"Artifact" by Kristis Bandzevicius

Meet "Artifact", a new short film created by Animation Apprentice student Kristis Bandzevicius. "Artifact" was written, produced and directed by Kristis, who is currently studying for his MA in 3D Animation with our academic partner, Buckinghamshire New University.  "Artifact" was completed during the course of Kristis' final module at BNU, and is currently being entered into film festivals. 

New Year Class Starts 10 January 2022

Our New Year Animation Class begins on Monday 10 January 2022.

It's not too late to book a place; all you need to do is visit the main Animation Apprentice site and go through a few simple steps.

If you want to learn 3D animation to a professional level, and start your new career as an animator - your journey starts here.

How to Give Feedback When You're a Beginner

Recently a student at Animation Apprentice asked the following question: "What's the etiquette on leaving feedback when you're a beginner? I had a few thoughts on a student's shot. But I was reluctant to post them as it got a bit too nit-picky and I'm not an expert.  So I don't want to give feedback that won't improve the piece, or steer them in the wrong direction.  And I don't want to insult someone who's much better at this than me."

It's a good question. The answer is simple - trust your instincts, be positive, and understand that your opinion is as valuable as anyone else's.  

What Kind of Tablet Should our Students Buy?

What Kind of Tablet Should our Students Buy? This is a question we often get asked at Animation Apprentice. 

Nowadays there are many different kinds of tablets available, and cheaper versions than the traditional Wacom brand. 

Benn Garnish Product Manager at fTrack

Many congratulations to Animation Apprentice graduate Benn Garnish who is working as Integrations Product Manager at fTrack.

Benn's remit at fTrack is creative direction and strategy, currently leveraging the technology of Virtual Reality to treat mental health conditions. 

Benn leads a team of developers and digital artists, with successful releases in the NHS, Hong Kong and the United States.

Benn's career shows how many animators are now moving into areas of medical animation, VR and AR, literally helping to save lives. 

Charlie & Yip Wins Best Trailer at NEXT Fest

My short film "Charlie and Yip" has won another festival award - Best Trailer at the NEXT Film Festival. 

 

Charlie and Yip is a short film about a kid who takes his pet to school for Show and Tell, which turns out to be a bad idea.  

It is a really a teaser for my indie feature film project "My Haunted House", which is still in development.

Why Animators Should Submit Early

Deadlines matter, and for all our students studying for their Online MA in 3D Animation at Buckinghamshire New University, it is very important to submit formal assessments on time. 

At BNU the animation lecturers have very little leeway in accepting late submissions. The "No Detriment" policy that was in place following the Covid Pandemic is now at an end, and BNU deadlines are now a lot more rigid than they have been for the past year.  Our recommendation to all our master's degree students is this: Don't wait until the due date to submit your work.  Instead, aim to submit your work the night before. 

Ragdoll Dynamics for Maya

We're recommending Ragdoll Dynamics to all our animation students. Ragdoll Dynamics provides Maya animators with real-time physics for fast, automatic overlapping motion. 

Ragdoll is a real-time physics solver for Maya, similar the native nCloth and nHair solvers except that it works on transforms rather than points.

 

Why Animators Should "Make it Funnier"

On the set of "Robots" at Blue Sky Studios, Fox Animation studio head Chris Meledandri always seemed to give the same note to the animators and the story team: "make it funnier".  Chris always wanted more jokes, more comedy, more entertainment.  

"Make it funnier" is not a bad note. As they say in Hollywood, "funny is money". Animators should always remember that at the end of the day we are working in the entertainment industry; once we have mastered the body mechanics and the technical skills to make our characters move convincingly, we have to give a great performance, make our work fun to watch. 

In the end, audiences don't care that much about technical skills - they just want to be entertained.

Why Animators Should Avoid Potty Jokes

One of the most common mistakes made by junior animators is to include off-colour jokes and potty humour in their first animation reel.  

The key thing to remember is that our industry remains largely focused on family entertainment, and most companies hiring junior talent are looking for animators who can create fun, entertaining scenes that are suitable for a family audience.

Young Cartoonists of the Year Competition 2021

The Young Cartoonists of the Year Competition is back. 

Hosted by the Cartoon Museum, now re-opened after its long Covid-19-slumber, the annual competition seeks to reward rising cartoon talent. 

Judges include leading cartoonists such as Martin Rowson (The Guardian), Christian Adams (Evening Standard), Banx (FT), Peter Brookes (The Times), Nick Newman (Private Eye), and Matt from the Daily Telegraph. 

