Steve Cutts

{{Short description|London illustrator and animator}}

{{Distinguish|Steven Cutts}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Steve Cutts

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| birth_name = Steve Cutts

| birth_date =

| birth_place =

| nationality = British

| occupation = {{flatlist|

• Illustrator
• animator

}}

| notable_works =

| website = {{URL|http://www.stevecutts.com}}

| module = {{Infobox YouTube personality|embed=yes

| channel_id = UCpQLC-evmUAon9BBpcW4kYg

| channel_name = Steve Cutts

| years_active = 2011–present

| genre = {{flatlist|

• animation

}}

| subscribers = 1.99 million

| views = 179.87 million

| stats_update = July 20, 2024

| associated_acts = {{flatlist| Moby

}}

| silver_button = yes | silver_year = 2015{{Citation|title=Steve Cutts YouTube channel|url=https://www.youtube.com/user/steviecutts|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151201173338/https://www.youtube.com/user/steviecutts|language=en|access-date=December 1, 2015|archive-date=2015-12-01}}

| gold_button = yes | gold_year = 2020

| extra_information = MAN
Happiness
In the Fall
The Turning Point
A Brief Disagreement

}}

}}

Steve Cutts is an activist illustrator and animator based in London, England.{{cite web|last1=Brooks|first1=Katherine|title=This Is What Modern Life Really Looks Like, According To An Illustrator|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/steve-cutts-modern-society-illustrations_us_55e61ea3e4b0aec9f35502e2|website=The Huffington Post|access-date=November 18, 2016|date=September 2, 2015}} His artwork satirises the excesses of modern society.{{cite web|last1=Moreno|first1=Javier|title=An Artist Made Stunning Illustrations About Modern Society|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/javiermoreno/this-artist-makes-harrowing-illustrations-inspired-by-modern|website=BuzzFeed|access-date=November 18, 2016|date=August 24, 2015}} His style is inspired by cartoons from the 1920s-1930s, as well as modern comic books and graphic novels.

== Animations ==

Before becoming a freelancer in 2012, Cutts worked as an illustrator for the London creative agency Glue Isobar. He worked on digital projects for companies including Coca-Cola, Google, Sony, and Toyota.{{cite web|title=How we Impact Our Planet – Animated Short Films: Interview with Steve Cutts|url=https://featuredemagazine.com/2014/10/09/how-we-impact-our-planet-animated-short-films-and-interview-with-steve-cutts/|website=Featured E-Magazine|access-date=November 18, 2016|date=October 9, 2014|archive-date=August 10, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810013225/https://featuredemagazine.com/2014/10/09/how-we-impact-our-planet-animated-short-films-and-interview-with-steve-cutts/|url-status=dead}}

In 2012, Cutts created his most popular film, MAN, which has environmentalist and animal rights themes. Animated with Adobe Flash and After Effects, Cutts describes the film as "looking at man's relationship with the natural world." {{As of|December 2024}}, the video has over 68 million views on YouTube.{{cite web|last1=Humphries|first1=Matthew|title=MAN: a thought provoking animation about our impact on the world|url=http://www.geek.com/geek-cetera/man-a-thought-provoking-animation-about-our-impact-on-the-world-1540704/|website=GEEK|publisher=Ziff-Davis|access-date=November 18, 2016|date=February 24, 2013|archive-date=November 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161119215049/http://www.geek.com/geek-cetera/man-a-thought-provoking-animation-about-our-impact-on-the-world-1540704/|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|last1=Cutts|first1=Steve|title=MAN|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfGMYdalClU|website=YouTube|access-date=July 6, 2019|date=December 21, 2012}} In January 2016, a Cutts couch gag for a season 27 episode of The Simpsons featured an homage to 1980s action TV shows such as Miami Vice. {{As of|December 2023}}, the video has over 25 million views on YouTube.{{cite web|last1=Creamer|first1=Ryan|title='The Simpsons' go totally retro in '80s action movie homage|url=http://mashable.com/2016/01/08/simpsons-retro-couch/|website=Mashable|access-date=November 18, 2016|date=January 8, 2016}}{{cite web|last1=Mathews|first1=Liam|title=The Simpsons Goes Full '80s in New Opening Credits Couch Gag|url=http://www.tvguide.com/news/the-simpsons-1980s-parody-opening-credits-couch-gag/|website=TV Guide|access-date=November 18, 2016|date=January 8, 2016}}{{cite web|author1=Animation on FOX|title=LA-Z Rider Couch Gag from Guest Animator Steve Cutts|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZu5iDTtNg0|website=YouTube|access-date=July 6, 2019|date=January 9, 2016}}

