Alumni Magazine Issue 3 Mar 2011.pdf - Arts University Bournemouth
Alumni Magazine Issue 3 Mar 2011.pdf - Arts University Bournemouth
Alumni Magazine Issue 3 Mar 2011.pdf - Arts University Bournemouth
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<strong>Issue</strong> Three<br />
<strong>Mar</strong>ch 2011<br />
AUCB ALUMNI<br />
MAGAZINE<br />
School of Media Edition<br />
Animation Special
alumnus noun (pl. alumni/; fem. alumna/,<br />
pl. alumnae) a former pupil or student of<br />
a particular school, college, or university.<br />
WELCOME<br />
FROM HERE<br />
TO THERE<br />
Welcome to issue three of the<br />
AUCB <strong>Alumni</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong>.<br />
In this special edition, we’re celebrating the successes,<br />
innovations and expertise of our Animation <strong>Alumni</strong>. The<br />
Animation Production course is renowned for producing some<br />
of the most creative and technically-proficient animators<br />
working in the UK and internationally, many of whom have<br />
collected awards and accolades along the way. Animation<br />
<strong>Alumni</strong> have an extraordinary affinity to the <strong>University</strong><br />
College, often recruiting new AUCB graduates or returning<br />
as visiting tutors or guest lecturers. They continue to make a<br />
significant and lasting contribution to the field of Animation.<br />
We follow the careers of all our <strong>Alumni</strong> with interest<br />
and pride. Please keep us posted about your latest<br />
projects and career moves – and if you’d like to<br />
contact fellow students or staff members from your<br />
time here, let us know and we’ll try and help.<br />
Rebecca Huseyin<br />
(graduates@aucb.ac.uk)<br />
Front cover image:<br />
Chop Socky Chooks<br />
by Danny Capozzi
Below: Mr Benn<br />
Opposite, clockwise from top left:<br />
Spot, King Rollo and Maisy
CLIVE JUSTER,<br />
MANAGING DIRECTOR,<br />
ROLLO RIGHTS LTD.<br />
GRADUATED 1969<br />
“There is no<br />
denying that<br />
my time at the<br />
<strong>University</strong> College<br />
prepared me and<br />
led me into this<br />
fantastic career...<br />
which continues<br />
to surprise and<br />
delight every day”<br />
“I came to the <strong>Bournemouth</strong> and<br />
Poole College of Art, as it was then<br />
called, in 1966. I later obtained<br />
a place on a BBC trainee film<br />
editor’s course based at Ealing<br />
Studios. It was a wonderful time<br />
to be working at the BBC, and<br />
particularly at Ealing Studios,<br />
which at that time was home to<br />
Ken Russell, Spike Milligan, Monty<br />
Python and many of the luminaries<br />
from the Cambridge Footlights.<br />
I was a film editor on Playschool when I<br />
was offered the job as editor on a new<br />
children’s series Mr Benn. I accepted<br />
and set up a cutting room in my spare<br />
bedroom. Our rostrum cameraman<br />
Bert Walker set up his own company,<br />
Zephyr Films, in a shed at the bottom<br />
of his garden in Surbiton. This is<br />
where the Mr Benn films were shot.<br />
Later, Mr Benn author and illustrator<br />
David McKee and I set up King Rollo Films<br />
and our first production was based on the<br />
series of King Rollo books that David had<br />
started to write. The BBC commissioned<br />
a series of thirteen and fortunately<br />
many overseas television broadcasters<br />
liked our work. Thus began a long run<br />
of more or less continuous production;<br />
a run which continues to this day.<br />
I received a BAFTA for the children’s<br />
TV series Maisy, which I produced for<br />
Universal Studios, and shortly after I was<br />
nominated for an Emmy for the TV series<br />
Paz, which I produced for Discovery Kids.<br />
Throughout my career I have continued<br />
my links with the <strong>University</strong> College,<br />
and King Rollo Films has employed<br />
many AUCB graduates over the years.<br />
There is no denying that my time at the<br />
<strong>University</strong> College prepared me and led<br />
me into this fantastic career, a career<br />
which continues to surprise and delight<br />
every day. I hope that many other <strong>Alumni</strong><br />
feel the same way and share my fondness<br />
for this very special seat of learning.”