There are two categories: Under 18 and Under 30; the deadline is 5 January 2022, and entries can be mailed in (old school Royal Mail) to the Cartoon Museum, or emailed to hello@cartoonmuseum.org.

Laughter Lab Opens at the Cartoon Museum

Last night was the opening of a new exhibition at London's Cartoon Museum, titled Laughter Lab: What’s So Funny?, which seeks to "uncover the science behind funniness".  

The exhibition invites visitors to contribute to a science experiment which hopes to find out what makes a cartoon funny. 

The experiment is being conducted in collaboration with Robin Dunbar, Professor of Evolutionary Psychology at the University of Oxford. What makes us laugh? It's a complex question, with some surprising science behind it. 

Meet "Mr Buttons"

Mr Buttons

Meet Mr Buttons, the cartoon cat created by veteran animator and rigger Keith Osborn, who has made his cute orange cat available for free download.

Mr Buttons is a fun, quirky rig, suitable for broad cartoony character animation.  Mr Buttons is the star of Osborn's book "Cartoony Character Animation with Maya", which we recommend for all our students.

We also have a series of tutorials with Mr Buttons (see below) on how to plan cartoony animation.

Sesame Street Sounds Archive

For animators looking for inspiration for some cartoony animation with dialogue, one great place to search is the Sesame Street Sound Archive, which you can find here. 

The Sesame Street Sound Archive is full of cartoony audio clips, which work well with cartoony characters such as Mr Buttons and also the Willy rig.  

To get started, try picking a very short line of dialogue, download it and then drag and drop it into your timeline in Maya. To see more about how to use audio files in Maya, follow this link.  To see more about how to use the "Willy" rig, see this blog post.

Leopard Animation by Alex Southcombe

Animation Apprentice student Alex Southcombe did this excellent piece of animation above, as part of studying for his Online MA in Animation at Buckinghamshire New University, our academic degree-awarding partner.  The animation was completed as part of Module DA703 "Animals and Creatures", in which our MA students tackle the art and craft of animal and creature locomotion.  Alex used the Leopard Rig by Truong, available for free download at Gumroad, which we recommend for animal and creature animation. 

Why Animators Need a Good Silhouette

One of the most important things that an animator needs to get right is to learn how to create great poses. Part of this is learning how to create a great silhouette, one that reads clearly. 

The image on the left is taken from Eric Goldberg's book "Character Animation Crash Course", a copy of which we have in the library, one of the best books on character animation.

Eric shows how a single pose can get an instant "read" from the audience. Even though the images are shown blacked out in silhouette, we still know exactly what the character is thinking and doing.

Always make sure your poses, whether drawn or digital, communicate exactly what the character is thinking, feeling and doing. 

Early Bird by Dan Fitzgerald Wins Multiple Prizes

Earlybird from Noad Animation on Vimeo.

Congratulations to Animation Apprentice graduate Dan Fitzgerald who has been experiencing festival success with his short film "Early Bird" (above).  So far Early Bird has received awards from the Berlin Flash Festival, The Halicarnassus Film Festival, The Vesuvius Film Festival, The Art Film Awards and the Onyko Film Awards, as well as Honourable Mentions at the London and Tokyo International Monthly Festivals.

BAA Awards Ident Challenge 2022

BAA - British Animation Awards

The BAA Awards are back next year, celebrating the best of British Animation. 

This year the BAAs have offered our students a unique opportunity - the chance to animate a "sting/ident" for the Awards Ceremony.

This brief is a perfect opportunity to help out one of the UK's biggest animation festivals with some fun animation.

Float Folks Wins Best Trailer at Halicarnassus

Float Folks wins Best Trailer at Halicarnassus

Congratulations to the makers of "The Float Folks", the short teaser/trailer made through our animators' co-operative Nano Films, which has won "Best Trailer" at the Halicarnassus Film Festival. 

The Float Folks is a TV Series created by Ian Foyle and directed by Monika Dzikowicz, currently in development.

Last Call for Winter Class Starting Nov 2021

Last call for our Winter Animation Class, which begins on Monday 2 November 2021.

It's not too late to book a place; all you need to do is visit the main Animation Apprentice site and go through a few simple steps.

If you want to learn 3D animation to a professional level, and start your new career as an animator - your journey starts here.

Why Animators Need to Be Art Directors

Sometimes, animators need to be art directors. When working on an animated scene, animators need to consider the environment the character is inhabiting.  