In October 2016, a Cutts video for the song "Are You Lost in the World Like Me?" from the album These Systems Are Failing by Moby and the Void Pacific Choir addressed smartphone addiction, with Max Fleischer-inspired animation. Moby hired Cutts to create the video after being "amazed and blown away" by his MAN film.{{cite magazine|last1=Kreps|first1=Daniel|title=See Moby's Grim New Video About Smartphone Addiction|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/see-mobys-grim-new-video-about-smartphone-addiction-w445287|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=November 18, 2016|date=October 17, 2016|archive-date=19 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161119181831/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/see-mobys-grim-new-video-about-smartphone-addiction-w445287|url-status=dead}} The video won the 2017 Webby Award for animation.{{cite web|title="Are You Lost in the World Like Me?"|url=http://www.webbyawards.com/winners/2017/film-video/general-film/animation/are-you-lost-in-the-world-like-me/|website=Webby Awards|access-date=June 22, 2017}} In June 2017, Cutts illustrated another video for Moby and the Void Pacific Choir, "In This Cold Place" from the album More Fast Songs About the Apocalypse.{{cite magazine|last1=Sharpies|first1=Grant|title=Moby Releases Powerful Video for "In This Cold Place"|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/06/moby-releases-new-music-video-for-in-this-cold-pla.html|access-date=June 22, 2017|magazine=Paste Magazine|date=June 19, 2017}}{{cite magazine|last1=Mufson|first1=Beckett|title=Moby's New Music Video Is a Sad Cartoon Nostalgia Bomb|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/mobys-music-video-sad-cartoon-nostalgia/|access-date=August 18, 2017|magazine=Vice|date=June 20, 2017}} Cutts stated that both Moby videos represent "consumerism, greed, corruption and ultimately our self-destructiveness."

In 2017, Cutts won the Jury Award at Annecy International Film Festival, the highest award which is a qualifying factor to be eligible for nomination at the Academy Awards. This was for the music video "Are You Lost in the World Like Me?"{{Cite web |others=© CITIA |title=Film index Award winner |url=https://www.annecy.org/festival/awards/film-index-award-winner:film-20172812 |access-date=2018-07-09 |website=www.annecy.org}}{{Cite web |others=© CITIA |title=News |url=https://www.citia.org/news:a2002 |access-date=2018-07-09 |website=www.citia.org |language=en}} In 2018 for the second-year running, Cutts was the Webby Award Winner in the Film & Video Animation Category for original cartoons, motion graphics, illustrations or digitally animated images premiered on the Internet.{{Cite news |title=Happiness |work=The Webby Awards |url=https://www.webbyawards.com/winners/2018/film-video/general/animation/happiness/ |access-date=2018-07-09}}

Cutts made Ridley Scott's curated list of just 12 for the New Directors' Showcase at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June 2018. Of the final reel, Scott said: "The range of the work submitted this year has been remarkable. We've taken great care to ensure that the 2018 reel not only reflects great ideas but also considered craft and production."{{Cite news |title=Ridley Scott to curate Saatchi & Saatchi's New Directors' Showcase at Cannes |work=The Drum |url=http://www.thedrum.com/news/2018/04/25/ridley-scott-curate-saatchi-saatchi-s-new-directors-showcase-cannes |url-status=dead |access-date=2018-07-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180709155050/http://www.thedrum.com/news/2018/04/25/ridley-scott-curate-saatchi-saatchi-s-new-directors-showcase-cannes |archive-date=2018-07-09}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.rsafilms.com/22939/ridley-scott-to-curate-28th-new-directors-showcase-in-partnership-with-mpc/|title=Ridley Scott to curate 28th New Directors' Showcase in partnership with MPC|website=RSA Films|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-09}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.adweek.com/creativity/the-5-most-inspiring-short-films-at-the-cannes-new-directors-showcase-curated-by-ridley-scott/|title=The 5 Most Inspiring Short Films at the Cannes New Directors' Showcase Curated By Ridley Scott|access-date=2018-07-09|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/new-directors-showcase-2018-meet-next-generation-filmmaking-talent/1487752|title=New Directors' Showcase 2018: meet the next generation of filmmaking talent|access-date=2018-07-18}}