Based in Cardiff’s CultVR Labs, Hollowpixel Studio is led by the talented duo Chris McFall and Jonathan Lloyd James. Their specialism is animation and FX, and they focus on creating character-driven, high-quality shows, appealing to all age groups.
Chris and Jonathan met over a decade ago when they were both studying for their master’s degrees. At that time, they were working on separate projects, but always knew that they wanted to work together in the future. Creative Wales development funding gave Chris and Jonathan their first opportunity to do so, and they collaborated on 'Ungameland' with Jon Ball from Poked Studio. Their partnership worked so well that they decided to make it permanent, and so Hollowpixel Studios was launched.
Our relationship with Hollowpixel continued when the studio accessed further support for new project 'The Codelings'. Using our development funding, they created a trailer for Codelings, which is an action-packed story designed for kids, but with adult appeal too. Hollowpixel was able to develop its own original IP through the project, by creating an animated series with potential for large commercial success. The company was also supported by the Welsh Government to attend the Kids Screen summit in Miami to showcase Codelings internationally.
Whilst working on Ungameland and Codelings, the studio found there was a real lack of animators trained in specialist software Blender 3. Discussions with other companies in Wales, the UK and worldwide, revealed that this was a widespread issue. By this time, Chris had turned into one of the best Blender 3D trainers in the country. Working with NextGen Skills Academy and Blue Zoo, Hollowpixel set out to fill this skills gap in Wales and create opportunities for others.
Hollowpixel successfully secured support through the Creative Wales Skills fund and they launched Hollowpixel Academy in collaboration with Gower College. Their main objective was to create a genuinely diverse workforce specialising in the art of Blender 3D. The project trained six fresh creatives via 12-month, fully paid apprenticeships- the first programme of it's kind in Wales and the first Blender-centric apprenticeships in the world.
It's impressive to see how far the academy students have come in such a short space of time – they're a source of great pride to Chris and Jonathan. The academy graduates are currently working on their first joint project called Gastronauts; once it’s completed, they’re looking forward to showing it at Cardiff Animation Nights in the future.
Chris and Jonathan are quick to thank their fellow Welsh animation companies. Jon shares that 'Wales' animation industry is very much a family'.
It looks like it's shaping up to be another amazing year for Hollowpixel with lots of exciting things in the pipeline. Order of the Dragon received Best Short Film at the Marina del Rey Film Festival, Los Angeles.
While future projects include teaming up with Poked Studios again, and a possible project around a series of books written by Ndidi Spencer. They are also hoping that early discussions with the BBC around Codelings and Ungameland will lead to more exciting things. Watch this space.
What has Hollowpixel been up to lately?
- In 2024, Jonathan Lloyd, Hollowpixel's Director, was selected to be one of the judges of the BAFTA Young Game Designer awards.
- In 2024, Hollowpixel won the Welsh Champion Award at the Gower College Apprenticeships Awards.
- Ungameland, backed by us here at Creative Wales, was nominated at the prestigious Camarthen Bay Film Festival 2024 – one of Wales' leading film festivals.