One of the most common mistakes made by student animators is to combine a realistic character (say, a dinosaur or dragon) with a cartoony environment. The character and the set come from different worlds, and they don't always work well together.

Charlie & Yip Wins Best Animation at 1st Fest

My short film "Charlie and Yip" has won another festival award - Best Trailer at the 1st Monthly Film Festival.

 

Charlie and Yip is a short film about a kid who takes his pet to school for Show and Tell, which turns out to be a bad idea.

It's a really a teaser for my indie feature film project "My Haunted House", which is still in development.

Jobs & Careers Playlist at YouTube

For all our graduates currently looking for work, check out our jobs and careers playlist at YouTube. There are plenty of opportunities to find work in the expanding animation industry, but it is important to have a solid demo reel and a well-curated LinkedIn profile - recruiters live at LinkedIn.  Our jobs and careers playlist at YouTube offers advice and support on how to land that crucial first job in industry.

Get Ready for Cartoon Movie 8-10 March 2022

Cartoon Movie, the pitch-fest for animated films, is now taking applications.  The Deadline to submit a feature film project to Cartoon Movie is 17 November 2021. 

Cartoon Movie takes place in Bordeaux from 8-10 March 2022, and is now open for applications.

"Knight Spider" Free Maya Rig from Rookies

We're liking this new "Knight Spider" Free Maya Rig just launched from "the Rookies". We haven't yet road-tested it, but it looks pretty cool, and suitable for some nice character animation.

You can download the rig here:

The Rookies has also organised a special character animation contest for the Knight Spider rig, which you can find here. 

Charlie & Yip Hon Mention at Monza Film Fest

My short film "Charlie and Yip" has won another festival award - Honourable Mention in the Category of Best Animation at the Monza Film Festival in Italy. 

 

Charlie and Yip is a short film about a kid who takes his pet to school for Show and Tell, which turns out to be a bad idea.

Truong Rigs Optimised for Unreal Engine

Truong CG, who creates many of the best free (and nearly free) rigs for student use, has released the video above to optimise his rigs for Unreal Engine.  All of Truong's latest rigs are fully compatible with Unreal Engine since they are all joints-based for both body and face. However, for Truong's older rigs, this video will help optimise the rigs for use in Unreal Engine, giving all the advantages of real-time rendering. 

"Animation Trainee Finder" Launched

Animation Trainee Finder Programme at ScreenSkills

ScreenSkills has launched the Animation Trainee Finder, a paid placement programme for entry-level graduates.

Animation Trainee Finder is being launched by the ScreenSkills Animation Skills Council with the support of UK animationStudios.  The deadline is 27 September 2021.  

Pete Nicholson Animator at NRG Digital

Pete Nicholson

Congratulations to Animation Apprentice graduate Pete Nicholson who has started work as an animator at NRG Digital. 

Pete began his animation career working at Nano Films, King Bee, and Dead Ready Productions.

NRG Digital is a visual communications agency based in Fleet, England.

Demo Reel 2012-2021 "Best Of"

Our latest demo reel is an edit of some of the best shots done by students at Animation Apprentice over the last decade. These shots have all been selected because they show considerable skill in character and creature animation, as well as imagination and a flair for entertainment.  Thanks to Marc Godfrey, Joris Van Laar, Lee Caller, Giuseppe Candido and Victoria Bailey. The background track is "Wait for me" by Moby.

BBC Ignite Seeks Fresh Animation Ideas

BBC Ignite wants your pitches

BBC Children’s Animation are seeking submissions for fresh, bold and innovative animation ideas. The scheme is called "Ignite" and the deadline is Midnight on 1st September 2021. 

For all our students who have been working on short films for the past couple of years - this is a perfect opportunity to pitch your materials to the UK's biggest broadcaster.

Successful pitches will be given a "fully funded development opportunity" to bring their project to the small screen.

You don't need to have created any finished animation for your project; more important is an idea of the stories you want to tell and who the main characters are.  To see more, follow this link.

Autumn Class Starts September 7

Animation by Joris Van Laar

Our September classroom is now taking applications, and the new autumn class begins on Monday 7th September.

It's not too late to book a place; all you need to do to get started is head over to our main site and fill in a brief form.

If you want to learn 3D animation to a professional level - your journey starts here.

