Internet users get animated about RSA short film series
Andrew Park's videos, which are drawn from capitalism and education speeches, have received 46m YouTube hits
[video=youtube_share;dFs9WO2B8uI]http://youtu.be/dFs9WO2B8uI[/video]
He started out making cartoons of Ernst & Young board meetings. Now Andrew Park's animations have gone viral, with Derren Brown and Bill Gates among his fans and more than 46m hits on his latest Royal Society of Arts series.
Through his 14-part series of 10-minute animations drawn from speeches about education, economics and science, Park has become an unlikely internet success story.
The artist, who is based in Folkestone, Kent, was recruited by the RSA in March last year, as the charity looked for a way to invigorate speeches by intellectuals including Evgeny Morozov and Sir Ken Robinson.Little did they expect more than 100,000 subscribers on YouTube – or a dedicated following in Kazakhstan.
"It's phenomenal really," says Park, who anticipated a couple of hundred views.
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the RSA and a former adviser to Tony Blair, says he knew they were "on to something amazing" within 30 seconds of seeing Park's work.
Each 10-minute animation takes weeks to produce. Most of that time is spent researching the speaker and topic. Park says he will regularly listen to a lecture more than 50 times before completing his clip.
Park's latest video (pictured above), based on a 500-page book by psychiatrist Iain McGilchrist on the human brain, was published on Friday. The animation took two months to complete.
"I really want to find out what's underneath the bonnet of their thinking," says Park. "I want to learn about these things. I'm a spectator as well as creator. If I'm enjoying it then hopefully that will cross the threshold to the audience."
Viewers in Russia, China and Kazakhstan have the healthiest appetite for Park's animations on capitalism and education, according to figures for the RSA Vimeo channel – most of its YouTube fans are in the US and western Europe. YouTube has become the modern road to stardom for talent in comedy and music, but videos that tackle the world's most pressing issues are a different proposition altogether.
"We've got 12 million people around the world watching lectures on intellectually challenging topics," says Taylor, adding that the RSA is the No 1 nonprofit channel on YouTube. "That's why Animate is phenomenal. It is and should be seen as a significant British export.
"I believe very strongly that one thing we underplay with the internet is how we can build ladders and let people stretch themselves, whet their appetite for knowledge and learn more," he says. "I am willing to predict that the latest animate [on the human brain] will be watched by one million people within a month."
Away from education, cartoon visualisations to explain weighty topics promise to become a phenomenon in business. Earlier this year, Park was chosen by Bill Gates to illustrate his Gates Foundation lecture on the power of vaccines. He is inundated with solicitations from other global powers.
But the South London-born artist says the real prize lies in the feedback from schoolchildren."The viral aspect of YouTube is phenomenal," he says. "But it's comments from 13- or 14-year-olds saying they wish their college lectures were done like that – that's the really rewarding part".
Josh Halliday
guardian.co.uk, Friday 21 October 2011 19.30 BST
© 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved
Andrew Park's videos, which are drawn from capitalism and education speeches, have received 46m YouTube hits
[video=youtube_share;dFs9WO2B8uI]http://youtu.be/dFs9WO2B8uI[/video]
He started out making cartoons of Ernst & Young board meetings. Now Andrew Park's animations have gone viral, with Derren Brown and Bill Gates among his fans and more than 46m hits on his latest Royal Society of Arts series.
Through his 14-part series of 10-minute animations drawn from speeches about education, economics and science, Park has become an unlikely internet success story.
The artist, who is based in Folkestone, Kent, was recruited by the RSA in March last year, as the charity looked for a way to invigorate speeches by intellectuals including Evgeny Morozov and Sir Ken Robinson.Little did they expect more than 100,000 subscribers on YouTube – or a dedicated following in Kazakhstan.
"It's phenomenal really," says Park, who anticipated a couple of hundred views.
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the RSA and a former adviser to Tony Blair, says he knew they were "on to something amazing" within 30 seconds of seeing Park's work.
Each 10-minute animation takes weeks to produce. Most of that time is spent researching the speaker and topic. Park says he will regularly listen to a lecture more than 50 times before completing his clip.
Park's latest video (pictured above), based on a 500-page book by psychiatrist Iain McGilchrist on the human brain, was published on Friday. The animation took two months to complete.
"I really want to find out what's underneath the bonnet of their thinking," says Park. "I want to learn about these things. I'm a spectator as well as creator. If I'm enjoying it then hopefully that will cross the threshold to the audience."
Viewers in Russia, China and Kazakhstan have the healthiest appetite for Park's animations on capitalism and education, according to figures for the RSA Vimeo channel – most of its YouTube fans are in the US and western Europe. YouTube has become the modern road to stardom for talent in comedy and music, but videos that tackle the world's most pressing issues are a different proposition altogether.
"We've got 12 million people around the world watching lectures on intellectually challenging topics," says Taylor, adding that the RSA is the No 1 nonprofit channel on YouTube. "That's why Animate is phenomenal. It is and should be seen as a significant British export.
"I believe very strongly that one thing we underplay with the internet is how we can build ladders and let people stretch themselves, whet their appetite for knowledge and learn more," he says. "I am willing to predict that the latest animate [on the human brain] will be watched by one million people within a month."
Away from education, cartoon visualisations to explain weighty topics promise to become a phenomenon in business. Earlier this year, Park was chosen by Bill Gates to illustrate his Gates Foundation lecture on the power of vaccines. He is inundated with solicitations from other global powers.
But the South London-born artist says the real prize lies in the feedback from schoolchildren."The viral aspect of YouTube is phenomenal," he says. "But it's comments from 13- or 14-year-olds saying they wish their college lectures were done like that – that's the really rewarding part".
Josh Halliday
guardian.co.uk, Friday 21 October 2011 19.30 BST
© 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved
