Ben Mars: Character Animator

(also Director, Puppeteer and Builder of Things)

eevil wizard little dog turpie


CG Character Animator with 19 years character animation experience in broadcast, games and feature films.

Skills in Maya, 3dsMax, Softimage, AfterEffects, Nuke and traditional animation techniques.

Additional skills in team leading, cg modeling, prosthetics, physical model and propmaking, theatrical direction and design, acting.

Winner Best Children's Animation, London IMAF 2004,
Best Animated Film Dokufest 2005,
Best Animated Short Karachi International Film Festival 2005

email benm3d@benmars.com


link to Ben Mars Showreel on Vimeo


All animation is my keyframing, other than background sheep drummer.



go to Little Dog Turpie Film Site

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Relevant Experience / Credits

2020

Wildlife Film - Black Laboratory
Direction and character animation for short series


2019

Lego Hidden Side - Black Laboratory / Vertical Productions
Character animation for fully animated commercial

Lego Smyths Toys - Black Laboratory / Vertical Productions
Character animation for three commercials

Gnu/ODP - Black Laboratory / Doghouse Post
Character animation for series tasters

Panasonic - Black Laboratory / Proctor + Stevenson
Character animation for commercial

Victoria's Palace - Black Laboratory / Burrell Durrant Hifle
Character animation for documentary

Political Animals - Black Laboratory / Hello Charlie
Character animation for series pilot

FCC / Cypher - Black Laboratory / Axis Animation
Animation / rigging for series

Wildlife Film - Black Laboratory
Direction and character animation for short series

Whispers In The Dark - Black Laboratory /The Smoke Festival
Direction of chamber larp


2018

Monkey Mafia - Black Laboratory / Doghouse Post
Character animation for series pilot

Wildlife Film - Black Laboratory
Direction and character animation for short series


2017

Show Dogs - Black Laboratory / Lipsync Post London
Creature animation for feature film

PayPal Turkey Dash - Black Laboratory / Aardman Animation
Character animation for commercial

Hurricane - Black Laboratory / Lipsync Post London
Previz for feature film


2016

Show Dogs - Black Laboratory / Lipsync Post London
Character/creature animation for feature film preproduction

Tiny Tubbies - Black Laboratory / Lola Post
Character animation for TV series

Game of Thrones Dragons Projections - Black Laboratory / Sky / Giggle Group
Creature animation for projection onto Southwark Cathedral

Mandela's Gun - Black Laboratory / Lipsync Post London
Creature animation for feature film


2015

The Nice Guys - Black Laboratory / Lipsync Post London
Character animation for feature film

Horlicks Nutriquest - Black Laboratory / Ground Control
Character animation for commercial short film

Listerine - Black Laboratory / Gramercy Park Studios
Character animation for commercial

Game of Thrones Dragons Projections - Black Laboratory / Sky / Giggle Group
Creature animation for projection onto Tower of London

12 Guardians Shudan - Black Laboratory / 12 Guardians
Character animation for TV series pilot

King Arthur - Black Laboratory / Lipsync / Warner Brothers
Post-vis character animation for feature film

The Promise/ Nightingale - Black Laboratory / Proof / Warner Brothers
Pre-vis animation for feature films

Search Destroy. A Strontium Dog Fan Film - Black Laboratory / Lazy Donkey
Prosthetic makeup, mask and corpse practical effects for short film


2014

Second Origin - Black Laboratory / Lipsync Post
Creature animation for feature film

Metropia - Black Laboratory / Sun And Moon
Character animation for commercial short film

Fisher Price Little People - Black Laboratory / Sun And Moon
Character animation for commercial short film

Prudential Popup Book - Black Laboratory / Shiny Eye
Rigging and animating fully working CG popup book for website

QQ Squirrels - Black Laboratory / Happy Hour
Creature animation for commercial

Tarzan - Black Laboratory / Proof / Warner Brothers
Pre-vis animation for feature film

Pan - Black Laboratory / Proof / Warner Brothers
Pre-vis animation for feature film

(Banksy) With Syria - Black Laboratory / Banksy /Hi-Sim
Character animation for short film


2013

Anomaly - Black Laboratory / Lipsync Post
Creature animation for feature film

A Little Chaos - Black Laboratory / Alan Rickman/Lipsync Post
Creature animation for feature film

Maynards Sour Patch Kids - Black Laboratory / Fallon
Creature animation for commercial

Lemsip New Flavours - Black Laboratory / Absolute Post
Character animation for commercial

Alien P2P - Black Laboratory / Happy Hour
Character animation for commercial


2012

Byzantium - Black Laboratory/ Lipsync
Creature animation for feature film

Total Recall - Black Laboratory/ Lipsync
Character animation for feature film

Cadbury Popcorn/Biscuit - Black Laboratory/ Fallon
Animation lead for commercial

Orange Ninjas - Black Laboratory/ Fallon
Character animation for commercial

Arms Race Escalation - Black Laboratory/ ItsaTrap
Shoot Art Department lead for series

For The Win! - Black Laboratory / BBC
Practical prosthetic and computer-generated makeup effects for series pilot

The Aetheroscope Mark One - Black Laboratory/ White Mischief
Production design for steampunk installation

Phantasmagoria Halloween - - Black Laboratory/ DreamFired/ White Mischief
Theatrical illusions and Ernie the Vampire


2011

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - Black Laboratory/ Lipsync
Creature animation and animation team lead for feature film

Great Ghost Rescue - Black Laboratory/ Lipsync
Character animation and character team lead for feature film

Snow White and the Huntsman - Black Laboratory/ NVizage
Previsualisation for feature film

