Richard Roger Reeves (born September 21, 1959) is a Canadian animated filmmaker. He is known for his whimsical abstract animated films created using a drawn on film technique.
In many of his films, Reeves creates his soundtracks through graphical sound, drawing directly on the optical sound strip area of the film as well as the visual frames to create a sound painting.
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Biography
Richard R. Reeves was born in Weymouth, England and has been living in Canada since 1960. He attended Sault College of Applied Arts & Technology, majoring in printmaking.
His early artwork explored painting, printmaking, photography, and music which led him to combine artistic discipline's and animate directly onto the filmstrip as a long and narrow canvas as 'sound painting' or visual music. His début animation 'Linear Dreams' was produced by drawing both the sound and picture directly onto the film.
Reeves worked at Quickdraw Animation Society as Film Production Coordinator for 8 years. He also taught super 8 and 16mm filmmaking at the Gulf Islands Film and Television School for 10 years. He has mentored and provided workshops in Europe, South America and across Canada.
Richard explores abstract animation as a visual music by drawing both sound and picture onto film. He has collaborated with artists for live performances involving dancing human projection screens, 16mm violin, interactive animation installations, online animation jams and large outdoor projections.
He continues exploring film as a space time art form.
In the media
Reeves was the subject of the short documentary Instant Animation, which was directed by Ted Stenton and released in 2024.
Filmography
'Story from the Stone'
1991 / 1 min. / 16mm,
inspired by pictographs at Writing on Stone Park, pastel on paper.
'Major ReBeouf's Lost and Found Film'
1992 / 3 min. / 16mm,
mythological story, created specially for “Return to Exceptional Pass”, Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Banff.
'Garbanzo'
1993 / 2 min. / 16mm,
abstract colors and forms to original jazz music, painted directly on to film.
'Zig Zag'
1994 / 1 min. / 35mm,
zig zag pictures dance to zig zag sounds, etched directly on to one piece of film.
'Linear Dreams'
1997 / 7 min. 35mm,
images from the minds eye, music from the minds ear, sound and picture drawn on film.
'Sea Song'
1999 / 4 min. / 35mm,
an animated look into the sparkling ocean at night, sound and picture drawn on film.
'CFMDC trailer'
1999 / 30 sec. / 35mm,
Collections
Collections of Film Prints :
National Library and Archives of Canada, Ottawa.
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science Film Archive, Hollywood, USA.
National Film Board of Canada, Montreal.
IOTA Centre for Visual Music, Los Angeles, USA.
Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre.
KurzFilmAgentur Hamburg e.V., Germany.
Cinematheque Quebecois, Montreal, Canada.
Newfoundland Filmmakers Coop, Canada.
Awards
2025 - Best Animation Technique Award: Ottawa Int. Animation Festival, Canada.
2025 - Nominee Cristal Award: Annecy Int. Animation Festival, France.
2025 - Audience Award, Best Music: Paris Int. Animation Festival, France.
2025 - Jury Choice Award: Thomas Edison Film Festival, USA.
2025 - 3rd Prize: Punto y Raya World Festival of Abstract Art in Motion, Sofia Bulgaria.
2024 - Best Experimental Animation Award: 62nd Ann Arbor Film Festival, USA.
2023 - Jury Award, Best Sound : GIRAF 19, Calgary Canada.
2023 - 3rd Prize: Punto y Raya World Festival of Abstract Art in Motion, Lisbon Portugal.
2023 - Nominee Cristal Award: Annecy Int. Animation Festival, France.
2023 - Jury Choice Award: Thomas Edison Film Festival, USA.
2019 - Jury Stellar Award, Experimental Film: Black Maria Film Festival, USA.
2018 - Best Non Narrative Animation : GIRAF festival, Canada
2005 – Directors Choice Award : Black Maria Film Festival, USA.
2003 – Jury Citation Award : Black Maria Film Festival, USA.
2001 – Award of Merit : Oberhausen Short Film Festival, Germany.