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Ian Emes

Ian Ronald Emes (17 August 1949 – 16 July 2023) was a British artist and film director. He is known for using innovative and experimental film techniques, and for being Pink Floyd's original animator.[1]

Ian Emes
Emes in 2005
Born
Ian Ronald Emes

(1949-08-17)17 August 1949
Birmingham, England
Died16 July 2023(2023-07-16) (aged 73)
NationalityBritish
Awards
  • British Academy Award (3)
  • Palme d'Or Award
  • Oscar nomination
Patron(s)Pink Floyd
Ian Emes's voice
recorded January 2014
Websiteianemes.com

Emes' animations have featured in major exhibitions, including Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains at the V&A (2017)[2] and the National Film Theatre Retrospective (1980). His works have also been used in live music tours, such as Roger Waters Us + Them (2017), David Gilmour Live at the Royal Albert Hall (2016) and Mike Oldfield In Concert (1980). He is the winner of three BAFTA Awards (1994, 2009, 2011), a Palme d'Or (1979), a British Animation Award (2014), and is an Emmy Award (2017) and Academy Award (1984) nominee.

Career

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Early career and Pink Floyd

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After training at Birmingham College of Art, Emes' career began as a painter, sculptor, and kinetic artist.[1] In 1972 his experimental animated film French Windows[3] (set to Pink Floyd's One of These Days) was shown on the BBC's Old Grey Whistle Test, bringing him to the attention of producer Martin Baker and subsequently Pink Floyd.[4] French Windows is included in the box set The Early Years 1965–1972.

Emes became the first filmmaker to create synchronised moving images for Pink Floyd, when he collaborated with the group for their late 1974 UK tour. He supplied several sequences, including the flying clock faces at the start of "Time".[5] He laid the foundation for the band's visuals and remains influential;[6] his graphic style is evident, for example, in the large-scale digital animations used in Roger Waters' The Wall concert projections.

In 1974, the band commissioned animations of "Speak to Me" (the cardiogram and prism), "Time" (the flying clocks), and "On the Run" (twin towers explosion) to visualise The Dark Side of the Moon.[2]

His work is featured in the Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains exhibition,[2] the first international retrospective of the band. It was presented by the V&A, Pink Floyd and Iconic Entertainment Studios.

Animation

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During the late seventies, Emes created film sequences for numerous other musicians, including M.C. Escher-inspired animations for Mike Oldfield's 1980 In Concert tour and The Oriental Nightfish for Paul and Linda McCartney,[1] which received a Short Film Palme d'Or nomination at Cannes.[7] His Camden studio became world-famous for its ground-breaking visuals, and in 1980 Emes was cited as Britain's foremost animator, his achievements celebrated in a retrospective at the National Film Theatre (1980). Collaborations with musicians continued, including "The Chauffeur" for Duran Duran starring Perri Lister, and The Wall – Live in Berlin (1990), which was Roger Waters' first solo performance of the album, attended by the then-largest concert audience of all time.[8] The interpretive film by Emes starred Rupert Everett, Ute Lemper and Marianne Faithful, and included sequences of the Marching Hammers projected onto the remains of the Berlin Wall.

Film and television

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Concurrently Emes diversified into live-action, writing and directing short films, amongst them the ballroom dancing comedy Goodie Two Shoes (1984), produced by Jeff Katzenberg then of Paramount Pictures, for which Emes received an Oscar nomination and a BAFTA Award.[9]

A career in film and television followed, including the series How to Be Cool starring Roger Daltrey, adapted by Emes from the book by Philip Pullman (author of The Golden Compass), Streetwise starring Andy Serkis (1989), and The Invisible Man (2000) for Universal Studios.[10]

In 1987 Emes wrote and directed his feature debut Knights & Emeralds, produced by Sir David Puttnam for Goldcrest Films and Warner Brothers.[11] Television movies include the episode "The Yob" (1988) for The Comic Strip starring Keith Allen,[12] The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas[13] produced by John Landis, and Deadly Summer (1997).[14]

In the mid-nineties, Emes became an in-house director for Ridley Scott at Ridley Scott Associates.[1]

Personal life and death

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Ian Emes was born in Handsworth, Birmingham, England. He was educated at Marsh Hill Boys Grammar Technical School in Birmingham's Erdington district and then studied at Birmingham College of Art.

