Skip to main content
Story

Meet: Brook Morgan

Still of Brook's work - paper collage showing the different layers of soil with tree roots and insects
  • Written byEleanor Harvey
  • Published date 17 January 2024
Still of Brook's work - paper collage showing the different layers of soil with tree roots and insects
Concept for Six Inches of Soil by Brook Morgan

Brook Morgan is an animator and illustrator who graduated from MA Character Animation, Central Saint Martins.

Recently, she’s animated a 4-minute section for a new feature film, Six Inches of Soil. The documentary tells the story of British farmers standing up to the industrial food system and transforming the way they produce food – to heal soil, benefit health and provide for local communities. It premiered at COP28 last year.

Portrait photo of Brook. She's wearing red lipstick, white earrings and smiling at the camera,
Credit: Brook Morgan

You graduated from MA Character Animation, Central Saint Martins; what was your experience?

I was the first year to start the MA Character Animation course in the new Granary Square building, and I still remember walking into the building on the first morning and being absolutely blown away by the space and the atmosphere - it was electric. It’s a huge 19th century building, modernised and filled with all sorts of weird and wonderful creations and creators. We were able to book time in sound and green screen studios, wood and metal workshops, borrow all sorts of high-tech equipment. It was very inspiring!

I met a lot of like-minded people on the course, and the material was very practically focused which was exactly what I was looking for - a thorough study of the fundamentals of animation including latest software, as well as direct industry experience working on live briefs and weekly feedback sessions with industry professionals which were invaluable.

Can you tell us about your career since you graduated?

I worked as a freelancer initially - both in-house at various London studios, and directly with clients - before taking up a full-time position at Senate Media, a studio with a focus on policy, charity and third sector content. This gave me a lot of experience in using different brand styles and translating complex information visually and allowed me to work with some really interesting clients and on important projects.

You made the decision to go freelance a few years ago, what led to that change? What was the transition like?

I made the decision to go freelance primarily to diversify the projects I was working on, as I missed taking on projects in other fields such as film and television, and I also wanted to do more ink drawing and grow the illustrative side of my work. I continued working with Senate Media on a freelance basis, which was great as I loved the work and it helped the transition a lot.
Promotion poster for Six Inches of Soil film. Background is a cut-through drawing of soil with grass, there's a hand picking up dirt and cartoon bugs.
Six Inches of Soil poster | Credit: Brook Morgan

How did you get involved in the film, Six Inches of Soil?

The director of the film, Colin Ramsay, got in touch having been passed my details by the music composer for the film, Peter Michaels. I’d worked with Peter beforehand creating several music videos for his band Hunter Gatherers.

We had a long chat, and he sent over some of his initial visual ideas for the animation which included collage and woodcut imagery. I instantly felt there was a strong connection with my own work as I love to work with collage and mixed media as well as ink drawing and printing, so it was a great match stylistically.

Can you tell us about your creative process? How do you approach a project like this?

The film is all about the soil and redefining our relationship with soil and the wider environment. The documentary follows 3 young farmers as they move towards a more holistic view of agriculture and embrace a regenerative approach to the food we grow. Therefore, a natural and earthy aesthetic for the animation felt important to harmonisewith the film.

I prepared some concept imagery which focused on homemade paper textures with ink drawn elements overlaid.

The animated section in the film covers the history of soil over a long period of time - from ancient Britain to modern day - so my concept was to start with natural paper textures and handmade techniques when looking at early, less intrusive agricultural practices, increasingly introducing manmade textures and photography, as well as desaturating and darkening colors as we moved through the industrial revolution towards the big machinery and chemical dependency of modern day agriculture.

Watch a work in progress video of me tearing paper and doing some of the ink drawings.

Paper collage creating a scene of hills and fields, with people walking in the forefront
Concept for Six Inches of Soil by Brook Morgan

What was your biggest take away from this film (either personally or professionally)?

Personally, I have found working on the film totally inspirational, meeting and seeing the people in the film and behind the camera, and their passion and commitment to change against the odds.

The film is a must-watch. It is a rare chance to be inspired and feel hopeful for the future - witness the progress others are making and discover practical changes that you can implement yourself to help improve the soil, even in your own back garden.

There are screenings across the UK throughout the spring, and if you can’t find one near you - ask a local venue to set one up!

Have a look at the Six Inches of Soil website to find out more - I promise, you won’t regret it!

What are you currently working on?

I have an inkwell and some dip pens on the table as I type and I’m poised to get started on some ink-work in the coming weeks, designing a new album cover and a selection of maps for a documentary series and a short film.

I’ll be posting updates and live videos of the drawings as I go, over on my social channels @This Inkling (instagram/TikTok).

Six Inches of Soil - official trailer

Connect

Follow Brook's work:

Related content