ENCOUNTERS
Thursday 22nd of November
NEWS FROM ENCOUNTERS:
Bristol’s annual international festival of animated & short film
ENCOUNTERS PUTS SPOTLIGHT
ON UK’S ANIMATION TRAINING
Diary date: Thursday 22 November, 11am start
ANIMATION NEW TALENT SYMPOSIUM, with a keynote address by visual effects specialist Henry LaBounta
Watershed, Harbourside, Bristol, BS1 5TX, UK
The UK city that holds more Academy Awards for animation than any other in the UK announced plans today (Wednesday 3 October) for a major debate on how well animation training is equipping graduates to compete in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.
The debate will take place in November as part of the next Encounters Short Film Festival, close to the Bristol HQ of Aardman Animations - the triple Oscar-winning creators of Wallace and Gromit and other hit films and series, such as Flushed Away, Chicken Run, Creature Comforts, Angry Kid andShaun the Sheep.
The day-long event, produced for Encounters by Shelley Page of the DreamWorks Animation studio, will address the speed with which the animation industry is changing and whether the UK’s approach to animation as an academic subject can meet the needs of the Animation, Gaming and Visual Effects industries for highly-skilled graduates with a flair for innovation.
Shelley Page says: “There’s a respected tradition in the UK that higher education is a time for discovery and growth - that it isn’t solely a preparation for getting a job. There are many disciplines where this approach works well but if students are taking courses with the goal of becoming animators in the established studios, they need to emerge with the skills and attitudes that will enable employers to compare them favourably with graduates of some of the excellent courses run outside the UK. And the fact is that the training elsewhere in Europe is often more job-focused. As a result, some of the most exciting opportunities for recent graduates are being snapped up by people who haven’t been trained in the UK.”
For the debate, moderated by Professor Paul Wells, Director of Animation at LoughboroughUniversity, Encounters is bringing together animation commissioners and broadcasters, practising and student animators, and representatives from most of the leading schools of animation in the UK and Europe.
Each of the schools will outline their ethos, curriculum strengths and the directions taken by graduates after completing their studies– with examples of outstanding work from recent graduates. In addition, representatives from leading animation, visual effects and gaming studios will present examples of exciting new work created by recently-hired graduates, and compare case studies of the different routes into their own areas of specialisation.
The day will also feature a keynote address by visual effects maestro Henry LaBounta, the Chief Creative Officer at Electronic Arts, whose long list of Hollywood film credits includes Artificial Intelligence: AI, Minority Report, Mission Impossible 2 and a Star Trek movie.
Shelley Page adds: “The symposium is designed to enable all the attendees to fully participate – a chance to share ideas, to show and to see examples of stimulating new work from both the academic and professional sectors and to widen the dialogue about what the international industry needs and expects as the market-place for emerging talent evolves.“
The Animation Industry New Talent Symposium takes place on Thursday 22 November - day two of the 13th annual Encounters Short Film Festival, happening at and around Watershed, Bristol, from 21-25 November.
This year, the festival’s competitions attracted more than 1,500 entries from a record 66 countries. French video artist Jean Gabriél Périot, Mexican e-comic book creator Francisco Ruiz, and the twice Academy Award nominated Bill Plympton (US) are among those who have since been short-listed for awards. As well as screening more around 300 films, including 120 premieres, and giving away over £20,000 worth of cash prizes and commissions, Encounters 2007 will also offer a Film School, focusing this year on the role of the producer, visits from noted directors such as Frank Cottrell Boyce, Shane Edwards and Royston Tan, interviews by film critic and broadcaster Mark Kermode, have-a-go film-making and editing workshops, and the unveiling of the UK’s first short film canon.
Passes for the Animation Industry New Talent Symposium cost £75, (£45 concessions) and include the debate, the Henry LaBounta address, and access to screenings, delegate lounge, EA Games Room and networking events. Other ticket options, including for the FilmSchool, are also available. For more details and bookings, see www.encounters-festival.org.uk; email info@encounters-festival.org.uk or telephone: +44 (0)117 929 9188.
The Encounters Short Film Festival is organised by Encounters Festivals Ltd, with support from Bristol City Council, and South West Screen. Principal sponsors of Encounters 2007 are: Aardman Animations, Cartoon Network, EA Games and HP. Partners are:UK Film Council (via its National Lottery funding) BBC Three, BBC New Talent, and BBC Film Network.