"Journey of Life" Wins "Best Micro Short" Award

Journey of Life wins Best Micro Short

Many congratulations to Animation Apprentice student Robin Herrmann whose short film "Journey of Life" has won "Best Micro Short" at the Dreamachine Film festival.

"Journey of Life" was written, produced and directed by Robin, currently studying for his MA in 3D Animation with our degree-awarding partner Buckinghamshire New University.   

"Journey of Life" has won many festival awards. 

"Artifact" Wins Best SciFi at Future of Film Fest

 Artifact "Best Sci-Fi" at Future of Film Fest

Congratulations to Animation Apprentice student Kristis Bandzevicius whose animated short "Artifact" has won "Best SciFi Film" at the Future of Film Festival. 

"Artifact" is an animated short film written, produced and directed by Kristis, currently studying at Animation Apprentice for his MA in 3D Animation.   This is the sixth festival award for Artifact. 

"Mouse: Impossible" Best Creative at Halicarnassus

Mouse: Impossible Best Creative at Halicarnassus Fest

Congratulations to Animation Apprentice student Robin Herrmann whose short film "Mouse: Impossible" has won "Best Creative" at the Halicarnassus Film Festival.

Mouse: Impossible is a new short film created by Animation Apprentice student Robin Herrman.  "Mouse: Impossible" was written, produced and directed by Robin, currently studying for his MA in 3D Animation at our degree-awarding partner, Buckinghamshire New University.  This is the third award for "Mouse: Impossible".

Mouse: Impossible - Best Student Film in Milan

Mouse: Impossible Best Student Film in Milan

Congratulations to Animation Apprentice student Robin Herrmann whose short film "Mouse: Impossible" has won an award for Best Student Film in Milan.

Mouse: Impossible is a new short film created by Animation Apprentice student Robin Herrman.  "Mouse: Impossible" was written, produced and directed by Robin, currently studying for his MA in 3D Animation at our degree-awarding partner, Buckinghamshire New University.  

Journey of Life Wins Best Director

Journey of Life wins Best Director (Short Film) at FOFA

Many congratulations to Animation Apprentice student Robin Herrman whose short film "Journey of Life" has won award for Best Director (Super Short Film) at the Future of Film Awards.

"Journey of Life" was written, produced and directed by Robin, currently studying for his MA in 3D Animation with our academic partner Buckinghamshire New University.  The film has won many festival awards. 

"Journey of Life" Hon Mention at DSFF

"Journey of Life" wins Hon Mention at DSFF

Many congratulations to Animation Apprentice student Robin Herrman whose short film "Journey of Life" has won an Honourable Mention for Best No Budget Film at the Dreamer's Short Film Festival (DSFF).

"Journey of Life" was written, produced and directed by Robin, currently studying for his MA in 3D Animation with our degree-awarding partner Buckinghamshire New University.  

Introducing Journey of Life by Robin Herrmann

 

Meet "Journey of Life", a new short film created by Animation Apprentice student Robin Herrman.  "Journey of Life" was written, produced and directed by Robin, currently studying for his MA in 3D Animation at Animation Apprentice, in partnership with our degree-awarding partner, Buckinghamshire New University.   "Journey of Life" is currently being entered into film festivals. 

Key Creative Roles on an Animated Short

 

What are the key creative roles on a short animated film? Or, simply put, what are the jobs that absolutely have to get done in order to finish the project?  Below are the key roles that must be filled in order to achieve a successful outcome.

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.

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.

Charlie & Yip Wins Best Trailer at Dreamachine

I'm delighted to announce that my short film "Charlie and Yip" has won another festival award -  Best Trailer at the Dreamachine International 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.

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

Oliver Canovas Animator on "Hat Shop"

Oliver Canovas is one of our student animators at Animation Apprentice; he graduated with honours in 2019, having been awarded his MA in 3D Animation.

Oliver recently collaborated with a student film project at Escape Studios, working on the short film "Hat Shop", written and directed by MA student Stevie Stedman.

"Hat Shop" is a short story set in a futuristic robotic world, and was completed entirely under Lockdown, working remotely from home. "Hat Shop" is currently being entered into film festivals.