COLIN WHITE,<br />
STORYBOARD<br />
ARTIST<br />
GRADUATED 1973<br />
“I have very pleasant memories of<br />
studying at the <strong>University</strong> College.<br />
The course was enjoyably hard,<br />
but creatively fun work. Upon<br />
graduating, I gained a place on<br />
an animation training scheme<br />
with the Halas and Batchelor<br />
Studio in Stroud. I spent the<br />
next thirty-five years enjoying a<br />
successful career in animation<br />
doing everything from assistant<br />
animator to supervising director,<br />
taking in character animation,<br />
layouts, storyboards, timing and<br />
animation direction along the way.<br />
I’ve worked on more commercials than<br />
I care to remember as well as TV series,<br />
specials and feature films both drawn<br />
and computer animated, in the UK<br />
and the US. I even worked in Russia,<br />
Manilla, Hong Kong and Saigon.<br />
I did a couple of years as a computer<br />
animator for Industrial Light and Magic<br />
(ILM), on films Caspar and Dragonheart.<br />
I also worked on Bod and Watership<br />
Down and directed The Poddington<br />
Peas and The New Adventures of<br />
Captain Pugwash. One of the highlights<br />
of my career was Who Framed Roger<br />
Rabbit. Steven Spielberg would come<br />
round and chat to the animators!<br />
I’ve just finished writing the screenplay<br />
for an animated feature, a sort of<br />
‘Seven Samurai in fur coats’, and I’m<br />
working as a storyboard editor on<br />
pre-school animation Mike the Knight.”<br />
“One of the<br />
highlights of my<br />
career was Who<br />
Framed Roger<br />
Rabbit. Steven<br />
Spielberg would<br />
come round and chat<br />
to the animators!”<br />
Below: Colin’s sketch of Jessica Rabbit<br />
Bottom: A storyboard for<br />
The Poddington Peas<br />
“One of my proudest<br />
moments so far was<br />
being the production<br />
designer on Chop<br />
Socky Chooks”
DANIEL CAPOZZI,<br />
ANIMATION DIRECTOR/<br />
CHARACTER DESIGNER<br />
GRADUATED 1994<br />
“I remember thinking it was<br />
the best equipped institution<br />
I had ever visited; we had<br />
our own personal animation<br />
workspaces, our own light<br />
boxes and a room dedicated<br />
to computer animation and<br />
effects. We were very privileged<br />
to have all this and to be given<br />
funds to make our group films.<br />
After graduation, I started working at<br />
The Puppet Factory in Hoxton making<br />
stop-motion puppets, sets and props<br />
for Aardman Animation commercials<br />
and Crapston Villas (Spitting Image<br />
Productions). We moved to Bristol,<br />
the Mecca of animation, and I soon<br />
became a full time stop-motion<br />
animator at Aardman, and then went<br />
on to become a director for both<br />
Aardman and Bermuda Shorts.<br />
Currently, I am developing series ideas<br />
for Disney, Cartoon Network and<br />
Nickelodeon. I work on commercials<br />
for Aardman, sometimes as a director<br />
and sometimes as a production<br />
designer. I am also a freelance<br />
illustrator doing character designs,<br />
branding and record sleeve art.<br />
One of my proudest moments so far<br />
was being the production designer on<br />
Chop Socky Chooks; designing all the<br />
characters and backgrounds and seeing<br />
it on Cartoon Network. It won a Gemini<br />
Award for best CGI series in 2008 and<br />
was nominated for a BAFTA in 2009.”<br />
Opposite, above and right:<br />
A selection of stills from<br />
Chop Socky Chooks<br />
All images copyright of<br />
Danny Capozzi 01.01.09.<br />
All illustration material is<br />
protected by A©ID &<br />
The AOI.
Below left and below:<br />
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2<br />
Copyright Lucas<strong>Arts</strong> 2010.<br />
Above left and above:<br />
Jason worked as computer graphics supervisor<br />
on the critically acclaimed Burnout Paradise<br />
before moving to Lucasfilm in 2009.<br />
Copyright Electronic <strong>Arts</strong> 2008.
