Pass the popcorn! Solent students get animated
21 May 2009
Southampton Solent University animation students brought a feeling of Cannes to the city's waterfront as they showcased their final-year work at the Harbour Lights Picture House.
Family and friends of the final-year students enjoyed 25 three-minute animated films - centring on the themes of God and dog - and voted for their favourite.
The exciting collection of work by the students graduating in BA (Hons) Animation, demonstrated why this film form is experiencing a surge in popularity within the industry. This year's Cannes film festival opened with a 3D animation for the first time in its 62-year history.
The best film award - as well as the audience choice - went to Tom Fry, whose Natal Attraction enthralled the audience through its dark narrative about a surgeon lured into an affair with a woman.
Tom said: "I didn't have a clue about animation until I started my degree at Solent University. I never thought I would win an award about a film that was so risqué.
Tom's gory subject matter – including a rather eye watering scene involving the removal of a chap's tackle – is set off by his quirky sense of humour, which lies somewhere between Fawlty Towers and Chandler from Friends.
"Luckily, my lecturer, who has a bit of a dark sense of humour himself, encouraged me to go with my ideas and produce a film I'm really pleased with," said Tom.
Course Leader Adam Comiskey, said: "The standard of animated films was especially high this year. Each of these films contains up to 5000 drawings - the sheer amount of work involved in creating them is huge."
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