Oliver did some excellent animation on the film, gaining useful experience on working on group projects, to a defined brief, taking direction and notes, and making changes to his shots. Most studio work is collaborative, so group projects of this kind are important in developing "soft skills" and teamwork.

Introducing "Moon Rockz"

Jonathan Humphries is an animation student at Escape Studios who is due to be awarded his MA in Animation this summer.

Recently Jonathan volunteered to help out with "Moon Rockz", a short film made at Escape Studios, written and directed by Molly Babington.

"Moon Rockz" was a collaboration between students at Escape Studios and also at Animation Apprentice, involving both Jonathan Humphries and also Matt Neputin, also studying for his MA in Animation.

The film is a short story about the moon landings - as told from the Moon's point of view. It's a charming and funny film, to which our students contributed some excellent animation.

"Moon Rockz" is currently being entered into film festivals, and we wish it every success.

Meet The Jelly Cars!

Animation Apprentice student Lee Caller has recently completed his short film Jelly Cars, a short story about perseverance in the urban jungle.   

"Jelly Cars" is an inventive piece of film-making;  it's a charming story, entertaining and fun - and beautifully animated.

Lee took a simple exercise - animating a vehicle in motion, (in this case, animating a cartoon car, using the free yellow Beetle rig by Aaron Parker), and turned it into a short film, which has already been accepted into its first film festival - the annual KRAF film festival in Croatia.

Congratulations to Lee on his excellent work; we wish him every success in film festivals around the world.

Charlie & Yip in "Film Only Film" Festival

My short film "Charlie and Yip" is a finalist in the Film Only Film Festival in Harrow on January 11th 2020.

Charlie and Yip is a short film about a kid who takes his pet to school for Show and Tell, with unexpected results. It's a really a teaser for my indie feature film project "My Haunted House", which is still in development.

We'll be heading to Harrow for the event, cheering on our talented animation team. To buy tickets, follow this link.

Film Freeway - How to Enter Film Festivals

Film Freeway is a great way for students to enter short films into international competitions.

Rather than enter your film individually into lots of different festivals, film-makers can create one upload to a single portal, and then apply through Film Freeway for as many competitions as you like.

Film Freeway has over recent years come to replace IMDB's Withoutabox, which is being discontinued and will close down in October 2019.

What is a "One Sheet"?

What is a "One Sheet"? And who needs one? A One Sheet is a movie poster, and you need to make one if you've got a movie or short film to sell.

A "One Sheet" is a single image that encapsulates what your film is about and - hopefully - will make people understand the film and also want to go and see it.

Think of the posters you see on the wall as you leave the movie theatre. You walk down a hallway, past a wall of posters, and you think: "that movie looks cool, I might just go and see that".

Kevin Hudson Presents "Weeds" on 2 July

"Weeds" by Kevin Hudson

Kevin Hudson, asset artist at Walt Disney Animation Studios, is visiting London on July 2nd at 4.30pm to talk about his multi-award-winning short film "Weeds".   

“Weeds” is the story of a dandelion, rooted on the wrong side of the driveway in a barren yard surrounded by dry dirt and dead grass.

See the Oscar-Nominated Animated Shorts at BFI on 5 February

The British Film Institute on London's South Bank is hosting a special screening of the animated short films which have been nominated for an Oscar this year.  

You can see the films on just one night: Friday 5 February 2016 at 7pm. 

The evening is a chance to see some of the best work in our industry, mostly by independent film-makers, and - who knows? - you might even meet some of the creators in person!

Who Will Win The Oscar For Best Animated Feature Film?

Who will win the Oscar this year for Best Animated Feature Film?

This year there are five nominees: Anomalisa, Boy and The World, Inside Out, When Marnie Was There, and Shaun The Sheep, by Aardman Animation in Bristol.

Animation has surely come of age. Just a few years ago there were three nominees in the category, and the category itself is only 15 years old,  having been first created in 2001. Prior to that, there were so few animated films every year that it would have been a one-horse race, with Disney winning every time.