Cloned - Black Laboratory/ BBC
Animation and motion control camera animation for series pilot

Day Trip to Hades (Halloween) - Black Laboratory/ Hawkstone Park
Direction of interactive theatre, (300 participants)
Demon Queen puppeteer, practical talking severed head illusion creation

Seadragon Puppets - Black Laboratory/ DreamFired/ White Mischief
Puppet team lead, puppet and set creation


2010

Great Ghost Rescue - Black Laboratory/ Lipsync
Character animation and character team lead for feature film

Skulduggery Pleasant - Black Laboratory/ HarperCollins
Animation direction and character animation for commercial

Parallel Lines - Jun and the Hidden Skies - Black Laboratory/ RSA / HiSim
Character animation for short film

Ada Van Helsing and the Vampyre Plague (Halloween) - Black Laboratory/ Hawkstone Park
Direction of interactive theatre (300 participants), practical vanish illusion creation

Captain Blood (Myth and Magic Weekend) - Black Laboratory/ Hawkstone Park
Direction of interactive theatre (200 participants)


2009

AirWick Christmas - Black Laboratory/Airwick / th1ng
Character animation for commercial

Story Train - Black Laboratory/ A Productions
Character animation for series.

Two Shorts - Black Laboratory
Preproduction for two character-based shorts.

Tractor Ted - Black Laboratory/ Tractor Ted Productions
Character animation title sequence for series.


2008

AnimationMentor.com - Student
Training in character animation

Nike Cassette Playa - Black Laboratory/ AKQA / Victoria & Albert Museum / Nike
Character animation for Olympic product launch.

Xbox360 - Black Laboratory/ AKQA / Microsoft
Animation for four 30 second online commercials.


2007

Animalia - Iloura Digital Pictures / BBC / PBS / Network10 / CBC
Character animation for series.


2006

Animalia - Iloura Digital Pictures / CBBC / PBS / Network10 / CBC
Character animation for series.

Acid Sun - Rod March / Film NSW
Additional character animation for short film.

T6 Channel Idents - Character Shop / T6 Viasat
Character animation for channel branding sequences.

Over The Hedge DVD - Zoo Digital / Dreamworks
Character animation for DVD games.

Admiral MultiCar - A Productions / Admiral Insurance
Character animation for commercial.


2005

Cellar Dweller / Rownd Arall - Kode Digital / S4C / SE3D
Lead animator / character animation for animated short.
Made as part of the 10 film Hewlett Packard SE3D scheme, chosen for broadcast on S4C.

Elroy the Potato Boy - Ben Lock / SE3D
Character animation for animated short.

Friends and Heroes - Character Shop
Character animation for 3 episodes of animated series.

Not So Scary Monsters - Character Shop / Celador
Character animation for TV series pilot.

Vartex CBC - Locomotion Dusseldorf
Character animation / modeling for commercial

Tom Thumb - No Strings Attached/ Blue Fish Cartoons
Character animation / modelling for feature pitch.

Nickelodeon Stings - Atomic Arts / Nickelodeon
Animation / modeling for channel branding sequences.

Kerrang! Red Bull / Samsung Mobile / World Poker - Conkerco / EMAP
Animation / modeling for 3 commercials.


2004

Little Dog Turpie The Black Laboratory / S4C
Director, character animation and modeling for 5 minute animated short.
Winner Best Childrens' Animation, London International Anime and Manga Festival 2004.
Winner Best Animated Film Dokufest 2005.
Winner Best Animated Short Karachi International Film Festival 2005.
Selected for broadcast by S4C.

The Unsteady Chough by Terry Jones - Teddy Hall Productions
Character animation for 3 minute short, shortlisted in BBC Animation Talent 2004

British Animation Awards Opening Sequence 2004 - Character Shop
Character animation for 2 minute short shown at BAA awards ceremony

No Money No Honey - Cheerful Scout
Senior, character animation for fully animated 3 minute corporate short

Night Bus Heroes - Conker co
Character animation and modeling for animated short.

Jetix - Character Shop / Fox Kids
Character animation for 12 second channel idents.

animaTe - Trouble TV / Conkerco
Senior, animation and modeling for one 30 second and five 10 second adverts.


2003

Sindy The Fairy Princess - Optical Image / VCI
Senior, character animation, modeling of wizard face for 45 minute animated featurette

Elber Conducts - Conker co
Senior, character animation and modeling for music promo.

Kit Kat Kubes - Conker co
Senior, character and prop animation and modeling for plasma screen street advertisement.

CBBC Title Sequence - Subvision / CBBC
Character animation for animated sequence. 2D animation.

Tweenies Specials - Productions / Tell Tale / BBC
Character design, animation, modeling of CG dragon in live action sequence.


2002

WARP - Tell Tale
Supervising animator, character and prop animation, modeling for animated pilot episode

Jim Jam - Tell Tale
Character animation and modeling for pilot inserts.

Boo! - A Productions / Tell Tale / Boo TV / BBC
Character animation, modeling for pilot and some episodes.

Tweenies - Tell Tale / BBC
Character design and animation for Mungo the Bug series inserts.


2001

Junk Planet - Pink Elephant / Optical Image
Character animation for pilot episode.

Diddlies - Optical Image / Just
Character animation for pilot episode.

NiNi's Treehouse - Just / GMTV
Character animation for series inserts.


2000

Cubeez - Optical Image / GMTV
Character animation for animated series.


1999

Animation PG Certificate, London Animation Studio, St Martins College



copyright © Ben Mars 2004-20 last updated 31 March 2020