Cordell Barker

Cordell Barker
Born Cordell Barker
1956 (age 60–61)
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Cordell Barker (born 1956) is a Canadian animator based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He began animating in his late teens after taking on an apprenticeship at Kenn Perkins Animation. A two-time Academy Award nominee, Barker is an animation filmmaker with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).[1]

National Film Board of Canada

Earlier in his career, Barker did animation work on fellow Winnipeg animator Brad Caslor's NFB short, Get a Job.[2] He then went on to direct his own NFB animated shorts, at the NFB's Winnipeg studio. His best known NFB shorts are The Cat Came Back (1988) [3] and Strange Invaders (2002),[4] both of which received Oscar nominations.[5]

He completed his third film for the NFB, Runaway, in 2009.[6][7] Runaway was named best animated film at the 30th Genie Awards.[8] Strange Invaders, The Cat Came Back and Runaway were included in the Animation Show of Shows.

In April 2010, he was hired as a creative consultant by the NFB to oversee its animation projects from the Canadian Prairies, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.[9]

If I Was God...

Barker's fourth film with the NFB is If I Was God..., a 3D film about a 12-year-old boy speculating on what he would do if he was God. The film is inspired by Barker's experiences as a 12-year-old in grade seven, dissecting and experimenting on a frog in biology class, and sensing the approaching power of adulthood after having left the confines of elementary school. Barker intends to experiment with a variety of animation techniques in this film, use stop-motion puppets along with traditional animation and other forms.[10] The film is divided into episodes, with each sequence triggered by mental associations of typical grade seven classroom objects, such as science posters, dioramas and papier-mâché volcanoes. The director had initially contemplated also using CGI animation but abandoned the idea out of a desire to achieve an "organic hand-made feel" for the film. Barker was committed to completing the film with a much shorter production schedule than his previous works, which averaged "a disturbing and embarrassing 8 1/2 years per film."[5][11] In November 2015, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that If I Was God... was one of 10 films—and two NFB productions—shortlisted for a possible Oscar nomination, however the film didn't receive a nomination.[12]

Commercial work

He has also worked on commercial campaigns for entities such as Coca-Cola, Bell Canada, Lors, Nike, and the Government of Canada.

References

  1. ↑ Lawson, Sarah (2016-12-15). "A Stop-Motion Film About Power in the Wrong Hands". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  2. ↑ "Cordell Barker". Toronto International Film Festival. Canadian Film Encyclopedia. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  3. ↑ NFB Collections page
  4. ↑ NFB Collections page
  5. 1 2 Blair, Iain (June 4, 2012). "NFB pushes Canadian artists in edgy direction". Variety. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Interview with Cordell Barker". NFB.ca. National Film Board of Canada. 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
  7. ↑ Dixon, Guy (Jan 27, 2010). "A Runaway success". Globe and Mail. CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
  8. ↑ "NFB animation a "Runaway" winner at Genie Awards". forum.bcdb.com, April 13, 2010
  9. ↑ "NFB names Barker to guide Prairie animation projects". Canadian Press. Winnipeg Free Press. March 30, 2010. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
  10. ↑ "Cordell Barker: My God-like Process On 'If I Was God'". Cartoon Brew. 16 December 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  11. ↑ Barker, Cordell (16 April 2012). "If I was god: A Chronicle of Anticipated Pain". NFB.ca blog. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  12. ↑ "NFB animated short films make Academy Awards shortlist". The Canadian Press. CBC News. 19 November 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
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