Emes lived in London. He died on 16 July 2023 from leukemia.[15] His death was reported by Pink Floyd's official Twitter account on 22 July. He was 73.[16][17]

Exhibitions

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  • ECHOES, No 20 Arts (2018)
  • Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains, V&A (2017)
  • On the Run, City Gallery, Wroclaw (2016)
  • Ikons' Icons, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham (2015)
  • This Time Tomorrow, Ray Davies, Konk Gallery, London (2014)
  • Time, BIAD, Birmingham (2013)
  • One of These Days, Unit 24 Southbank, London (2012)
  • It Was a Thursday Night, The Horse Hospital, London (2010)
  • National Film Theatre Retrospective, London (1980)

Tours

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  • Roger Waters Us + Them, US Tour (2017)
  • David Gilmour European Tour, Royal Albert Hall, London (2016)
  • Mike Oldfield in Concert Tour (1980)
  • Pink Floyd, Knebworth (1976)
  • Pink Floyd World Tour, The Hollywood Bowl (1975)
  • Pink Floyd, Empire Pool Wembley (1974)

Filmography

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Awards and nominations

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  • Emmy Nomination (2017)
  • British Animation Award Winner (2014)
  • BAFTA Award Winner (2011)
  • BAFTA Award Winner (2009)
  • BAFTA Award Nomination (2002)
  • RTS Directing Award (1989)
  • RTS Design Award (1989)
  • BAFTA Award Winner (1984)
  • Oscar Nomination (1984)
  • Palme d'Or Winner (1979)
  • Award de Qualité (1979)

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Birmingham School of Art : Ian Emes". bcu.ac.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  2. ^ a b c "Pink Floyd V&A Exhibition: Nick Mason Discusses The Iconic Items Set For 'Their Mortal Remains'". NME. 8 September 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  3. ^ Pink Floyd: One of These Days (1972), retrieved 28 June 2017
  4. ^ Young, Graham (6 December 2013). "The young artist from Birmingham who was ahead of his time". birminghampost. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  5. ^ Povey, Glenn (2006). Echoes : The Complete History of Pink Floyd (New ed.). Mind Head Publishing. pp. 183–184. ISBN 978-0-9554624-0-5.
  6. ^ "The Essential Pink Floyd: Movies, Music Videos, Concert Animation And More". Decider | Where To Stream Movies & Shows on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Instant, HBO Go. 13 November 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  7. ^ 1978 Cannes Film Festival
  8. ^ Kirschbaum, Erik (7 November 2014). "Rocking the Wall -- The Berlin Concert that Changed the World". Huffington Post. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  9. ^ Goodie-Two-Shoes (1984), retrieved 28 June 2017
  10. ^ The Invisible Man (TV Series 2000–2002), retrieved 28 June 2017
  11. ^ Knights & Emeralds (1986), retrieved 28 June 2017
  12. ^ "The Comic Strip Presents..." The Yob (TV Episode 1988), retrieved 28 June 2017
  13. ^ The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas (TV Movie 1996), retrieved 28 June 2017
  14. ^ Roberts, Jerry (5 June 2009). Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors. Scarecrow Press. p. 154. ISBN 978-0-8108-6378-1. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  15. ^ "Ian Emes". Poetic Endings.
  16. ^ Pink Floyd [@pinkfloyd] (22 July 2023). "Ian Emes, British film director, animator, artist, writer and pioneer of experimental film techniques, famous for his work with Pink Floyd, has died. Our sincere condolences to his family and friends. Ian's eye-catching animated film French Windows (set to Pink Floyd's One Of These Days) from 1972 came to the attention of Richard Wright, and his unforgettable animation for other Floyd songs such as the spinning clock faces of Time, and the heartbeat of Speak To Me, were mainstays of the band's concerts for many years. In more recent years he also created an absorbing 55 minute film for Pink Floyd's The Endless River" (Tweet). Retrieved 22 July 2023 – via Twitter.
  17. ^ Lang, Jamie (31 July 2023). "Ian Emes, Celebrated British Animator And Long-Time Pink Floyd Collaborator, Dies at 73". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  18. ^ "The Endless River". 13 December 2019 – via IMDb.
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