# animate! › Films › Jumping Joan by Petra Freeman › all › synopses › direction & collaboration › full production credits › film stills › tools & processes › format & distribution › background material

Canonical: https://animate.org.uk/films/jumpingjoan/all

Discovery terms: 1990s animation, paint-on-plaster animation, rostrum camera, isolation, imagination, poetry film, filmmaker, animator

The following is the archived page text; discovery terms above are separately sourced metadata.

Archive status: restored in 2026; historical calls, deadlines and services are closed.

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**Jumping Joan** a film by Petra Freeman

1994, 7 min 39 sec

[Film / embedded media](https://www.youtube.com/embed/KooxsCp_52I)

![Jumping Joan, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/jumpingjoan01.jpg)

### animate! synopsis

With the dark resonance of the nursery rhyme from which it is drawn, this river story probes isolation and imagination, all painted directly onto hard plaster.

### short synopsis

This animated film was inspired by the old children’s rhyme;

“Here am I, little Jumping Joan,
When nobody’s with me, I’m all alone.”

### key credits

**director**
Petra Freeman

**writer**
Petra Freeman

**animator**
Petra Freeman

**editor**
Mark Farrington

**producer**
Lisa Beattie

### Petra Freeman

### a film by Petra Freeman

### direction

**director**
Petra Freeman

### script

**writer**
Petra Freeman

### live-action personnel

**lighting camera**
G+M Productions

### image personnel

**animator**
Petra Freeman

**editor**
Mark Farrington

### production personnel

**producer**
Lisa Beattie

### support

**special thanks**
G+M Productions and Technicolor

**primary funding**
Arts Council of England/Channel Four Animate! award

© Petra Freeman 1994

[![Jumping Joan, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/jumpingjoan01.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/jumpingjoan01.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![Jumping Joan, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/jumpingjoan02.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/jumpingjoan02.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![Jumping Joan, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/jumpingjoan03.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/jumpingjoan03.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![Jumping Joan, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/jumpingjoan04.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/jumpingjoan04.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![Jumping Joan, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/jumpingjoan05.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/jumpingjoan05.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

[![Jumping Joan, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/jumpingjoan06.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/jumpingjoan06.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

### technical

#### process summary

The images were created by a painting on a hard plaster slab, directly under the rostrum camera.

### master copy format

**format**
35mm

**colour or black & white**
colour

### video distribution format

**video format**
BetaSP

**screen aspect ratio**
4:3

**video standard**
PAL

**sound type**

### film distribution format

**film format**
35mm

**screen aspect ratio**
1:1.33

### distributor

LUX
[info@lux.org.uk](mailto:info@lux.org.uk)
+44 (0)20 7503 3980
[www.lux.org.uk](http://www.lux.org.uk/)

**Jumping Joan** film, stills and other materials © Petra Freeman 1994