Aardman Animation Launches Armature Toolkit

For all our students who would like to try their hands at stop-motion animation: armature specialist Animation Toolkit has partnered with Aardman Animation to design and create a bespoke armature kit to help stop motion animators with the puppet making process.

Animators can now easily and affordably create their own animation puppets.

Creativity - Can it Be Taught?

Here at Animation Apprentice we believe that creativity can be taught. Creativity is like any muscle - it can be exercised and strengthened. Today, few schools teach creativity, preferring instead to concentrate on core subjects like maths and science - subjects in which there is almost always a correct answer.  But in the creative industries, there is no right answer, and the only way to succeed is to try things out, to take risks. Watch the short video above to find out more. 

Charlie & Yip Best Film at Micro Minute Fest

My short film "Charlie and Yip" has won another festival award - Best Film at the Micro Minute Film Festival. 

 Best Trailer at the "Short & To The Point" Film Festival.

 

Charlie and Yip is a short film about a kid who takes his pet to school for Show and Tell, which turns out to be a bad idea.

Animation Careers Event on 5 August 2021

We're recommending that all our animation students and recent graduates sign up for this free Animation and Careers Event on 5th August at 4.30pm.

Hosted by Escape Studios, this free online Animation Careers Evening includes animation industry leaders Blue Zoo and Jellyfish Pictures.   To sign up for this free event, follow this link.

New Animation Apprentice Website Launched

Yesterday we launched our new website at Animation Apprentice, the first re-design since we started work in 2012 offering bespoke training for the growing animation and visual effects industries in London, the UK and overseas. 

Since 2012 over 150 students have been trained by us to work in the industry, enjoying successful careers at studios such as ILM, Blue Zoo and Jellyfish.  

What Kind of Laptop to Buy in 2021

What kind of laptop?

"What kind of laptop should I buy?" is a question that we are often asked at Animation Apprentice. 

Computer specifications change regularly and much depends on exactly what you want to use your laptop for.  But let's say you want to buy a laptop capable of running Autodesk Maya, for computer animation and to render out your shots.

What sort of laptop should you buy, and how much do you need to spend? Veteran animator and animation teacher Amedeo Beretta offers some advice to our students.

Animator's Survival Kit "Minis" Launch 5 August

Here at Animation Apprentice we recommend one key textbook for learning animation - The Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams.

It is a big book, heavy to carry around, and has now been published as a series of "mini" editions, breaking the book up into four sections, and available from August 5th. 

The ASK was first published in 2002 as a book, and a few years later was released as a DVD set, and later as an iPad app.

Finding Work in the 2021 Animation Boom

On 7th July I hosted a webinar - courtesy of Escape Studios - on finding work in the animation industry.  The animation industry is booming right now, with the job market busier than it has been since the 1990s, when "Lion King" caused an explosion in demand for animators.  The animation business is hiring and, since Brexit has reduced the flow of European talent, UK animators are more in demand than ever.  But, standards are high, and you still need to put your best foot forward to find work in the industry.   In this free one hour webinar, I covered the ten key steps every animation graduate needs to take to get hired.  Follow these ten steps, and you'll have your own foot in the door.

Should You Run the Latest Version of Maya?

Should You Run the Latest Version of Maya? This is a question recently asked by a student at Animation Apprentice. You would think the answer would be obvious - run the latest version, which (as of today) is Maya 2022.  However, there is a simple reason why this isn't necessarily a great idea. 

James Baxter Animation Webinar at YouTube

On 30 June at I hosted a live animation webinar with legendary Disney and DreamWorks animator James Baxter.  James began his animation career on Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and has since worked on dozens of animated films, designing and supervising many memorable characters.  In this two hour webinar, James demonstrates how to take a traditional 2D animation scene from start to finish.

Webinar on Animation Jobs 7th July

Finding work

On 7th July at 5pm (UK time) I'm hosting a webinar courtesy of Escape Studios on finding work in the animation industry.  The animation industry is booming right now, with the job market busier than it has been since the 1990s, when "Lion King" caused an explosion in demand for animators.  

The animation business is hiring and, since Brexit has reduced the flow of European talent, UK animators are more in demand than ever.  But, standards are high, and you still need to put your best foot forward to find work in the industry.  

In this free one hour webinar, I will cover the ten steps every animation graduate needs to take to get hired.  Follow these ten steps, and you'll have your own foot in the door.

Henry Fenwick Animator at Blue Zoo

Many congratulations to Animation Apprentice graduate Henry Fenwick, who is currently working as an Animator at London's Blue Zoo Animation. 

