Research Summary

Richard Haynes is, first and foremost, an animator, with years of professional experience in stop motion. Between 2016 and 2018, Richard combined his experience in this medium with his passion for musical theatre and performance for his Masters degree in Animation at London Metropolitan University. His exploration into semantics and nostalgia merged with these underlying interests, culminating in an installation that reframed a model gypsy caravan (inspired by the 1980s animated series, The Wind in the Willows) as a repository for collecting and preserving childhood memories, represented by projections and objects alike.

Richard’s fascination with such seemingly positive nostalgic memories, and a passion for the British animated series with which he grew up, led to him writing a book that chronicles the history of the animation studio Cosgrove Hall (Bloomsbury, part of the Animation: Key Films/Filmmakers series, forthcoming: 2023). Following a chapter comparing Shaun the Sheep to Buster Keaton in the anthology, Aardman Animations: Beyond Stop Motion (edited by Annabelle Honess Roe), Richard intends to conduct further research into Cosgrove Hall, as well as British television animation in general.

Looking ahead, Richard would like to chronicle the history of Woodland Animations (creators of the original Postman Pat series). He is also keen to further explore music-based animation and how teaching it can help students gain a stronger understanding of the craft behind generating dope sheets, working with rhythm, melody, harmony and structure. He would like to produce practice-based research, using both drawn and stop motion mediums, to realise this work.

After working as a Senior Lecturer in Animation at AUB for over a decade, Richard now works at Treehouse Digital, an exciting studio based in Poole, Dorset.

Publications List

Haynes, R. (2020) ‘Shaun the Sheep – Buster Keaton Reborn?’, in Honess Roe, A. Aardman Animations: Beyond Stop Motion. London: Bloomsbury Academic, p.181-192.

Haynes, R. (2023) Cosgrove Hall Productions: The Fun Factory. London: Bloomsbury.