Angela Kirkwood felt “purposeless” – so she made a short film about a bird that can’t fly

It’s pretty commonplace to assume that all birds can fly. But for some, it’s unfortunately not the case; think ostriches, penguins and emus, for example, and also the loveable, green-feathered Marvin, the titular character of Angela Kirkwood’s new short film. It follows Marvin after they discover they can’t fly, and so, they begin a journey of self-discovery, trying to uncover a perfect path in life, trailing time as an egg layer, construction worker and chef… each with varying degrees of success.

It might be a stretch to say that Marvin is an autobiographical film, but it is inspired by Angela’s own experiences. We last chatted to Angela back in 2022, after she’d just finished her first commissioned animation following a switch in her career from graphic design to illustration. Since then Angela says that everything’s been a “total whirlwind”. She’s worked on projects for Nike, Lush and Le Puzz, as well as collaborating with Lazy Oaf on a clothing line, and creating installations for Selfridges, which saw her work plastered on London’s busiest high street. But, like Marvin, the journey hasn’t been entirely smooth. As Angela’s career grew, she says that “a little anxiety started to creep in, I was finding it more and more challenging to come up with fresh ideas. It almost felt like I was losing my purpose.”

Things that felt very much out of Angela’s hands also played a role in heightening these feelings of anxiety. Like many people in the creative industries, she and her partner Andy Hughes had been having many conversations about how advances in technology and AI might impact their jobs. “Mainly what would we do if we couldn’t do our jobs, do we even have any other skills!” says Angela. “Unfortunately, and maybe this is true for a lot of people, but I feel my sense of self and identity are very much entangled with my work.” Angela decided to remedy these feelings through a tried and tested method – a personal project, free from the restraints of deadlines or briefs, and so Marvin was born.

While the loose narrative thread was established early on (a bird that can’t fly), Angela tells us that she actually first began the creative process by exploring what music might accompany the short film, before digging into anything visual. Music has always been a big focus of Angela’s work, whether she’s animating a sax-playing pup or creating music videos for bands. Her scrolls through Bandcamp’s jazz section eventually unearthed the song Espejo by the Belgian band Ottla. “Their song to me feels playful and upbeat, but also spontaneous and all over the place,” says Angela. “These were traits I could imagine in the main character of the film, so the two felt like a perfect marriage.” Listening to the song on a loop, Angela then tried to work out what Marvin might look like, as well as working on some colour scenes and what the general tone of the film might be.

When it came to working out the finer details of the storyline, Angela worked alongside partner Andy. “It’s the first time we’ve formally worked on a project together, and it was very liberating to have someone to bounce ideas off. We’d come up with individual scenes and then try to stitch them all together,” she says. “We knew a suggestion would be good if it got both of us laughing!” Aspects of the track – a symbol clash or particularly rhythm – also played a role in influencing the plot and shaping Marvin’s actions.

As has come to be expected from Angela, Marvin is accompanied by a host of endearingly kooky characters – fellow birds of all descriptions, with long necks, fluffy plumages or strange beaks – a development process she dove into further at our Nicer Tuesdays event in December of last year, available to watch here. “I think the characters are mostly born from aspects of my own self (mostly my neuroses!), and sometimes from the quirks in others I’ve observed,” says Angela. “It’s definitely not a conscious decision on my part, more just having a feeling and trying to channel that through a particular facial expression or an exaggerated movement.”

While Marvin was made to soothe very personal feelings, Angela thinks it might also speak to a wider, more universal sentiment, the feeling of being an “outsider” or having a little “weirdness” about your self. She hopes Marvin and his gaggle of birds might spark some recognition in her audience, allowing them to connect with, and celebrate, these unique aspects of their being.