JASON SMITH,<br />
DIGITAL PRODUCTION<br />
SUPERVISOR, LUCASFILM<br />
GRADUATED 1995<br />
“Seeing my name<br />
on the credits, to the<br />
sound of the famous<br />
John Williams<br />
Star Wars theme,<br />
is a moment that<br />
will stick with<br />
me as clearly as<br />
hearing the music<br />
for the first time<br />
back in 1977”<br />
“I started my career in computer<br />
games with Argonaut Software,<br />
which was one of the first<br />
companies in the world to<br />
create 3D console games. For<br />
me there wasn’t a more exciting<br />
or pioneering place to be at the<br />
time. The company operated<br />
from a run-down warehouse<br />
in a very unglamorous part of<br />
North London; upstairs we were<br />
animating, downstairs served as<br />
a washing machine showroom.<br />
Regularly working fourteen<br />
hour days, we didn’t even get<br />
a discount on white goods!<br />
With 17 years and 12 games inbetween, I<br />
now work as a partner to the art directors<br />
and executive producers at LucasFilm,<br />
San Francisco. I get to ensure we deliver<br />
the most visually stunning games possible<br />
by empowering the animators, artists,<br />
technical directors and other content<br />
creators to work effectively. Much of this<br />
comes through training, tools, technology<br />
development and research. It often feels<br />
like one of the best jobs in the world.<br />
Outside of my day job I work with the<br />
animation and computer graphics<br />
communities through ACM Siggraph,<br />
organisers of the largest Computer<br />
Animation Festival in the world. There are<br />
opportunities for involvement at all levels<br />
and it’s an incredible resource, whether<br />
an industry veteran or a student looking<br />
to expand their professional network.<br />
I also get to spend time collaborating on<br />
new techniques with the other LucasFilm<br />
divisions; Industrial Light and Magic<br />
(ILM), LucasFilm Animation and LucasFilm<br />
Singapore. Developing and sharing<br />
technology, knowledge and expertise<br />
between the games, television, film and<br />
visual effects groups is one of the most<br />
challenging and enjoyable parts of the job.<br />
Working at LucasFilm has also given me<br />
the opportunity to present and train<br />
at schools, universities and studios on<br />
behalf of the Jedi Masters programme; a<br />
hugely rewarding aspect which has the<br />
added benefit of travelling worldwide.<br />
It’s an honour to share a fraction of the<br />
wisdom that Peter Parr bestowed on his<br />
animation class many years earlier.<br />
One of my proudest moments has been<br />
animating the original pitch to secure<br />
the Harry Potter franchise at EA games.<br />
I also get to work on the Star Wars games<br />
which, according to my son, scores me<br />
points in the ‘cool dad’ category.<br />
The AUCB wasn’t just a three-year course<br />
in animation; it’s served as a grounding<br />
for my entire career, and an amazing<br />
experience I’ll always be thankful for.<br />
Thank you Peter, and all the faculty<br />
staff – I wouldn’t be here without you.”
ANDREW GRISDALE,<br />
LAYOUT ARTIST,<br />
PIXAR<br />
GRADUATED 1997<br />
“When I left the <strong>University</strong><br />
College, I quickly landed a<br />
job at a video game company<br />
in North London. In 2006 I<br />
went to work for Blur Studio in<br />
California, as both an animator<br />
and layout artist. That job<br />
gave me more cinematic<br />
opportunities, which led to me<br />
getting the call from Pixar.<br />
Now I’m a full time layout artist at<br />
Pixar. Layout is the art of camera and<br />
staging, which means I’m a cameraman<br />
and choreographer on a computergenerated<br />
film. My job is to place the<br />
characters and block their movements,<br />
and to compose each and every shot<br />
in the film; treat the film as live action<br />
