Charles Copping

Director Of Photography

About Charles

Charles Copping is a Director of Photography in stopmotion animation. He has worked in the industry for 30 years on Aardman Animations much-loved Chicken Run, Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep.

Charles started working in stopmotion animation in 1994 as a runner on Wallace and Gromit: A Close Shave (1995) at Aardman Animations. Thirty years later Charles is proud to still be working at Aardman as a DOP and was delighted to have brought his in-depth expertise and experience as Senior Lighting Cameraman to the feature film Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024).

As Camera Assistant on Chicken Run (2000), Charles lit several scenes. From this springboard he went on to work as Lighting Cameraman and DOP on several broadcast projects: Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death (2008), six Shaun the Sheep series (2007 - 2020) and two Creature Comforts series (2003 - 2006), as well as productions for the BBC and animation companies in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands.

As Senior Lighting Cameraman on Aardman’s The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists (2012) Charles lit some of the most complex and challenging sequences. His next role on The Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015) saw him working as Co-DOP with his long-time mentor and colleague Dave Alex Riddett. He then took up the role of Senior Lighting Cameraman on Early Man (2018), again lighting key sequences. In 2017 Charles was sole DOP on A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (2019).

Charles then relished the creative leadership role of DOP on Chicken Run - Dawn of the Nugget (2023) he led the extremely talented team to meet the creative and technical challenge of this prestigious and ambitious Aardman Animations project.

Charles then went on to work as senior lighting cameraman on Wallace and Gromit Vengeance Most Fowl (2024) again lighting some of the most challenging scenes. Wallace and Gromit have recured throughout Charles' career and have created a thread connecting the past thirty years, to return to their world with his accumulated depth of knowledge and a deep understanding of their aesthetic was an absolute pleasure. This was followed by overseeing another series of Shaun the Sheep (2025) as DOP. Charles is about to embark on a third Shaun the Sheep feature film again as Director of Photography.

Looking to the future Charles is keen to bring his in-depth expertise and experience to a wide variety of animated feature films and is eager to take on new challenges.

Charles has been a full member of BAFTA since 2012 and votes in the Cinematography, Animation and British Chapters of the Film Awards