REWFOE

Explore how a toxin-producing bacterium causes tetanus, and how to identify its common symptoms and best prevention practices.

Educator Louise Thwaites

Director Andrew Foerster, Rewfoe

Narrator Pen-Pen Chen

Music Jason Stamatyades

Sound Designer Jason Stamatyades

Director of Production Gerta Xhelo

Producer Sazia Afrin

Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal

Editorial Producer Dan Kwartler

Script Editor Joel Goldberg

Fact-Checker Charles Wallace

Get to know the story of Ötzi the Iceman, a 5,300-year-old glacier mummy who researchers discovered had been murdered.

Educator Albert Zink

Director Andrew Foerster, Rewfoe

Narrator Jack Cutmore-Scott

Composer Devin Polaski

Sound Designer Devin Polaski

Produced by Gerta Xhelo, Abdallah Ewis

Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal

Editorial Producer Cella Wright

Ichi-Bons: Dust of Life

Video by Andrew Foerster
Created using digital animation techniques and utilizing Dall-e 2

Like so many of my projects, this one was started several years ago with a little concept of a dancing musical robot. At the time, working in 2D in After Effects I wasn’t able to fully do what I had envisioned with this guy. Now, working in 3D in Cinema 4D, I was able to really bring my vision of this guy to life! And maybe in another five years I’ll add all of those fancy instruments to him.

Music: Magic Man by Balduin, Wolfgang Lohm J Fritz

In January 2017 I had the honour of working with one of my long time comic book heroes; James Turner, to create a short film based on his graphic novel, NIL: A Land Beyond Belief. 

It's currently in the festival circuit and has already won awards in several festivals, including:

International Film Festival: Best Professional Animation, 2017

Intendence Film Festival: Best Animation (Jury and Audience awards), 2017

Sunscreen Film Festival: Best Animation, 2017

Calcutta Cult Film Festival: Award for best animation, March 2017.

Dragon Con Indiependent Short Film Festival: Award for best animated comedy, 2017

Selected and screened at

Toronto After Dark Festival, 2017

Animocje Festival, 2017

For this collaboration, James Turner conceptualized the story, then we created a series of storyboards from his written draft. Once all of the storyboards were in place, he supplied the artwork from the graphic novel, and I rigged animated, and co-directed the piece. 

I had been reading James' work for around ten years. 
This was a dream project and I hope to do many more like it. 

Stymie and Toffel is a children’s novel by Paul Snyders. I had the pleasure of working with Paul to bring his vision to life through illustrating the characters and post-apocalyptic world he envisioned! You can read more about it on his website and pick up a copy too to read as well.

Andrew Kolb created a series of Bad Guys in cars based on the prompts my illustrator Craig Gleeson. I worked on my animation magic on these guys to get them jumping into action!

Throughout 2018 and 2019, I worked with Hector Herrera from TOGETHER to create the animated segments for TVO’s new science-based educational show for kids called Blynk and Aazoo.

Check out the episodes here.

Our animation team was just the two of us, Hector did all of the design, rigs, and sciences sequences, and I took on animating the majority of Blynk and Aazoo’s scenes, specifically the action-oriented scenes, such as the intros, and invention fiasco scenes.

We animated about 4 minutes per episode, and did 24 episodes in just over a year. We built an extensive animation library as we went to reduce the amount of work, but it was still quite a feat!

Here you can find my favourite sequences from the series.

Enjoy!

Adam Bosley (Adam The Illustrator) created this beautiful poster that I had the pleasure of animating. I always love his inspirational messaging in his illustrations and I wanted to further convey the fun and expression with animation.

Series of gifs for Koodo Mobile.

Agency: Camp Jefferson

Art Director: Lily Tran

Animation & Illustration: Andrew Foerster

Interstitial for Let’s Go Luna.

Created in collaboration with 9Story and PBS.