and make sure the camera behaves as<br />
a real camera would. I work closely with<br />
the director and make sure I have all<br />
the coverage I need before sending to<br />
editorial. When editorial have assembled<br />
it, the scene will go to be fully animated.<br />
I think the best part of the job is that<br />
we have a hand in shaping the films<br />
that have gone on to be so well-loved.<br />
It may be just a small part of the<br />
process, but I can still look back at<br />
certain shots and say ‘I did that’. Toy<br />
Story 3 was my first feature at Pixar<br />
and I couldn’t have asked for a more<br />
enjoyable project to work on. To see it<br />
be so successful all over the world is<br />
something I am proud to be a part of.”<br />
“...we have a hand<br />
in shaping the films<br />
that have gone on to<br />
be so well-loved”<br />
Images courtesy of<br />
Disney/Pixar
MATTHEW CRUIKSHANK,<br />
FREELANCE DESIGNER,<br />
ILLUSTRATOR AND<br />
CONCEPT ARTIST<br />
GRADUATED 1998<br />
“I’m currently working on an<br />
animated feature pitch at<br />
Uli Meyer Animation Studios.<br />
I love the excitement of<br />
creating a picture or moment<br />
out of nothing. It’s a window<br />
into a world where anything<br />
is possible. The only limits<br />
are your imagination.<br />
I’ve met some incredible people,<br />
including Chuck Jones, John Lassiter,<br />
and Uli Meyer. They all gave me clues<br />
and inspiration for the future; it’s up<br />
to me to get there. In my work, I want<br />
to create something I’m proud of. Art<br />
is a powerful medium and I like to<br />
create a piece of work that triggers<br />
a feeling and means something.”<br />
Images from Matthew’s<br />
graphic novel<br />
“I love the<br />
excitement of<br />
creating a picture<br />
or moment out<br />
of nothing”
GUILLERMO GARCIA CARSI,<br />
DIRECTOR,<br />
ZINKA STUDIOS, MADRID<br />
GRADUATED 1999<br />
“After leaving the <strong>University</strong><br />
College, I started working for<br />
a Spanish Cartoon Network<br />
channel and then on the<br />
pre-school series Pocoyo. In<br />
June 2009 I started my own<br />
studio in order to get my new<br />
projects off the ground. My<br />
proudest moments have been<br />
winning BAFTA and Annecy<br />
awards for Best Animated<br />
Series with Pocoyo.<br />
The best thing about the job is trying<br />
to make people empathise with my<br />
characters and the stories I tell. I enjoy<br />
finding new ways of animating and<br />
giving personality to characters.”
Opposite: Artwork and still from Pocoyo<br />
Below: Stills from Doomed, a new<br />
series Guillermo is working on.<br />
“My proudest moments have<br />
been winning BAFTA and<br />
Annecy awards for Best<br />
Animated Series with Pocoyo”
RICHARD HAYNES,<br />
ANIMATOR<br />
GRADUATED 2003<br />
“I knew I always wanted to<br />
work for Cosgrove Hall; it was<br />
a dream I had kept alive since<br />
childhood memories of watching<br />
The Wind in the Willows and<br />
Danger Mouse. I approached<br />
one of the producers at Annecy<br />
in 2003 and was later offered<br />
a job as trainee stop-motion<br />
animator. This resulted in five<br />
very enjoyable years at Cosgrove<br />
Hall working on Little Robots,<br />
Fifi and the Flowertots, Rupert<br />
Bear, Roary the Racing Car and<br />
Postman Pat: Special Delivery<br />
Service, and finally as a member<br />
of the core creative team.<br />
I later worked for Aardman on Shaun<br />
the Sheep, and I am currently animating<br />
on their forthcoming feature film,<br />
Pirates! due to be completed in 2012.<br />
I am very proud to have worked for<br />
two of the most prolific animation<br />
companies in the UK and to have<br />
played a part in bringing joy to millions<br />
of children and adults alike.”<br />
Richard working on Postman Pat
“I am very proud to have worked for<br />
two of the most prolific animation<br />
companies in the UK...”
