Interview by Eva Coutts

Eilidh Nicoll takes on society’s preoccupation with growing old and changing bodies in her graduation film.

What is your graduation project about?

I’ve developed and animated a short film called 'Silvering' which follows a woman’s spiral into panic after discovering a grey hair. It takes place entirely in a bathroom, a setting which I think has an interesting potential as both a place of sanctuary, and one that can feel quite sinister - the narrative sees a ritualistic practice of ‘self-care’ devolve into a sort of claustrophobic self-scrutiny. I’ve drawn on this and some horror tropes to take a stab at the absurd preoccupation many of us have with ageing and our bodies; both in terms of its silliness and the very real sense of dread that can accompany it!

Although we’re just at the start of our animation careers, it's quite a pivotal moment: past animation graduates from ECA have made amazing films and some have gone on to win BAFTAs so there’s a bit of pressure to have a good idea!

It was around September time the idea came to me of ageing and confronting our future self. Paper textures were the starting point for the idea, it was a bit of a lockdown hobby which arose from boredom! I was using recycled paper and really enjoying the textures, then a friend said ‘it looks almost like skin’. That’s when I started to draw parallels between the papery textures and aging skin.

How do you best like to work? 

I predominantly work with 2D animation, using a frame-by-frame approach in Photoshop. But I’ve also incorporated some under camera stop-motion using paper I’ve made with the intention of recalling ‘skin-like’ textures. This was a good opportunity to take a break from screens and get my hands on physical materials, and I like the tactile quality that it affords; I hope it injects some analogue life into an otherwise digital film.

Animation can be tedious but it’s totally worth it when you make something new. Generally I’m quite a patient person, I think if you know what you want to get out of something it’s easier to put the hours in.  Especially this past year, I’ve spent a lot of time sitting scribbling away in my room. After a week you might have only a few seconds of footage, but it’s so rewarding.

Can you tell us about some of the things which inspire you and your work? 

I quite obsessively follow the output of some previous ECA animation graduates: Laura Hodkin, Nica Harrison and Anna Ginsburg especially. They produce some stunning animation and it’s inspiring to see them do so well having been in a similar position to me not too long ago. Thematically though, my main inspiration is my own slightly conceited and futile fear of change, growing old and the things associated with it!

What have been the highlights of your time at ECA and Edinburgh? 

I already knew I loved Edinburgh before I moved here in 2017, but my expectations of ECA weren’t as clear. I can say now though that it’s been amazing to be surrounded by such creative people and I’ve appreciated the scope of practical facilities available to us as students; the focus of staff has always been facilitating us to tell the stories we want to in the best ways possible. The castle view from the animation studios isn’t bad either.

One of my favourite projects was Animating Documentary. We collaborated with students from other disciplines and made an animated documentary. I really enjoyed that opportunity to bring together different voices.