For Your Pleasure

Flatford Mill
1970
Sound
5m

An iconic rural scene becomes a protest site for the bitter yet comic vision of prolific amateur animator Derek Phillips

The Hay Wain? No, it's the last straw! For Derek Phillips animation was the perfect medium to express his take on the world. Full of opinions on art, society, politics, science and the environment he crafted over 40 animated aphorisms in his home studio in a decade. Here Constable's iconic rural scene is a perfect backdrop to poke a finger at the commercial colonisation of modern life.

This government film is a public record, preserved and presented by the BFI National Archive on behalf of The National Archives, home to more than 1,000 years of British history.

DIY Animation

Amateur animation auteurs bring their homegrown creations to life

The requirements for making an animated film are pretty low. With a camera that shoots in single frames and an idea in your back pocket, you're well on your way. This collection showcases an assortment of dining table Disneys, who combine homebrewed talent with the all-important dedication and patience required to bring a story to life one frame at a time. Not that this was necessarily a solitary pursuit. From the 1950s onwards networks of amateur animators like The Grasshopper Group collaborated on filmmaking and distribution, and animated shorts were often a highlight of the amateur filmmaking scene.