SOUTH WALES DREAMERS

3D World catches up with Emlyn Davies and Mark Procter of Wales-based animation studio Bomper on its 10th anniversary

There's something happening in Wales right now as new creative shoots begin to emerge in the animation industry. One of those bright shoots is Bomper Studio, an indie animation setup based in Caerphilly.

Recently, 3D World had the opportunity to hold a deep-dive conversation with Emlyn Davies, Bomper's founder and executive creative director, and technical animator Mark Procter about the studio's creative spirit, as well as its emerging position within the Welsh animation industry. It's a thoughtful and inspiring introspection about making the creative leap.

Of Bomper's earliest days, Davies recalls: "We started out at a place called Welsh ICE, which was a bit like a business incubation centre. At ICE, the space was free for the first year." For him, having an early-days' base at ICE was a "complete step change. Everyone there was on the same road." Davies notes that the other step change moment that followed was when he hired his first member of staff. "Employing our first person was one of the scariest things I've ever done, because of the level of responsibility," he adds.

In developing an identity for Bomper, Davies says: "Because I'd built up my contacts, and Cadbury Bournville having dissolved the design studio, people started calling me to do work. I think our first job was for Sensodyne.

Having that as a first client was quite a big deal." Now in its 10th anniversary year, Bomper finds itself gaining evermore critical mass. "We're now at 10 full-time staff and use 30-40 freelance staff on different projects," Davies explains. This increasing creative energy and the studio's place in the industry is not lost on Davies, who adds: "We've had a big change, and in 2019 we took a big gamble and made an in-house short called Coffee Run. It was both expensive and really time consuming. If you condensed it down, I think it took about three months of in-house work. It was a huge gamble.