Directors: Andrew Foerster and Peter Hannan

Animation: Andrew Foerster

Artwork by Jennifer Phelan, known for her illustrations for The Log Driver’s Waltz and Bobby Orr and the Hand-me-down Skates

The bacteria in our guts can break down food the body can’t digest, produce important nutrients, regulate the immune system, and protect against harmful germs. And while we can’t control all the factors that go into maintaining a healthy gut microbiome, we can manipulate the balance of our microbes by paying attention to what we eat. Shilpa Ravella shares the best foods for a healthy gut.

Educator Shilpa Ravella

Director/Animator Andrew Foerster

Script Editor Mia Nacamulli

Storyboards by Artist Andrew Foerster and James Turner

Illustrator/Characters James Turner

Let's Go Luna: Curlylocks and Reygock

Short clip of Interstitial for Let’s Go Luna.

Created in collaboration with 9Story and PBS.

Directors: Andrew Foerster and Peter Hannan

Animation: Andrew Foerster

Artwork by Andrew Kolb

The human voice is capable of incredible variety and range. As we age, our bodies undergo two major changes which explore that range. So how exactly does our voice box work, and what causes these shifts in speech? Shaylin A. Schundler describes how and why our voices change when we get older.

Educator: Shaylin A. Schundler

Animator/Director: Andrew Foerster

Art: Nick Counter

Sound Designer: Devin Polaski

Associate Producer: Bethany Cutmore-Scott, Elizabeth Cox

Content Producer: Gerta Xhelo

Editorial Producer: Alex Rosenthal

Narrator Addison: Anderson

I collaborated with Toronto lettering artist, Jesse Watson to animate his iconic “Mostly Letters” logo.

Kathryn Durst and I collaborated on this fun little short of a banjo playing frog with music by Danny Simmons.
Kathryn is an incredible illustrator most known for her fantastic children’s book illustrations, including Paul McCartney’s “Hey Grandude”

Alanna Cavanagh and I collaborated to animate her Uber Eats Cyclist.

Rene Goldman's story as a Holocaust survivor. 

Animated scenes at:

1:27, 2:17, 4:00

Credits:

Film by Azrieli Short Film Series

Narration/Live action: Rene Goldman

Artwork: Deshi Deng

Animation: Andrew Foerster

Direction: Together 

PLAN Canada’s Gifts of Hope Holiday Campaign 2020.

Agency Doug&Partners

Art Director Matt Camara

Producer Leah Salt

Art Hector Herrera

Animation Andrew Foerster

Language is complex, and when abstract or nuanced concepts get lost in translation, the consequences may be catastrophic. Given the complexities of language and cultural exchange, how do these epic miscommunications not happen all the time? Ewandro Magalhaes explains how much of the answer lies with the skill and training of interpreters to overcome language barriers.

Educator: Ewandro Magalhaes

Animation/Direction: Andrew Foerster

Artwork: Joren Cull

Script Editor: Amy Adkins

Music/SFX: Howard Sinden

Over-the-counter pregnancy tests give potentially life-changing results with a pretty high rate of accuracy. But how do they work? Tien Nguyen explains how each test performs a scientifically rigorous, multi-stage experiment that goes from start to finish in the time that it’ll take you to watch this video.

Educator: Tien Ngyuen

Animator: Andrew Foerster

Artist: Mike Ellis

Let's Go Luna: Elephant and Bees

Short clip of Interstitial for Let’s Go Luna.

Created in collaboration with 9Story and PBS.

Directors: Andrew Foerster and Peter Hannan

Animation: Andrew Foerster

Artwork by Andrew Kolb

Should you stay or leave a relationship? Here’s a checklist of questions to ask oneself before heading out too quickly - or too slowly.

Written/Voiced: Alain de Botton

Animation/Direction: Andrew Foerster

Artwork: Joren Cull

Music/SFX: Devin Polaski

Short clip of Interstitial for Let’s Go Luna.

Created in collaboration with 9Story and PBS.