ANIMATION<br />
SYMPOSIA<br />
FESTIVALS<br />
UPDATE 2011<br />
RECENT AWARDS<br />
ANIMATION<br />
ACCOLADES<br />
2010 – 2011<br />
Dr Paul Ward, Senior Lecturer<br />
in Animation Production, has<br />
been selected as keynote<br />
speaker at Animating Realities,<br />
a conference about animated<br />
documentary filmmaking, due to<br />
take place during the Edinburgh<br />
Film Festival in June 2011. The<br />
conference aims to bring together<br />
theorists and practitioners to<br />
explore the recent surge of<br />
animated documentaries through<br />
interdisciplinary discussion.<br />
www.edfilmfest.org.uk<br />
The Animation Symposium held at the<br />
AUCB in <strong>Mar</strong>ch 2010 was a resounding<br />
success, with contributors attending<br />
from all over the UK. The day covered<br />
a wide range of animation topics and<br />
offered a combination of academic<br />
papers, presentations and discussion from<br />
industry professionals and practitioners.<br />
Speakers included <strong>Mar</strong>k Cass (Escape<br />
Studios, London), Tom Barnes and Richard<br />
Haynes (Aardman Animation, Bristol), Chris<br />
Gunningham (King Rollo, Honiton) as well<br />
as academic speakers presenting their<br />
research: Dan North (Exeter <strong>University</strong>),<br />
Bella Honess Roe (Sussex <strong>University</strong>) and<br />
Paula Callus (<strong>Bournemouth</strong> <strong>University</strong>).<br />
Topics included puppet films, documentary<br />
animation and animated films from<br />
Africa. The symposium was part of the<br />
Screen Studies South West initiative to<br />
encourage research in the region.<br />
Graduation animations<br />
have been entered into<br />
the following festivals:<br />
ANIMABASAURI-ANIMABASQUE<br />
Bilbao-based animation festival<br />
ANIMABASURI-ANIMABASQUE<br />
has selected six AUCB graduation<br />
animations to be entered in to the<br />
Karratu Short Film Section, where they<br />
will compete for the 1st prize of €600.<br />
The festival takes place from the<br />
1st to the 7th April 2011. The<br />
official festival programme<br />
will be released shortly.<br />
www.animabasauri.com<br />
REDCAT International<br />
Children’s Film Festival<br />
A number of graduation animations have<br />
been entered in to this yearly festival,<br />
which takes place in the Walt Disney<br />
Concert Hall complex in downtown<br />
Los Angeles. Audiences at REDCAT are<br />
large and enthusiastic, and it is frequently<br />
attended by film industry insiders.<br />
26th <strong>Mar</strong>ch and 27th April 2011.<br />
www.redcat.org/event/childrens-film-festival<br />
RiverRun International<br />
Film Festival<br />
Graduation animation Perdus has<br />
been chosen for entry into the<br />
RiverRun International Film Festival,<br />
which takes place from the 8th to<br />
17th April in Winston-Salem,<br />
North Carolina, USA.<br />
www.riverrunfilm.com<br />
Graduate James Norman won<br />
Best Game and Gameplay<br />
at the GAME British<br />
Academy Video Games<br />
Awards 2010 for his work on<br />
Batman: Arkham Asylum.<br />
Graduation animation<br />
Train of Thought, by Leo<br />
Bridle and Ben Thomas, was<br />
shortlisted for both a British<br />
Animation Award and a<br />
Royal Television Society (RTS)<br />
Award in 2010. It also won<br />
first prize in the Experimental<br />
Animation category at<br />
the Animex International<br />
Awards, first prize in the<br />
Super-Short category at the<br />
Skepto International Film<br />
Festival and ‘Best 19 – 25<br />
Animation’ at the BFI Future<br />
Film Festival, London.<br />
Graduation animation<br />
Lullaby, by Nick White and<br />
Emma Neesham, won a<br />
RTS Student Television<br />
Award in both the regional<br />
and national categories.<br />
Graduation animation Pure<br />
Funk, by <strong>Mar</strong>c Adamson,<br />
Simon Ashbery, Hozen<br />
Britto and Noriko Umemura<br />
has been shortlisted<br />
for the RTS Student<br />
Television Awards 2011.