Blue Zoo is one of the UK's most successful independent animation studios. Founded in 2000 by a group of university graduates, they have gone on to produce award-winning commercials and TV Series, and creative independent short films.

Henry Fenwick took our online course in 3D Animation, and used the skills he learned to polish his reel and find work in the rapidly-expanding animation industry.

Quadruped Leopard Walk Animation Tutorial

We've uploaded a new series of video tutorials on animating quadrupeds, a "Leopard Walk Tutorial" using the free Leopard Rig by Truong CG, which is available for free download at Gumroad. 

The Leopard Rig is a well-structured rig with simple controls. 

The leopard walk tutorial is password-protected but available to all our current students.

Do Animated Shorts Make Money?

 

A student animator recently asked me if animated shorts make money.  Or rather, specifically, he asked "Is there an international business for animated shorts?"  The answer, unfortunately, is not really.  No-one (or hardly anyone) makes money making animated shorts, largely because no-one (or hardly anyone) actually pays to watch animated shorts. If you doubt me, ask yourself - when was the last time you paid to watch a short film? I'm guessing the answer is "never".  But, if it is true that shorts don't make money, why then do animators bother to make animated shorts? The answer is, for the love of it. And, also, to learn the craft of animation and film-making.

Belgis Al-Mahdiova Animator at Blue Zoo

Many congratulations to Belgis Al-Mahdiova who has begun work as a junior animator at Blue Zoo, one of the UK's most successful animation houses.

Prior to this, Bella worked as an animator at Polar Media and TikTokRobot, a UK animation studio.

Belgis took our 30 week course at Animation Apprentice, developed her demo reel, and then applied for positions as an animator. 

To Find Work in the Industry - Stay in Touch

The animation industry is booming right now - I have never seen so many studios hiring animators. There is a shortage of talent, especially at mid and senior levels - but this also creates opportunities at entry level - studios are willing and able to take on more untrained talent and invest the time and effort needed to bring them up to speed.  This is the kind of opportunity that our graduates don't want to miss; the key to success is to polish your demo reel, be easy to find, and apply early and often. And, crucially, keep in touch.  I can put in a personal recommendation for students seeking work in the industry - but only if I know that you are actively applying for jobs. So, don't be a stranger, keep in touch, and help me to help you land that crucial first job in the industry.

James Baxter Animation Webinar 30 June

James Baxter

On 30 June at 6pm Escape Studios is hosting a live animation webinar with legendary Disney and DreamWorks animator James Baxter.  

The event is free, and we are recommending that all our students register and sign up. 

James began his animation career on Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and has since worked on dozens of animated films.  

How Do You Find a Mentor?

 

Over the course of your animation career you are likely to have a number of mentors. Very few of these will be formal mentorship roles; most will be informal, and you might not even realise these people were mentors until many years later.   In the course of my animation career I have been lucky enough to be mentored by animators such as James Baxter (Road to El Dorado), Andreas Deja (Lion King), Duncan Marjoribanks (Pocahontas) and even Glen Keane, whose notes on planning animation I still refer to today.  But mentorship is, in each and every case, very much what you make of it.

"I Won't Apply Because I Don't Qualify" Arggh!!!!

Recently a superb graduate opportunity landed on my desk, a paid internship at a leading UK studio, and one which was not widely publicised. In fact, it was just for my students.  I posted the job at our Facebook Classroom so that around 150 students, past and present, could see it, and apply for the position.  It was a great opportunity, a paid gig with a prestigious company.  So, you might think that dozens of students would apply - but you'd be wrong. How many students do you think actually applied for the position? The correct answer is....one. 

Jobs and Careers Playlist at YouTube

One of the most common question I get asked from students is "how do I find work in the animation industry?" The answer is deceptively simple - have a great demo reel, and then apply for as many jobs as you can find. In practice, things are a little more complex.

To dig deeper into the subject, follow this link to our blog post on "12 Rules to Find Work in the Animation Industry".  And, if you'd rather listen than read, check out our jobs playlist at our YouTube Channel, where we discuss in detail what you need to do to break into the expanding but still competitive animation industry.

Always Test Your Rig in Close-Up

Low poly spider "Raa" animated by Alex Southcombe

There are many many free rigs and sets now available to students on an educational or freeware license for use in short films, creating a wide variety of creative choices for student film-makers.  

But not all rigs are created equal, and many problems only become evident when the film calls for a close-up, such as this image of the spider "Raa" shown on the left. 

