MA showreel ....

Hot off the presses - the all new ma showreel!

Into The Inkwell (2007)

During the first semester of their second year, students are given a chance to attend workshops in 2D, CG or Stop-Motion animation. They are then required to produce a 30 second film using their chosen discipline.

Into The Inkwell was created by Rhiannon Evans. It was made using Stop Motion Pro and edited with Avid. The music was created by Mark Boden, a student at the Royal Welsh College Of Music And Drama.

Edinburgh Film Festival

MA graduate Firman Machda's 'Empty Space' and Matthew Walker's 'Operator' will be screened at the Edinburgh Film festival on June 23rd - 29th. Empty Space is in the Trailblazer screening on the 23rd and Operator is in the Maclaren Animation 2 screening.

http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk

Digital shorts

Felix Massie, a graduate from last year, has received funding from the UK Film Council and Aardman as part of South West Screen's Digital Shorts program.



The film will be his first since Keith Reynolds can't make it tonight (2007) which is due to be screened at the Animex festival early next month, along with two other graduate films from Newport - t.o.m. and Stiff Upper Lip.

1st festival success for 2007 graduates!

Jonay Ortiz de Urbina, in collaboration with composer Sergio López Figueroa, has received the Best Original Music award 2007 at the SCIFE festival in Spain, with his graduation film Homeland (2007).


Congratulations to both! Let's hope this is the one of many accolades our graduate films receive this coming festival year. Watch this space!

Winner at Annecy 2 years in a row!

Congratulations to both Tom Brown and Daniel Gray on their continued success with their graduation film t.o.m. (2006). Last month they were awarded a prestigious Annecy Crystal for Best Graduation Film at the Annecy International Animation Festival 2007. That now makes Newport the only UK college to win 2 years in a row (last year Matthew Walker celebrated this success with his graduate film Astronauts). A full list of Annecy Prize Winners 2007.

"Annecy is definitely the 'Cannes' of the animation world..."

Adam Elliot, Director of Oscar winning Harvie Krumpet.

Here is a (very) short clip of the tail end of Tom and Dan's acceptance speech:



Further great news, t.o.m. is one of only five European films shortlisted to compete for the Cartoon d'Or 2007, the annual award that recognises the work of new talents in the European animation industry. This accolade, along with the global festival success of t.o.m., further underlines the international success of our graduate films.

What others have to say:

"There seems to be many films in this year's BIFF line-up featuring odd, troubled children and Snow Ben is a perfect example. Another is the animated boy Tom in 't.o.m.' , who takes us through his most bizarre daily routine from waking in the morning to arriving at school. To say anymore of this three-minute short would be to ruin it. It simply left me feeling uncomfortable for both Tom and myself."

Tania Theriault, ROYAL GAZETTE

"The prize of Best Student Film goes to a film that impresses for it's strong design, eccentric humor and highly accomplished storytelling, t. o. m. by Tom Brown and Daniel Gray"

Jury's comments, Norwich Int'l Animation Festival 06

"...a very short, beautifully drawn animation with a really very haunting story, of quite some psychological depth. It's an unusual, indeed singular piece of work that stays in one's memory. The sensitivity of the art work, the strange, vaguely Asperger's syndrome fastidiousness of the voice-over and the quite startling ending suggest a pair of film makers who really have a lot to say for themselves."

Tim Vaughan, Royal Television Society Awards 2006

"Beautifully drawn, it has a somewhat trippy feel"

IMAGINE MAGAZINE

"Want to get out of going to school? Simple. Take all your clothes off!...Okay, it's very odd behavior, but Tom is a lovable character regardless of that high pitch voice that grates away at you. You have to give the unusual plot top marks and the animation is seamless with a hand-painted background look adding to the child-like innocence of the film. It's a film you're not quite sure what to make of. But, if nothing else, its worthy of a watch as you could spend hours trying to imitate Tom's funny voice."

Sirkka Huish, BERMUDA SUN

Further graduation events!