Directors: Andrew Foerster and Peter Hannan

Animation: Andrew Foerster

Artwork by Jennifer Phelan, known for her illustrations for The Log Driver’s Waltz and Bobby Orr and the Hand-me-down Skates

Short film for Sesame Street about planting carrot seeds.

Written by Ian Keteku

Art by Tracy Lam

Animation by me

Your mortal enemy has captured you and hooked you up to a bizarre experiment. He’s extended your nervous system with one very long neuron to a target about 70 meters away. At some point, he’s going to fire an arrow. If you can then think a thought to the target before the arrow hits it, he’ll let you go. So who wins that race? Seena Mathew examines the speed of thought.

Educator Seena Mathew

Director Andrew Foerster

Narrator Bethany Cutmore-Scott

Sound Designer Devin Polaski

Director of Production Gerta Xhelo

Let's Go Luna: Anansi

Short clip of Interstitial for Let’s Go Luna.

Created in collaboration with 9Story and PBS.

Directors: Andrew Foerster and Peter Hannan

Animation: Andrew Foerster

Artwork by Andrew Kolb

Short clip of Interstitial for Let’s Go Luna.

Created in collaboration with 9Story and PBS.

Directors: Andrew Foerster and Peter Hannan

Animation: Andrew Foerster

Artwork by Andrew Kolb

Did you know that gold is extraterrestrial? Instead of arising from our planet’s rocky crust, it was actually cooked up in space and is present on Earth because of cataclysmic stellar explosions called supernovae. CERN Scientist David Lunney outlines the incredible journey of gold from space to Earth.

Educator: David Lunney

Animator: Andrew Foerster

Sound Designer: Devin Polaski

Script Editor Emma Bryce

This was a campaign for the Ontario Government to deter people from driving high. The idea was to identify and realize when you’re still a little bit high, and not take any risks.

We wanted to find humorous ways to tackle the subject matter, but still keep the message in tact.

Campaign was art directed by Jacqueline Bellmore and Rob Trickey at McCann.

Have you ever talked with a friend about a problem, only to realize that he just doesn’t seem to grasp why the issue is so important to you? Have you ever presented an idea to a group, and it’s met with utter confusion? What’s going on here? Katherine Hampsten describes why miscommunication occurs so frequently, and how we can minimize frustration while expressing ourselves better.

Educator: Katherine Hampsten

Animator: Andrew Foerster

Script Editor: Amy Adkins

Sound Designer: Weston Fonger

Short clip of Interstitial for Let’s Go Luna.

Created in collaboration with 9Story and PBS.

Directors: Andrew Foerster and Peter Hannan

Animation: Andrew Foerster

Artwork by Andrew Kolb

When we’re down or melancholy, the last thing we need is someone who will jolly us along.

Written/Voiced: Alain de Botton

Animator: Andrew Foerster

It’s sometimes assumed that talking too much about ourselves is rude; and asking questions of others is polite and charming. But the distinction is not quite so simple. There are far better and worse ways of speaking about ourselves. We end up charming when we dare to reveal our vulnerabilities to others. 

Written/Voiced: Alain de Botton

Animator: Andrew Foerster

We get into sulks for reasons we should strive to understand and – gently – correct.

Written/Voiced: Alain de Botton

Animator: Andrew Foerster

Sound Designer: Devin Polaski

Insulin pumps improve the lives of millions of people with diabetes around the world by monitoring blood sugar, delivering insulin, and preventing the need for constant finger-pricking. But there’s a catch: they’re temporary. And it’s not only insulin pumps that have this problem, but all bodily implants. Why is that? Kaitlyn Sadtler details how our immune system reacts to foreign bodies.

Educator Kaitlyn Sadtler

Animator Andrew Foerster

Sound Designer Devin Polaski

Director of Production Gerta Xhelo

Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal

Associate Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott

Script Editor Emma Bryce

Fact-checker Francisco Diez

The biggest challenge in a parasite’s life is to move from one host to another. Intriguingly, many parasites have evolved the ability to manipulate the behavior of their hosts to improve their own survival -- sometimes even by direct brain control. Jaap de Roode details a few parasites that can really mess with the mind.