Below left: James Norman<br />
Below right: Train of Thought<br />
Bottom: Lullaby
INTERNATIONAL LINKS<br />
GLORY AND<br />
DREAMS IN<br />
ANIMATION<br />
“This amazingly<br />
successful project<br />
has provided<br />
our Animation<br />
students with a<br />
valuable experience<br />
which has already<br />
enhanced their<br />
career prospects”<br />
Five years ago, the<br />
Animation Production<br />
course set up a partnership<br />
with Glory ‘n’ Dream<br />
Digital Animation Studio<br />
in Nanjing, China. After<br />
the success of the first<br />
student work placements<br />
in 2006, a further 12<br />
students were engaged in<br />
pre-production concept<br />
design on animated feature<br />
film Back To The Sea.<br />
This gave the film a vital injection<br />
of fresh design ideas, whilst two<br />
of the film’s main characters<br />
were designed by students<br />
Alex Ward and Ben Thomas.<br />
When production stepped up in<br />
2008/9, six <strong>University</strong> College<br />
graduates were called to work<br />
on the production stage of the film as<br />
animators and background artists. In<br />
early 2010, the course was successful<br />
in obtaining funding from the British<br />
Council Prime Minister’s Initiative 2 (PMi2)<br />
to send 10 students to the studios in<br />
Nanjing and Shanghai for a one-month<br />
work placement. In addition, two of<br />
our international students benefitted<br />
from a one-month placement. This<br />
amazingly successful project has<br />
provided our Animation students with a<br />
valuable experience which has already<br />
enhanced their career prospects.<br />
Back to the Sea is now in post-production<br />
in Nanjing, Vancouver and Los Angeles<br />
and is due to be screened this year.<br />
Glory ‘n’ Dream Studio plan to continue<br />
this flourishing partnership on their<br />
second animated feature film due<br />
to start pre-production soon.<br />
Aya Suzuki, 2005 Animation<br />
Alumnus, is now working for the<br />
high-profile Japanese animation<br />
studio Madhouse, in Tokyo.<br />
The studio has created such<br />
productions as Tokyo Godfathers<br />
and Paprika. Building on her career<br />
as an animator for Sylvain Chomet’s<br />
recent production The Illusionist,<br />
Aya is forging ahead within the Anime<br />
industry at this prolific studio. She is<br />
currently animating on forthcoming<br />
production The Dreaming Machine.
A selection of stills from<br />
Back to the Sea
PETER PARR,<br />
PROFESSOR<br />
EMERITUS<br />
“Peter Parr has<br />
been the living<br />
embodiment of the<br />
animation course and<br />
a fantastic tutor for<br />
me...he has led by<br />
example and I can<br />
only hope to emulate<br />
his achievement”<br />
Professor Peter Parr is a teacher<br />
and arts practitioner of the<br />
highest calibre. His practice<br />
reveals a natural, personal<br />
modesty, but it conceals the<br />
enormous impact he has had<br />
upon generations of students he<br />
has taught and the professional<br />
worlds of illustration and<br />
animation to which he has made<br />
such significant contributions.<br />
His professional journey has taken<br />
him through commissions as muralist<br />
for the Royal Opera House, the Royal<br />
Shakespeare Company, the English<br />
National Opera, the Royal Danish Opera<br />
and the National Theatre. His sets for<br />
the Lloyd Webber musical Evita were<br />
distributed worldwide. As an Animator<br />
and Title Sequence Designer his credits<br />
include work with the BBC, Yorkshire<br />
Television, HTV, King Rollo Films and<br />
numerous other production companies.<br />
Peter received the British Interactive<br />
Media Award for Design and Visualisation<br />
and his contribution to teaching was<br />
recognised in the award to the AUCB<br />
of the Queen’s Anniversary Medal for<br />
outstanding work in animation and film.<br />
Peter’s talent as a teacher has produced<br />
one of the most successful and<br />
influential global <strong>Alumni</strong> of animators,<br />
some of whom you’ve read about in<br />
this publication. Peter has crafted for<br />
the <strong>University</strong> College a unique course<br />
which is both student-focussed and<br />
industry-related and surely these are<br />
the assets of an enduring, relevant<br />
and outstanding higher education.<br />
Certainly, students think so.<br />
There is a Facebook site called The<br />
Peter Parr Appreciation Society. It<br />
has 180 members and still counting.<br />
Quotes include: “Peter Parr has been<br />
the living embodiment of the animation<br />
course and a fantastic tutor for me.<br />
I am inspired by this chap who has<br />
shown more enthusiasm and energy<br />
than the youths in our class. He has<br />
led by example and I can only hope to<br />
emulate his achievement.” “To the man<br />
that can act as a flag and brings pencils<br />
to life. Peter Parr we salute you.”<br />
Peter is recognised internationally<br />
as the most renowned teacher of<br />
animation in the UK. He has been a Jury<br />
member at the Ecole Superieure des<br />
<strong>Arts</strong> Graphiques, and the Hiroshima<br />
Festival of Animation. Collaboration with<br />
Walt Disney brought to <strong>Bournemouth</strong><br />
the most distinguished symposium of<br />
animation, and his indefatigable work<br />
on behalf of the <strong>University</strong> College<br />
internationally has established a series<br />
of collaborations to include a unique<br />
programme for our students as interns<br />
at the Nanjing Film Corporation, Varga<br />
in Hungary, Dibulitoon Studios in Irun<br />
in Spain and Animax in Prague.<br />
Peter’s association with the<br />
<strong>University</strong> College continues<br />
as a Reader in Animation.