Following on from our Graduation Show earlier this month, we have two additional celebrations of this years' graduate films:

Finest Films Event 2007
The Riverfront, Newport
6.30pm, Friday 22 June

6.30pm - 7.45pm Awards Ceremony
7.45pm - 8.30pm Refreshments
8.30pm onwards MA and 3rd yr screening

All industry professionals welcome!

Skillset Screening Event
David Lean Room, BAFTA, 195 Piccadilly, London
Tuesday 26 June from 4pm – 7pm

By invitation only. For further details contact Claire Doughty (Events & Marketing) 020 7520 5753 claired@skillset.org.

Degree show 2007

Animation student Mark Rogers (below) produced a short 3D film entitled ‘Unification’ about a child who arrives in a strange building and hears noises in the night so wanders down the corridors to investigate.

“I’ve always wanted to be a cartoonist and have wanted to make animation films since I was seven - it’s my passion,” said 22-year-old Mark, who comes from Topsham, near Exeter.
“The film took me a year to make and it’s been a great learning experience here at Newport. I did some very valuable work experience including a stint at Nick Parks’ animation film company Aardman Animation where I helped work on the US version of the TV show 'Creature Comforts'."

Kerry Dyer’s animation film ‘Sura’ is about three characters trapped in a room with a strange box.

“My film is three minutes long but took me a year to make,” said 21-year-old Kerry (above) who comes from Bristol. “The thing I’ve enjoyed most about studying animation at Newport has been the work placements. They have been great because our course tutor Caroline Parsons has so many contacts in the animation film industry.”

Sophia Angela Davis found inspiration in the silent films of the 1920s for her short animation movie project ‘Bananigans!’

“It’s a tortoise and hare version of a cops and robbers story,” said 20-year-old Sophie who comes from Bridgend. “I’ve been into drawing all my life and my ambition when I graduate is to work as an animator and illustrator.”

[Extract taken from the University's press release]

Melbourne International Animation Festival 07

Official Selection

Student Program #3

Newport, UK:

	The Mystery Of The Pig City Johnny Luu, Garth Jones, 3'15
	Childhood Matthew Dabb, 3'30

International Program #3

	T.O.M. Dan Gray, Tom Brown, UK, 3'00 One very strange little boy’s explanation of how and why he arrived at school without any clothes on.

Congrats to all. For more, click HERE

t.o.m. (2006)

Mentioned many times on this blog already, two graduates from last year, Dan Gray and Tom Brown, have been enjoying endless success with their multi award-winning graduate film t.o.m.

Here's a trailer...



Awards - UPDATED!

Norwich International Animation Festival 2006:
Best Student Film

Encounters Int. Short Film Festival 2006:
Cartoon D'or Nomination

Sundance 2007:
Honorable Mention for Short Filmmaking,

Ffresh Moving Image Festival 2007:
Ffresh Animation

Royal Television Society, Wales Centre Student Television Awards 2006: Undergraduate Animation

Animated Exeter 2007:
South West Screen Emerging Talent 2007

Bermuda International Film Festival 2007
Special Jury Mention

Celtic Film Festival 2007:
Best Student Animation


Festivals

Norwich International Animation Festival 2006
Bradford Animation Festival 2006
Cardiff Film Festival 2006
Encounters Short Film Festival 2006
7 Inch Cinema Tour 2006
Signals Shorts (Colchester) 2007
Sundance Film Festival 2007
FlatPack Film Festival 2007
Ffresh Moving Image Festival 2007
Animated Exeter 2007
Bermuda International Films Festival 2007
HBO Comedy Film Festival 2007
31st Cleveland International Film Festival
San Francisco International Film Festival 2007


Follow the links below for further info on this film, the film-makers themselves and their ongoing success. Well done!

http://www.tdotodotm.com
http://www.myspace.com/tdotodotm

Dan
http://daninski.deviantart.com/
www.myspace.com/daninski

Tom
www.brownian-motion.com
www.myspace.com/tomshqui

Astronauts (2005)

Considering this year's under-graduates are getting ready to journey to the prestigious Annecy International Animated Film Festival, it seemed only proper to celebrate last years' success, Astronauts. Matthew Walker, who graduated from Newport in 2005, championed an international selection to win Best Graduation Film 2006 at last year's event. Well done Matthew!



