Holyhead film animator in collaboration with David Bowie's son

Jun 24 2009

Graham Wyn Jones

A FILM animator from Holyhead has had his science fiction film premiered at a prestigious American Film festival.

Graham Wyn Jones, 50, has collaborated with David Bowie’s son, Duncan Jones, to help produce a film called The Moon.

The Moon stars Sam Rockwell and Oscar winning actor Kevin Spacey.

It is based on the mining of the satellite for helium, but as with all great sci-fi movies, something goes terribly wrong.

Mr Jones, who now lives in Ascot, said: "It opened in America last week at the Robert Redford Sundance Festival at Park City, Utah, and will be shown in Britain from July 27.

"My speciality is to create story boards for films and television programmes so I actually sketch what the director wants in a scene.

"In a way I visualise the director’s thoughts and help the film’s script.

"My company Pre-Vis have been doing this for about the last 15 years and I’ve worked on television dramas and commercials as well as films.

"I worked on the story board for the film, The Last Legion which starred Colin Firth and Sir Ben Kinglsey and programmes such as Soldier Soldier and the Unknown Soldier."

For Graham, an ex-pupil at Ysgol Uwchradd Caergybi and Ysgol Llanfawr, success in film came after a change of career.

"I worked at Sealink as a steward and chef until 1989.

"I wanted to work in the film industry and went to Coleg Menai to do an art foundation course. Then, I went to Newport for three years to study film animation."

A critic said about The Moon: "In confining the story to one man (and his robot), the film creates an intimate and insightful character piece about memory and identity anchored by Sam Rockwell's perceptive performance. He brings out the heartache, contradictory emotions, and existential terror of a man gradually stripped of the most fundamental sense of who he is."