Educator: Jaap de Roode

Animator: Andrew Foerster

Script Editor: Eleanor Nelsen

If walls could talk, Turkey's Hagia Sophia would have an abundance of stories to tell. Once a church, then a mosque, and now a museum, this world marvel has stood the test of time and war, surviving centuries of conquest by some of history’s greatest empires. Kelly Wall takes us through the history of each layer of this great jewel of human desire.

Educator: Kelly Wall

Animator: Andrew Foerster

Script Editor: Michael Molina

All year long, researchers at hospitals around the world collect samples from flu patients and send them to top virology experts with one goal: to design the vaccine for the next flu season. But why do we need a new one every year? Vaccines for diseases like mumps and rubella offer a lifetime of protection with two shots early in life; what’s so special about the flu? Melvin Sanicas explains.

Educator: Melvin Sanicas

Animator: Andrew Foerster

Script Editor: Eleanor Nelsen

Sound Designer: Devin Polaski

Lyric video for Nelvana and Corus Entertainment's new show: Mysticons.

All assets supplied by Nelvana, Corus, and Blue Ant Media

Animation, type, and direction by Andrew Foerster

Song by Melanie Dawn

Teflon was in the spacesuits the Apollo crew wore for the moon landing, in pipes and valves used in the Manhattan project, and it may be in your kitchen, as the nonstick coating on frying pans and cookie sheets. So what is this slippery solid — and why doesn’t anything stick to it? Ashwini Bharathula describes the science behind Teflon.

Educator: Ashwini Bharathula

Animator: Andrew Foerster

Sound Designer: Devin Polaski

Today, glasses help millions of people with poor vision be able to see clearly. But how? Andrew Bastawrous and Clare Gilbert help unravel the answer by explaining refraction — the ability of a transparent medium, like glass, water, or the eye, to change the direction of light passing through it.

Educators: Andrew Bastawrous & Clare Gilbert

Animator: Andrew Foerster

Script Editor: Emma Bryce

Some of our feelings about how the world might be in a 100 years time and more are based on an unexpected feeling: envy. It’s almost humiliating to contemplate how many of our current problems might no longer exist.

Written/Voiced: Alain de Botton

Animator: Andrew Foerster

Created in collaboration with 9Story and PBS.

Directors: Andrew Foerster and Peter Hannan

Animation: Andrew Foerster

Halitosis is a curse that has plagued humanity since ancient times. But what causes it, and why is it so universally terrifying? Mel Rosenberg outlines the basics of bad breath — and what you can do when it strikes you.

Educator:

Animator: Andrew Foerster

Sound Design: Devin Polaski

Script Editor: Alex Gendler

The highly virulent Ebola virus has seen a few major outbreaks since it first appeared in 1976 -- with the worst epidemic occurring in 2014. How does the virus spread, and what exactly does it do to the body? Alex Gendler details what Ebola is and why it's so hard to study.

Educator: Alex Gendler

Animator: Andrew Foerster

When a team of archeologists recently came across some 15,000-year-old human remains, they made an interesting discovery: the teeth of those ancient humans were riddled with holes. So what causes cavities, and how can we avoid them? Mel Rosenberg takes us inside our teeth to find out.

Educator: Mel Rosenberg

Animator: Andrew Foerster

Script Editor: Emma Bryce

Sound Designer: Devin Polaski

Cancer usually begins with one tumor in a specific area of the body. But if the tumor is not removed, cancer has the ability to spread to nearby organs as well as places far away from the origin, like the brain. How does cancer move to these new areas and why are some organs more likely to get infected than others? Ivan Seah Yu Jun explains the three common routes of metastasis.

Educator: Ivan Seah Yu Jun

Animator: Andrew Foerster

Script Editor: Michael Molina