A selection of work by Professor Peter Parr<br />
“To the man that can act as a<br />
flag and brings pencils to life.<br />
Peter Parr we salute you”
SCHOOL OF MEDIA ALUMNI NEWS IN BRIEF<br />
COMIX<br />
TOUR WITH<br />
SWEDISH<br />
HOUSE MAFIA<br />
2009 Digital Media Production<br />
graduates Harry Bird and Sam<br />
Hodgkiss have had an exciting year<br />
which has seen them touring all<br />
over the world with some of the<br />
biggest names in dance music.<br />
They have provided the visuals<br />
for Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac’s New<br />
Year’s Eve Party and were spotted<br />
by producer and BBC Radio 1<br />
DJ Kissy Sell Out whilst playing<br />
in <strong>Bournemouth</strong> and asked to<br />
join the Kissy & Ko tour as VJs.<br />
Following a successful show at the<br />
Brixton Academy, Harry and Sam were<br />
approached by DJ supergroup Swedish<br />
House Mafia, who recently had the<br />
hit single One, and were asked to<br />
accompany them on their world tour.<br />
Kissy Sell-Out<br />
MAKING<br />
THE GRADE<br />
ECHOES OF<br />
SUCCESS<br />
Toby Tomkins, 2009 Film<br />
Production graduate,<br />
has been featured in a<br />
recent edition of British<br />
Cinematographer magazine.<br />
Toby works under the name of TJT Film<br />
primarily on editing, grading and visual<br />
effects. The article discusses the process<br />
of scanning 16mm and 35mm film, and<br />
colour grading the images for a more<br />
aesthetic appeal. This procedure has<br />
historically been reserved for large post<br />
production facilities due to the cost of the<br />
required equipment. Due to the recent<br />
advances in desktop process power, it<br />
is now possible to treat the images in a<br />
similar fashion without the expense of<br />
custom-made computing equipment.<br />
2008 Film Production graduate<br />
and freelance film director Rob<br />
Brown’s graduation film, Echoes,<br />
was named as Best Student Film<br />
at the Cine Gear Expo 2010 at<br />
Paramount Studios in Hollywood.<br />
In a successful few months, Broadcast<br />
<strong>Magazine</strong> selected Rob as a director for<br />
their prestigious Broadcast Hotshots<br />
competition. Rob has also received<br />
a commission from the British Film<br />
Council’s Ideas Tap fund to make a<br />
£17,000 short film. Kevin Spacey was<br />
on the judging panel and presented<br />
Rob with the cheque during a ceremony<br />
at the Old Vic theatre, London.<br />
Rob Brown<br />
Rob with Kevin Spacey<br />
Another film, Silent Things, produced<br />
with fellow AUCB graduates Justin Brown,<br />
Nick Eriksson and John Bowen, won the<br />
New Arrivals Jury Award at the 40th<br />
International Film Festival Rotterdam.
SHIFTING<br />
UP A GEAR<br />
FILM<br />
GRADUATE<br />
IS STAR OF<br />
TOMORROW<br />
Above: David Stoddart<br />
David Trumble graduated from<br />
the AUCB in 2008 and has been<br />
making short films ever since. His<br />
latest project, The Shift, which he<br />
co-wrote, directed and produced<br />
opened in 2010 as part of a<br />
red carpet premiere alongside<br />
mockumentary Beyond the Pole.<br />
David is also an accomplished political<br />
cartoonist going by the name of ‘Trumble’.<br />
He has a weekly slot in the Sun newspaper,<br />
drawing the political cartoon for Trevor<br />
Kavanagh’s column, as well as others<br />
in the sports and health sections.<br />
Below: Still from The Shift<br />
2007 Film Production<br />
graduate David Stoddart has<br />
been hailed as one of twelve<br />
‘stars of tomorrow’ in Screen<br />
International, the magazine for<br />
the international film industry.<br />
According to the industry bible, David’s<br />
films show ‘a keen sense of place and<br />
atmosphere’. David is currently preparing<br />
a short for Scotland’s Digicult as well as<br />
developing ideas for his debut feature.<br />
STOP PRESS<br />
1989 Animation Alumnus Dean<br />
Roberts has completed his work<br />
as a storyboard artist on Disney<br />
feature film ‘Gnomeo and Juliet’.<br />
Michael Pearce, 2003 Film<br />
and Animation Production<br />
graduate, was nominated for a<br />
BAFTA for his short film Rite.
