How would you navigate a world where everyone can see what you’re thinking, all the time? This is the reality for the protagonist of Worry World — a young factory worker who years to escape from this exposure of her inner self. The film, which won the Oscar-qualifying James Horgan Award for best animation at the 2023 Galway Film Fleadh this summer and, more recently, the Audience Award of the Newport Beach Film Festival, was directed by Irish animator Jess Patterson.
A member of the team at Dublin studio JAM Media, Patterson previously directed the RTS children’s animation award-winning short The Voyage. Her recent credits also include Mistletoe and Stubbs for RTÉ and 2018’s The Wiremen, which also won the James Horgan as well as honors from the Irish Animation Awards, the Dublin Animation Film Festival and others. Patterson offered a few of her own thoughts and memories behind the making of her latest laureled film:
Animation Magazine: Can you tell us a bit about how you got involved with this short?
Jess Patterson: I met our writer Hugh O’Conor at the Galway Film Festival in 2018, where we had both won awards for our short films in competition, and he mentioned he had a new script he thought would work well as an animated short. We began to develop the idea further over the next two years and were privileged to receive funding from Screen Ireland to produce the short with JAM Media in 2021.
What was the initial thought behind the short and how did you decide on the specific animation style and visuals?
We began development with the question, ‘What if everyone could see your thoughts?’ And having explored what this world might look like, how people might interact, and having gone through the near dystopian experience of Lockdown ourselves, we began building a story of finding connection in a disconnected world. Hugh once described the short as an ‘introvert’s worst nightmare’, which I loved, and I found we kept this in mind across production.
We didn’t want the visuals to compete with the potential complexity of the narrative, and so decided to keep the design intentionally minimal; favoring hand-drawn linework, constantly boiling in animation to achieve a tangible sense of the uncertainty felt by our characters.
With everyone’s thoughts on display in the story, we decided the need for verbal communication would most likely die out, and as such we chose to limit our dialog to set moments, close to the ending. We were very lucky to have the support and talent of Irish actors Florence Adebambo and Domhnall Gleeson on board for even these brief moments, which for us gave the words that bit more depth and meaning.
When did you start working on the short and how long did it take to make?
Myself and Hugh began developing the short in 2019 before applying for and receiving funding from Screen Ireland in 2021. From there we teamed up with producer Shauna Cullen and JAM Media as our production company, and spent two years completing the film while juggling work commitments. Worry World then premiered at the Galway Film Festival in July 2023.
Which animation tools were used and how many people worked on Worry World?
We originally explored a number of different tools, but ultimately settled on Adobe Photoshop for both design and animation.
Over the two-year period we were lucky to get to work with a number of great artists on the production teams in JAM Media and with support from our friends in Fly Moustache. Along with our core team of myself directing, our writer Hugh O’Conor and our producer Shauna Cullen, we would have had just over 25 people on board at different occasions across all departments.
We also had the pleasure of working with local animation students in Ballyfermot College and Belfast Met. who submitted animated thought bubbles for use in our crowd scenes. It was great to be able to give an insight into a working production, so we were very happy to have them on board and include them in our additional animation department.
Had you worked with Hugh O’Conor before?
I would have been very familiar with Hugh’s work as a writer, director, actor and photographer, but I hadn’t had the chance to work with him before this production. Hugh has an absolute wealth of knowledge and experience across all areas of film and is also one of the most positive people you could meet. I really took away a lot from the experience of working together on the short.
What did you love about this experience?
There’s a lot to choose from! I really enjoyed the development process, the character and concept design, driving around Belfast and taking photos for inspiration.
As I step further into directing, I sometimes find it difficult to be less hands-on as an artist when we get to production; particularly in animation, but there really is something so exciting in handing your designs over to an animator and watching as they translate the action and performance into a fully realised scene, complete with little quirks unique to them.
I also loved getting to work with composer Keith Keniff on the score for the short. Seeing his process and how he interpreted our discussions into the final piece of music was such a great experience.
Do you find the experience of making an artistic short different and perhaps more liberating than working on animated TV projects for children?
Yes and no. It’s certainly a different experience and process but in terms of liberation I feel both have their moments.
There is a freedom in short films in terms of what we can put on screen, what we can discuss, what mediums we can use and generally, as there is usually a smaller number of people invested in the production. However, personally I find that I work better within structure, as both an artist and director.
In short films it’s much more common to take on multiple roles across multiple departments, whereas the structure within animated TV production allows me to focus on what I do best, and enjoy most, which is liberating in itself. You can’t swing a stick in animated TV production without hitting a talented creative, so you’re always in safe hands either way.
When did you first know that you wanted to work in animation?
I had always loved watching animation, but I hadn’t realized it could be an area of study, let alone a career, until I attended an open-day at IADT Dún Laoghaire, the National Film school in Dublin. I knew I wanted to study art in some shape or form but when I came across the animation department that was it for me. I sat watching the graduate films on repeat all afternoon and applied to study the following year.
Who are you animation heroes?
I’m a real home-bird for animation heroes if I’m honest. I’ll regularly re-watch shorts by Irish directors Eamonn Oneill, Louise Bagnall and Eoin Duffy when I need a creative pick-me-up. Growing up in Ireland, animation had often felt like an American industry to me, so to see Irish animators and directors creating the work they do and at the level they do on a global scale has always been really inspiring.
What was the biggest lesson you learned from the Worry World experience?
To make sure you are 90 to 100% set on your script breakdown before boarding. I jumped in too quickly on this production and ended up storyboarding at least five very different versions of our short. We were aiming for a five minute run-time but somehow had an animatic hitting 18 minutes at one point, which we then kept very little of anyway — so, note-to-self!
What are you working on next?
I’m currently the episodic director on an upcoming preschool series that should be announced soon, as part of a collaboration with JAM Media and a global tv broadcaster.
Best advice you can give those who want to make their own animated shorts?
Sometimes the simplest idea is the best one. Don’t feel like you have to overcomplicate your story for the sake of it. Make the short you want to make.
See more of Patterson’s work at jesspattersonanimation.com.
