International success for media arts animation students
3-D animated films created by two BA (Hons) Media Arts students have featured in the recent Animation Marathon Festival last month in Athens, Greece. The festival took place in Ρομάντσο, the former printing plant of the once famous Romantso magazine, situated in the historical center of Athens which now functions both as hub for start-up companies within the creative industry and as a cultural centre, organizing and hosting a variety of events accessible to the wider public.
Terry Burrows, who graduated in 2016, presented his final year film The Spider, a model animation about fear, exploring the irrational thoughts that pop into your head when faced with something that might cause you embarrassment or for other people to have a lesser opinion of you.
As Terry explained: “The thought of what we might be facing is often more scary than what we actually encounter... it’s the idea of the spider that scares you - so in this film, the spider is a metaphor for any situation we might find ourselves in, no matter how big or small.”
Terry joined the University of Plymouth in 2013. After his first year on the BA (Hons) Media Arts course, Terry began to study animation and went on to produce several short films including The Jungle and The Use of Sound. During his time at the University, Terry founded his own animation company, Walnut Productions, which provided an outlet for his films and a professional identity. Terry is currently developing several projects with Walnut Productions, which specialises in humorous, quirky, original short films made from the recycled objects and materials you would find in your home. On the experience of screening his film alongside professional from around the world, Terry said: “To be involved in a festival makes me feel I'm part of an industry.”
Student Ambassador Dmitri Domoskanov, currently a second year BA (Hons) Media Arts student, is delighted that his film Rock Matrix, a virtuoso claymation inspired by the Eastern European Surrealist tradition of experimental stop-motion film-making, is achieving international success. He said:
“University is the place where students are given a possibility to take as much as they can while they are still students. To me it was extremely important to constantly ask tutors for help, collaborate with course mates and make the best use of the University’s facilities and equipment. Thanks to that, I managed to produce an animation piece that was screened in Athens alongside professional animated films from across the world.