Nik Couzens Junior Animator at BBC Studios

Many congratulations to Nik Couzens, who has recently started work as a Junior Animator at BBC Studios. Nik took our 30 week course at Animation Apprentice, working hard to develop his demo reel and apply for work in the expanding UK animation industry. 

BBC Studios is "home to the very best of British creativity". It is UK’s "most-awarded production company" and also a "world-class distributor" of original creative content.

We are delighted that Nik has landed his first job in the animation business.

Kristis Bandzevicius Animator at Quadmark

Kristis Bandzevicius

Animation Apprentice congratulates our student Kristis Bandzevicius on his new job as a Motion Designer at Quadmark. Kristis took our MA in 3D Animation, delivered through our academic partner Buckinghamshire New University. 

Quadmark is a creative training and enablement agency that builds learning experiences for companies.

"Motion Designer" is really another way of saying "animator", and we're delighted that Kristis is using the skills learned at Animation Apprentice and BNU to forge a career in the creative industries.

Charlie & Yip Best Trailer at STTP Film Festival

My short film "Charlie and Yip" has won another festival award - Best Trailer at the "Short & To The Point" Film Festival.

 

Charlie and Yip is a short film about a kid who takes his pet to school for Show and Tell, which turns out to be a bad idea.

Summer Class Starts Monday 6 July

The book we recommend for studying animation

What kind of preparation should students do before starting with us in our summer classroom, starting on Monday 6 July? It's always good to do a little preparation and get a bit of a head start.

Below is a brief list of stuff to get you under way. You don't have to do all of it, but tick off a few of the things on this list and you will be a making a great start on your animation career.

First, here is a short reading list to get you started. We've narrowed it down to just two key books that we recommend for all our students.

How to Animate a UFO with Blend Shapes

 

We've uploaded a new four-part tutorial to our expanding list of free tutorials at our YouTube Channel.  This latest tutorial demonstrates how to animate Blend Shapes (also known as Morph Targets) in Maya.  The idea is to take a simple object (a cube) and turn it into a shape-shifting UFO - as in the example above.  Blend Shapes, which are used extensively in facial rigging, are a simple animation technique that can yield impressive results. 

Henry Fenwick Animator at Freefolk

Many congratulations to Animation Apprentice graduate Henry Fenwick, who is currently working as an Animator at Freefolk. 

Freefolk is a London-based animation studio founded in 2003, initially known as Finish, and re-branded as Freefolk in 2016. Freefolk works with clients in the advertising, film, TV and music industries, providing "a full service post production and VFX offering including high-end colour grading, 2D & 3D visual effects, shoot supervision, animation, design, direction and concept."

Charlie & Yip "Best Trailer" at BAIFF

My short film "Charlie and Yip" has won another festival award - Best Trailer at the Buenos Aires International Film Festival (BAIFF).

 

Charlie and Yip is a short film about a kid who takes his pet to school for Show and Tell, which turns out to be a bad idea.

Royalty Free Music at Bensound

One question that animators often ask when making a short film, or compiling their demo reel, is where to get Royalty Free Music either for free or at low prices.

One useful resource that we recommend is Bensound. At Bensound.com you can download royalty free stock music for animation, YouTube and multimedia projects.

What is Imposter Syndrome?

 

What is Imposter Syndrome? According to Wikipedia, Imposter Syndrome is "a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their skills, talents or accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a "fraud".  Everyone starting out, learning a new skill, experiences a level of uncertainty and insecurity about their skills.

Charlie & Yip Hon Mention at Screen Power

My short film "Charlie and Yip" has won another festival award - Honourable Mention in the category of "Best Animation" at the Screen Power Film Festival.

Charlie and Yip is a short film about a kid who takes his pet to school for Show and Tell, which turns out to be a bad idea.

11 Second Club May Unreal Challenge

Next month we're recommending that all our student animators enter the monthly 11 Second Club Competition. 

In May 2021 Epic Games, creators of the Unreal Engine real-time renderer, are launching a special prize challenge with The 11Second Club, in association with Dell Computers.  First prize is a Dell Workstation.

Cartoon Springboard 2021

Save the date! Submissions will open soon for Cartoon Springboard, the annual pitching event that takes place from October 27-29 in Valencia, Spain. 

Successful projects will pitch to industry delegates, including producers, broadcasters and sales agents, as our students seek ways to capitalise on the festival success of their films.