The Source: David Wilson

Trained in illustration and now a director of both liveaction and animation at Colonel Blimp, David Wilson needs to connect his brain to a computer via modelling clay, became overexcited by the Godzilla trailer and is moved by a performance artist who does shocking things to tomatoes

What the most creative advertising idea you’ve seen in the last few months?

It’s a bit old, but I actually really liked the trailer for Godzilla. When I saw it, I thought it was giving a lot of plot points away. It certainly read like that, so going into the cinema I thought I knew the main hero shots, hero characters, and monsters. I thought a plane crash was a big part of it. I thought Godzilla was the only monster, and I thought that Bryan Cranston was the star, all that stuff.

SPOILER ALERT - It blew my mind that within 30mins, Cranston was dead, and I was watching a monster that I had no idea would exist, rip through Tokyo. I loved that the trailer for the blockbuster of the summer gave none of this away.

What’s your favourite website?

A bit of an obvious one this, but I’d actually have to say Vimeo. I run my professional life off it. I’m pretty sure I’ve uploaded something onto it every other day for the past month! It’s incredible for uploading work-in-progress edits, animatics, treatments, and of course, the public facing showreel. Also their Staff Pick curation is good, plus no ads, a good design, and a friendly community. A true diamond of the internet

What website do you use most regularly?

Facebook. It’s got to be. It’s so regular that all I need to do is press ‘f’ then ‘enter’ on my search bar and my computer automatically knows to take me there. I’m better than I used to be, and only check about three times a day at the moment. It’s my equivalent of smoking: my dirty habit. I feel it’s especially bad as the feeds on the site have turned into a barrage of commercials, links to bad ‘Top 10’ lists, and stupidity. I don’t even enjoy it. Has someone started a counselling group for coming off Facebook yet? It’s surely only a matter of time. I need it!!

What product could you not live without?

Pens.

What product hasn’t been invented yet that would make your life/job better?

A product that will directly communicate what’s in my brain to the page. Thank goodness I can draw!

The other thing I’d like is to be able to work with a special clay that can directly communicate to 3D computer animation. I would love to be able to build a model, then get the computer to insert an armeture skeleton inside that model (that can be hardened and softened at will), so I can animate feely and easily with clay that can then be taken into the computer and work from there.

I wish I could 3D model on a computer, but working in 3D space on a 2D screen can be really tricky. Being able to be tactile with my hands and that feed into the computer would be amazing. Like a Wacom Cintiq tablet, but for sculpture.

What track/artist would you listen to for inspiration?

I’m currently responding very well to Thom Yorke and Atoms for Peace. I’ve been working on some ideas based around teenage adolescence and the hormonal impact and tension that puts on you. I remember as a teenager feeling unable to express myself, unable at times to deal with emotion, and feeling kinetically buzzing. Thom’s music communicates that: it has a neurosis and glitch-i-ness that fits very well with the mind set I wanted to be in for writing.

Also, Todd Terje’s It’s Album Time is 100% my album of the year.

What’s the best film you’ve seen over the last year?

God, a year is a long time! It was Giuseppe Makes A Movie the other week, and I LOVED that. It’s a documentary about Giuseppe Andrews who lives in a trailer park in California, and employs the local residents and homeless people around him to star in these feature films that he’ll shoot in the space of only two days! It’s absolutely wonderful. His process and the people he inspires, and the world he lives in is insane! His producer used to play bass for the Bee Gees! It’s like watching an uncontrollable creative tornado on the screen, with the added bonus of being absolutely hilarious. It left me applauding in the cinema, feeling inspired by the energy and passion Giuseppe has for filmmaking: even if his films turn out to be complete insanity.  

What show/exhibition has most inspired you recently?

Well, since moving to Los Angeles I actually haven’t been to many exhibitions at all. I’ve missed so many great ones in London. That really is something that London has to offer that I miss.

Even though I’m back in London for work a lot, I don’t tend to find the time to get to go. For example, I was gutted to miss the recent SPILL Festival of Performance in Ipswich. I went last year in London.

The best art piece that I saw last year was at that. It was ‘SPLAT!’ by The Famous Lauren Barri Holstein. That show was both an insane spectacle: with headline-grabbing scenes that included Lauren sticking a knife (the handle!) into her vagina and splitting tomatoes, and roller skating naked whilst peeing, but the shock barrier is actually something you break through very quickly, and you end up connecting to Lauren on a very raw, emotional level.

She also incorporates dance routines and acrobatics to huge pop hits, such as Nicole Scherzinger’s Poison. It’s a near un-explainable experience that leaves you feeling like you’ve had the most enjoyable time, but also gut-wrenched to the core with direct connect to over-sexualisation, vulnerability, and strength of Lauren.

The only way to describe it would be to write an essay. It was pretty incredible.

If you could live in one city, where would it be?

Los Angeles.

Mac or PC?

Mac

What fictitious character do you most relate to?

When Charlie Bucket gets rejected by Willy Wonka at the end of Willy Wonker and the Chocolate Factory after getting caught out for stealing I relate to that feeling every single time. Oh man, it’s such a hard sinking in the stomach. It turns my insides just to think about it.

What’s your favourite magazine?

Little White Lies

Who’s your favourite photographer?

I feel like I’ve got to go for a classic here and say Storm Thorgerson. That vision and ambition in his work was (and still is) in a class of its own.

Who’s your favourite designer?

Whoah, well designer is quite a broad term, but I guess the first thing that popped into my mind was actually fashion, I’m still obsessed with Martine Rose’s Beer Towel patchwork collection from her Men’s AW 2013 collection. I’ve got one of the sweaters, and it’s my favourite item of clothing, even though I hardly wear it because it’s so precious to me! (anyone reading this who knows how I can get hold of one the INSANE bomber jacket or hoodie, let me know!).

If you could have been in any band, what band would you choose?

It would definitely be a band from the 70s or 80s, when there wasn’t so much pressure on touring. You know, what, scrap that. I’ve got to say Tame Impala. Those guys are so sweet, and Kevin’s writing is incredible. If I could go tour with them for a few special nights a year, that would be wonderful.