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Songs of the City

One sketchbook. One stroke of a brush. One inkblot magically transformed. In a bid to celebrate urban bird song, this heart-warming animation will take you to the heart of the City of Manchester where a mute blackbird flees the nest to find its own singing voice.

  • Adelina Court
    Director
  • Michael Gandham
    Producer
  • Robin Dewhurst
    Music
  • Matt Owens
    Music
  • Thomas Seban
    Sound Design
  • Connoll Pavey
    Camera Operator
    A Soldier, Alien: Outbreak
  • Jodie Lancaster
    Creative Director
  • Nick Bryan
    Online Editor
  • Ian Fenton
    Executive Producer
  • Project Type:
    Animation
  • Runtime:
    3 minutes 13 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    December 12, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    7,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Adelina Court

Adelina Court is an illustrator based in Manchester, UK. An avid urban sketcher, her work is inspired by on-site visualisation and reportage. Adelina's interests are music, film making with drawing, and drawing as performance.

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Director Statement

Songs of the City was born out of an illustration book project. The work explored Manchester through urban sketches, all seen though the eyes of a blackbird. The film has stayed true to the book in that it explores the same spaces, but with the added magic of being able to hear the sounds of the urban space and experience the journey in motion. The message of the film is to raise awareness of the lack of bird song in cities, but ultimately, to excite the imagination around how we perceive the city. Funded by The Arts Council in partnership with BBC Arts, the film was created with Arcus Animation as part of the New Creatives North scheme.