BRAND NEW WEBSITE

Yet another redesign, but this one will hopefully be around for a while.

I wanted to have a proper html site as apposed to a flash one, one that I could integrate my blog and one that would be easily updateable. So at the start of the summer I set about learning Dreamweaver and it wasn't long before I realised that life is too short. Then after having a chat to my brother about the horrors of programing he sent me in the direction of Squarespace. I highly recommend this site it does all the programing for you all you have to do is design, perfect! I mean I spent the best part of a week working out how to load my blog onto my site, they have an 'import blog button'! There not free but they are worth it or at least save you from the hours of programing hell.

So now that I have a shiny new site I also will have a new rss feed (sorry blogger it was good while it lasted) and I promise to keep it updated I swear.

Paul Clancy R.I.P

Got some very sad and shocking news last week, my good friend Paul Clancy died suddenly of a heart attack or what's known as 'sudden adult death syndrome'.

He was a really great guy, one of the nicest you could ever meet, really funny too - he had fairly unique sense of humor and was also a talented musician.

It was so sad because he had so much to look forward to, he was to get married in September to his lovely fiancee Isa and was also due to release his new album this week (I helped him out with the art work). If anyone is interested in buying the album you can get it on download here.

It's still hard to believe he's gone, I'll really miss Paul he was a really cool guy, one of the best!

Eco Boy

Myself and Derek made this last year for another competition for a group called Greenme.ie. The first prize was to win a car but the comp was a complete sham, in the end I don't think anybody won but we had fun making it.
We slapped it together over a couple of days (as you will see with the dodgy green screen, sound etc) but with the help of Aran, Derek's little nephew (who did an amazing job in the lead role) and our make-up and costumes department (Isobel) it turned out pretty well.

Ben Dunne

Just before Christmas I did some work for the Langerland guys for an RTE comedy show 'The Republic of Telly'.
It was great fun working with the lads because we were pretty free with what we could do for the programme and it was cool coming up with ideas and having the boys put their amazing voice-overs onto my animations.
I have two other sketches done but I'm not sure if they were shown yet.

Raise you glass to Arthur Guinness

Myself and Derek made this short clip for a Guinness competition. It's funny but unnerving at the same time.

Coors Light Peak

First off thanks to everybody for all the comments lately, sorry I haven't replied I'm just really bad at keeping up correspondence - that's why I hate facebook and twitter! Coors Light Peak is a music festival set in disused shipyards and railways around the country. I originally made this promotional video for a pitch for the event and they like it so much that they wanted to use it for the site, I also composed the music which is going to be used on radio ads.

Picture This

Waterstones were running a competition for an unpublished illustrator to work with Britain's biggest-selling picture book author, Julia Donaldson - writer of The Gruffalo. The prize was the opportunity to illustrate her new book Freddie and the Fairy. Alas it wasn't to be for Benjamin, here is my effort.

Our Big Day

So I got married there 3 weeks ago today to my beautiful wife (still can't get use to it) Isobel. We had an amazing day everything went really well. It was a surreal experience but really enjoyable. Because we are poor arty types the only way to save money is to do things yourself. Between the two of us we managed to put together the invitations, mass booklets, flowers, cakes, cake toppers, favours, table plan poster, colouring pictures for the kids, dj and the wedding band.

I had a lot of fun making these Corpse Bride type cake toppers. I used latex to finish them off as it resembles icing.

We set up a projector and played the Nick Cave song 'Into My Arms' for our first dance and then cut into this...

I made a full hour of a performance, so if anybody is looking for a wedding band at a really low price give me a shout.

Herm - Heads - Music Video

After a good few months of work, one or two technical problems and a girl in a lemon suit, it's finally here. From his brand new album Monsters described by Hot Press as "In your face contemporary indie… catchy and splendid” here is the video of the single Heads by the one and only HERM yeeeeayyy. 

Herm Heads from Herm Videos on Vimeo.

We had great fun shooting this in Paper Lantern Studios. With a very small budget we were forced to improvise as much as possible. Here you can see our elaborate but affective steady cam (yes, I'm sitting on an exercise ball!). 

Anita Corcran and Simone Crowley did fantastic work in both set and costume design and all the animated parts too. Derek O'Rourke photographer extraordinaire helped out with lighting and got some great photos including this cool one of Herm.

The very beautiful Isobel Henihan (fiancee extraordinaire) is responsible for make-up and some acting parts and helped me out considerably during the whole thing. Other credits include Sean Power (Cameraman), Rachel Quinn (Choreography), and also Hugh, Arunas, Keith, Cathal, Shane, Jackie and the 2 Pauls. 

Well done to everybody involved, great job.

Attack of the Crab People.

Here are a few concept images for a short sci-fi movie idea I have. It's a sort of Gremlins type flick but with pint-sized aliens that attack a young couple in their remote cottage in the country. Cliched as hell but a lot of fun nonetheless.