ALUMNUS PHILIP<br />
TOWNSEND IS<br />
‘MISTER SIXTIES’<br />
Below: Philip Townsend’s image of The<br />
Pearly King and Queen in Carnaby Street.<br />
Seminal photographer Philip<br />
Townsend graduated from the<br />
<strong>University</strong> College, (then the<br />
<strong>Bournemouth</strong> and Poole College<br />
of Art) in 1959. He then went on to<br />
document the 1960s, the decade<br />
which transformed Britain from<br />
the 1950s post-war austerity to<br />
a consumer economy in which<br />
London was the coolest capital<br />
city in the world. His images<br />
capture the people, the style<br />
and the musical revolution.<br />
The vibrant collection of images, including<br />
the Rolling Stones’ first ever photo shoot,<br />
demonstrates how close to the action<br />
the photographer was. Philip is now an<br />
Honorary Fellow of the <strong>University</strong> College<br />
and his work has been the subject of<br />
the exhibition ‘Portraits of a Decade’,<br />
in our recently re-launched Gallery.<br />
The AUCB Gallery has recently benefitted<br />
from a major extension project which<br />
has seen an increase in exhibition<br />
space and a new café. The Gallery has<br />
a varied and interesting programme<br />
of exhibitions from some of today’s<br />
leading artists and critical writers<br />
and also shows collections on loan<br />
from other galleries and museums.<br />
For more details or for a full list of Gallery<br />
events, visit www.aucb.ac.uk/thegallery
GRADUATE PRODUCES<br />
‘FEELGOOD FILM<br />
OF THE YEAR’<br />
Stills from Africa United<br />
1992 graduate <strong>Mar</strong>k Blaney<br />
celebrated as his new film,<br />
Africa United, went on<br />
general release in UK cinemas<br />
in autumn 2010. The film,<br />
produced by <strong>Mar</strong>k’s production<br />
company Footprint Films, tells<br />
the extraordinary story of three<br />
Rwandan children who walk<br />
3000 miles to the Soccer World<br />
Cup in South Africa, using a<br />
World Cup wall chart as a map.<br />
<strong>Mar</strong>k, who graduated from the<br />
<strong>University</strong> College in 1992, founded<br />
production company Footprint Films<br />
with three fellow AUCB graduates,<br />
including Simon Beaufoy, OSCARwinning<br />
screenwriter of Slumdog<br />
Millionaire and The Full Monty.<br />
If you are a Media graduate<br />
of the <strong>University</strong> College,<br />
we’d love to hear from you.<br />
Please do get in touch and<br />
let us know what you’re up<br />
to: graduates@aucb.ac.uk
POSTGRADUATE<br />
STUDY<br />
The <strong>University</strong> College provides a<br />
unique and innovative programme<br />
of postgraduate study for those<br />
who wish to engage with their<br />
discipline in greater depth and<br />
to enhance their potential for<br />
professional practice and career<br />
advancement. We currently<br />
offer MAs in Animation,<br />
Contemporary Performance,<br />
Costume, Fine Art, Graphic<br />
Design, Illustration, Interactive<br />
Media, and Photography.<br />
We plan to offer MA Fashion,<br />
Master in Architecture (MArch)<br />
and Research Degree study<br />
from 2012.<br />
If you would like more information<br />
about Postgraduate study with<br />
us, please visit our website<br />
www.aucb.ac.uk where you may<br />
download our latest Directory<br />
and read more about MA study.<br />
We will be posting information<br />
about next year’s Postgraduate<br />
show on our <strong>Alumni</strong> website<br />
in due course and hope very<br />
much that you will come<br />
along to the show in 2011.<br />
All AUCB <strong>Alumni</strong> are eligible for a 20% discount for full-time MA study.