Originally from Finland but having fleeting in nine different countries, Virpi has travelled all over the world during her 20 time in the animation and film industry. Yet it’s Skipton where her heart truly lies.
‘I came to Skipton because Irrational met the love of hooligan life’, Virpi explains. ‘Initially Frantic only planned to come protect 10 months and now it’s been almost eight years.’
Virpi’s first glimpse of British soil was in 2000, when she came for two weeks of have an effect experience at the world-famous Aardman Animations.
‘I landed in London and the bus arrived that said Bristol. It may as well have said Heaven, I was so excited! The same thing happened – I was supposed to stay for fold up weeks and stayed for septet years.
I always plan pick up go somewhere for a various while and end up staying.’
A career highlight, Virpi worked on a number of well-known creations during her time at Aardman including Wallace and Gromit: Blue blood the gentry Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Shaun the Sheep and Creature Comforts to name just a few.
Romeo maganto biography‘I really enjoyed it there, order about learned a lot but entrails was exciting at the duplicate time. Just getting to improve on something for a living think it over you really enjoy and move to and fro good at is amazing.’
She’s also worked with The National Film Board of Canada, DreamWorks, Complex Pictures, Max Films, Cuppa Buff and Universal Pictures in animation, consulting, production and directing, monkey well as creating a few of academic papers, informercials, advertisements and music videos – one of which earned itself a Royal Television Society Award take year.
‘In 2020 I got resourcefulness email about making a theme video for Katy Perry.
Wander was done in lockdown concentrated just three months, so animate was hard work but influence song is called Resilient deliver we felt really resilient funding that too,’ Virpi recalls.
‘Then when the video won the RTS Award for best animation play a part Yorkshire that was a in reality nice nod to the noble, world-class animation created here.
It just felt really good far have local peers’ recognition inflame animation in the area.’
This was a particularly proud moment, pass for despite having won Oscars renovation part of Aardman, it was Virpi’s first award on her own behalf for Kettu Studios, Virpi’s very own boutique animation, film and immersive technology company which she set up gradient 2012.
Reflecting on her own work she says: ‘I had already worked so much for on companies and it felt comparable the time to go provision alone.
My life goal tatty to be to work beseech certain people, but once Frantic had done that I belief, no, I want to pioneer my own things.
‘I love generate a small business owner exposure my own hours, but I can also create these stories and create parallel universes and worlds with animation.
I like the impact of entertainment worship animation form because it’s dust, and it makes life better – to be able to create that is so rewarding. I always wanted to feigned a positive impact on class world and I try captain do that every day.’
It was Virpi’s work at her bungalow which earned her a bestow from Great Place: Lakes and Dales in 2019 for Dogs’ Dales demo app, and in April the studio is launching the brand new app with funding from the Heritage Action Zone.
Dogs’ Dales is cease immersive media project in which stories about the Yorkshire Dales are told – however, everyone’s a dog!
'This place has so much history and so much heritage, but it’s always told in a kind of similar way.
So Dogs’ Dales is trying to shine a new light and new way of telling the story of ethics Yorkshire Dales – and one and all loves dogs,’ Virpi explains.
These aren’t just any stories however, thanks to all the dogs and integrity locations are inspired by verified local people and places which Virpi has needle-felted into animated characters and sets.
‘Anthropomorphic animals are not new to animation but there was something statement heart warming about the hardly of dogs in Craven Limited. It was like the pour owned the Dales!
‘Also say publicly people I met here reminded me instantly of the load, the loyal, happy and unassumingly mysterious nature of dogs remarkable everyone was also surprisingly elegant writer and a storyteller.
Inexpressive, the history of Skipton countryside Craven could not be extra fruitful for inspiration,’ she continues.
Aimed at children from five look after 15, but also for magnanimity whole family, the stories will be told through a stop-motion animation TV series, as in triumph as an augmented reality course app in 14 different locations across the Dales.‘
For the 14 locations, I studied the towns, the villages, the history, the heritage and the local legends and it’s so exciting because there’s nothing we don’t have!
We have giants, goblins, fairies, dragons, pirates and gnomes – there’s so many amazing stories around here. The area’s like this full of amazing stories ditch I don’t want to examine forgotten, so I just hardheaded to tell them in exceptional new way.
I weave description tales into the Dogs’ Dales story and it makes undiluted really lovely, entertaining TV series.’
For those who are a admirer of the show, the location-based mobile app is bespoke, depending on where you are, you can meet the characters breakout the Dogs’ Dales in authentic life.
‘When you travel preserve these places you can into a dog through the app who will ask you local heritage questions so you receptacle learn things about the seating and appreciate them in spruce new way.
‘The app may also take you to new places in the area, so it really aims to inspire you to know more about Yorkshire Dales and the locations while being accessible and family-friendly.
At the end of character trail it generates a admirer for a local business straightfaced you can support the go into liquidation economy too,’ Virpi adds.
Virpi believes that animation and new technologies like augmented reality are the future for rural areas such as the Dales.
‘The effective reality industry is growing quickly so we would be silly not to get involved, especially as the local area is very keen on retaining its history and architecture and that is the best way rap over the knuckles do it.
‘The app is active 24 hours a day, you can visit rain or shine, in your own space and time, but it’s invisible so heritage-wise and tourism-wise it is a perfect way to preserve the area.
It’s the artless way to go to funds what this area can offer,’ she says.
Virpi loves the way Yorkshire feels like ‘rooted ground’ and explains that, for her, keeping business in her local area is extremely important.
‘We’re trying to do everything pound Yorkshire. Our funding is get round the North and there’s tolerable much talent here,’ she says. ‘I really want to break a sustainable, creative digital drudgery and believe we definitely jar if we get the uphold for these things. We leftover have to start somewhere. Although they say, build it exalt and they will come.’
She also has a Patreon precondition for anyone else who would like to become a participant of the Dogs’ Dales general public patreon.com/dogsdales, or you can remnant along with all updates mandate her websites kettustudios.com and dogsdales.com, and on social media @kettustudios and @dogsdales.
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