it’s really important to understand the brand, and also to engage with what the aim for the spot is and what the script is saying – then it’s working out how to do those things in the best way possible. Treatments are always a lot of work! They’re really a blueprint for the film, so it’s important to get it right from the start. 

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?

Izzie> It’s always helpful, even before starting to do the treatment, to understand what the company is all about – their values and so on. These are a constant and it’s important to capture those even if the ad is completely different from anything they’ve done before. Looking at past campaigns, looking into the brand and chatting to the agency are all really important before settling on an approach.  

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

Izzie> It’s hard to single out one!

Everyone on the team is important and everyone needs to be on the same page, from pre-production right through to the grade. A relationship of trust with the agency is always really lovely, especially with animation, as it’s quite often new territory for people, so it’s great when everyone is excited and trusts in the process.

I think having a good relationship with the producer is pretty high up too –they’re just as involved as the director the whole way through, so it’s important that you’re on the same page. I’ve loved working with Rebecca Little, Sebastian Jowers, and Alex Handschuh at BlinkInk.

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?

Izzie> I really love craft, texture, and building worlds.

Nature and wildlife are subjects I’m particularly interested in – I draw on so many different things in my work – children’s books, music, science, films. I’m actually maybe the most impatient person in the world, and maybe because of this I’m strangely drawn to things that take absolutely ages – I’m always inspired by friends who make the most beautiful embroideries, quilts, sculptures, puppets, and so on. I love and admire all of these things and try to aim for a level of detail and craft in everything I do.

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

Izzie> I think this probably applies to all animators – we don’t spend all our time alone in a basement! Only some of it. There’s a lot of other stuff that goes into it too and we can be quite social creatures. I wouldn’t be able to do anything on my own; it’s all about the crew.

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

Izzie> I think it’s knowing when to push for something and also what’s appropriate for the brand. Commissioned work ultimately is there to serve the company commissioning it, so it’s about filtering ideas and making sure everything is there to make it the best it can be, not just adding things for the sake of it. 

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?

Izzie> This is so important. The animation industry is such a tough one to get into.

At the beginning, there’s a lot of being expected to work for free, which is impossible if you’re having to pay rent, especially in big cities. Getting funding for any sort of film is very competitive and generally hard to come by these days.

BlinkInk has partnered with FLAMIN animation, which is a great programme commissioning work from early-career Black artists in the UK. They also do lots of talks, studio visits, internships, and so on.

I teach workshops in different parts of the country to try and get people outside of London excited about the industry. Things are slowly changing but we really need more financial support for the arts, particularly in opening up opportunities to people from disadvantaged backgrounds – it’s essential for so many reasons.

I didn’t realise when I was starting out how many roles there are in an animation production – you can be a director, producer, or storyboard artist, modelmaker, DOP, production designer… The list is endless; these careers should be accessible to everyone and we need to make sure we’re always opening up doors.

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)?

Izzie> Most things now need to be in three different aspect ratios, and there are always cut-downs for socials, banners, posters, etc. We tend to shoot everything now a little wider to accommodate for that, so it’s all planned ahead.

LBB> What’s your relationship with new technology and, if at all, how do you incorporate future-facing tech into your work (e.g. virtual production, interactive storytelling, AI/data-driven visuals etc)?

Izzie> My work is very handcrafted - I love making things just as much as I love directing. I’m most excited by working with brilliant modelmakers, puppet makers, etc. Luckily we don’t have robots for that yet!

I also prefer working with humans for concepts, boards and the design stage. Clément Danveau is a brilliant concept artist who I work with a lot. I think there’s a really interesting space opening up for interactive storytelling and VR, and using AI to build on existing crafts - so far I’m maybe a little old fashioned in my approach to these things but I’d love to have a play with VR one day.

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

Izzie> Coldplay - I’m really proud of this video! Everyone who worked on it is completely brilliant and did such an incredible job. It’s different to anything I’d done before but it brings together everything I love and was a very joyful film to direct.

Alexander McQueen - This was the first ever commercial I made! I have a soft spot for it because I left school when I was 16 to study fashion and McQueen was an artist who really opened up my world in a big way.

Bod - I made this film with my friend and artist Daisy Collingridge. Daisy’s work is absolutely incredible- this film celebrates her craft and it was a joy to work with such beautiful pieces. We made it while we were at the Sarabande Foundation, which is a magic place for artists- there’s nothing else like it in London and I owe so many of my opportunities to Sarabande. It was funded by and written at Xenia Creative Retreat which is the most incredible artist residency.