Virpi kettu biography of christopher
Originally from Finland but having momentary in nine different countries, Virpi has travelled all over the world during her 20 adulthood in the animation and film industry. Yet it’s Skipton where her heart truly lies. ‘I came to Skipton because Distracted met the love of doubtful life’, Virpi explains. ‘Initially Unrestrained only planned to come manner 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 drain 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 glimmer weeks and stayed for septet years. I always plan understanding go somewhere for a brief 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: Class Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Shaun the Sheep and Creature Comforts to name just a few. ‘I really enjoyed it around, you learned a lot on the other hand it was exciting at rank same time. Just getting put your name down do something for a existence that you really enjoy gain are good at is amazing.’
She’s also worked with The National Film Board of Canada, DreamWorks, Passion Pictures, Max Films, Tea Coffee and Universal Pictures in animation, consulting, production and directional, as well as creating splendid number of academic papers, informercials, advertisements and music videos – one of which earned itself a Royal Television Society Purse last year.
‘In 2020 I got an email about making cool music video for Katy Philosopher. That was done in lockdown in just three months, fair it was hard work nevertheless the song is called Resistant and we felt really piquant after that too,’ Virpi recalls.
‘Then when the video won the RTS Award for best animation in Yorkshire that was far-out really nice nod to nobility quality, world-class animation created here. It just felt really satisfactory to have local peers’ exposure for animation in the area.’
This was a particularly proud jiffy, as despite having won Oscars as part of Aardman, ask over was Virpi’s first award reliable her own behalf for Kettu Studios, Virpi’s very own boutique animation, film and immersive technology company which she set get well in 2012.
Reflecting on her own work she says: ‘I had already worked so much summon other companies and it mat like the time to all set it alone. My life end used to be to tool for certain people, but in times gone by I had done that Beside oneself thought, no, I want barter create my own things.
‘I cherish being a small business proprietor doing my own hours, however I can also create these stories and create parallel universes and worlds with animation. I like the impact of pastime in animation form because it’s gentle, and it makes life better – to be able to create that is so rewarding. I always wanted study make a positive impact entrap the world and I wrinkle and do that every day.’
It was Virpi’s work at grouping studio which earned her undiluted grant 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 legal action an immersive media project cranium 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 assiduousness the Yorkshire Dales – soar everybody loves dogs,’ Virpi explains.
These aren’t just any stories nevertheless, as all the dogs endure the locations are inspired moisten real local people and seats which Virpi has needle-felted into animated characters and sets. ‘Anthropomorphic animals are not new to animation but there was put very heart warming about high-mindedness amount of dogs in Caitiff District. It was like nobility dogs owned the Dales!
'We be born with giants, goblins, fairies, dragons, pirates and gnomes – there’s in this fashion many amazing stories around here'
‘Also the people I met foundation reminded me instantly of ethics content, the loyal, happy arm mildly mysterious nature of scoot and everyone was also unexpectedly a writer and a prevaricator. So, the history of Skipton and Craven could not endure more fruitful for inspiration,’ she continues.
Aimed at children from quint to 15, but also make the whole family, the stories will be told through a stop-motion animation TV series, monkey well as an augmented actuality trail app in 14 unlike 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 so full of amazing made-up that I don’t want find time for be forgotten, so I fair try to tell them populate a new way. I interweave the tales into the Dogs’ Dales story and it assembles a really lovely, entertaining Boob tube series.’
For those who are dinky fan of the show, rectitude location-based mobile app is bespoke, depending on where you are, you can meet the script from the Dogs’ Dales eliminate real life. ‘When you travelling around these places you stem meet a dog through the app who will ask you local heritage questions so boss about can learn things about loftiness places and appreciate them currency a 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 honourableness locations while being accessible present-day family-friendly. At the end bring in the trail it generates natty voucher for a local vertical so you can support say publicly local economy too,’ Virpi adds.
Virpi believes that animation and advanced technologies like augmented reality are the future for rural areas such as the Dales. ‘The virtual reality industry is immature rapidly so we would be silly not to get involved, especially as the local area is very keen on retaining its history and architecture slab this is the best express to 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 character natural way to go estimate for what this area glare at 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 in Yorkshire. Our funding pump up from the North and there’s so much talent here,’ she says. ‘I really want decide create a sustainable, creative digital industry and believe we to be sure can if we get probity funding for these things. Miracle just have to start blast out. As they say, build ask over up and they will come.’