Matthew's graduation film has enjoyed a worldwide reception and and has been recognised for its excellence!

Awards

Winner Best Graduation Film at Annecy Animation Festival 2006
Winner Best Animated Short at Melbourne International Animation Festival 2006
Winner Best Student Film at the British Animation Awards 2006
Winner Best Animation at the Ffresh Student Awards 2006
Winner Best First Film at the Castelli Animati Film Festival 2005
Winner Best Screenplay at the Lineout Can Film Festival 2005
Winner Best Film at the Rough Cut Film Festival 2005
South Wales Regional Winner Best Undergraduate Animation at the Royal Television Awards 2005
Honourable Mention for Animation at the Curtas Vila do Conde International Film Festival 2006
Winner Best Film and Best Script at the International Film School Wales (IFSW) Finest Films Awards
Short listed for BBC Talent New Animator Award 2005
Runner-up at Rushes Soho Shorts Awards, Animated Shorts Category 2006

"Astronauts (Matthew Walker) has a lovely tactile feel to its CG, like the characters and all their surroundings are made out of foam rubber. Beautifully timed visual and verbal gags, and a neatly understated punchline: it's the sort of comedy short that should get Pixar taking notice."

http://www.gleeson0.demon.co.uk/baa2006.htm

Screenings

Rough Cut Film Festival 2005, 11 October, London, UK
Animacor 2005, 25 – 30 October, Cordoba, Spain
Can Film Festival 2005, 28 – 30 October, Leicester, UK
PISAF 2005, 4 – 11 November, Korea
Brief Encounters 2005, 23 – 27 November, Bristol, UK
Anchorage Film Festival 2005
Bang! Short Film Festival 2005
Cardiff Screen Festival 2005
Animated Exeter 2005, 13 – 26 February, Exeter, UK
Con-Can Film Festival (passed for preliminary screening) 2006, 24 February, Japan
Annecy 2006, 5 – 9 June, France
Hiroshima Animation Festival 2006, 23 – 28 August, Japan
DOK Liepzig 2006, Germany
Ottawa 2006, Canada
CICDAF 2006, China
CURTAS Vila do Conde 2006, Portugal
Taiwan International Animation Festival 2006, China
International Film Festival Catalunya 2006, Spain
Showcomotion 2006, UK
Signals International Short Film Festival 2006, UK
Commonwealth Film Festival 2006, UK
Uppsala Kortfilmfestival 2006, Sweden
Norwich International Animation Festival 2006, UK
International Kurz Film Festival 2006, Germany
International Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen 2006, Germany

"…For its understated comedy about human nature – whether it be in the Stone Age or the Space Age: Give him a “push”!"

Castelli Animati Judges response to film, 2005

Matthew Walker is currently working as a Director at ArthurCox in Bristol.

The Filling Station (1998)

Travelling back in time is a marvelous thing. Here is a graduate film from almost 10 years ago, The Filling Station by Rosie Pedlow.



In collaboration with fellow graduate Joe King, Rosie co-founded FOLK///projects an arts initiative to promote work that pushes boundaries and crosses disciplines.

Tulips at Dawn ©2002 Rosie Pedlow

Immortal Stories ©2006 Roderick Mills & Rosie Pedlow

Morp! (2006)

Another graduate film enjoying the festival scene is Morp! by Nick Rodgers and Matthew Tempest. Morp! is currently in competition at Animated Exeter along with 3 other graduate films from University of Wales, Newport. All the best with that!


Unfortunately our "tubed" version has sync issues though a better quality version is available for download at www.morpthefilm.co.uk. Whilst completing this piece, Nick and Matt kept a blog entitled Surreal Friends Blog, an informative insight into the film-making process! Both Nick and Matt are currently employed at Blitz Games.

Satisfactory (2006)

During the second semester of their second year, students get an opportunity to work on a group project. As our current second years are just starting this project, here is an example from last year.



Satisfactory was created by Joe Paine, Jonay Ortiz De Urbina, Felix Massie, and Eurico Da Costa NG. It was made with Flash, After Effects and Photoshop and took about 8 weeks. The soundtrack was made with FruityLoops.