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Visit the Edge Student Development Centre (outside the library) Monday-Friday, 9am-4.30pm.
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Top experts specialising in visual effects and animation will be hitting Bournemouth this month to spread their knowledge at the BFX Festival organised by Bournemouth University (BU). Guests to the festival can look forward to a series of workshops, expert talks and screenings of films such as Maleficent. The event aims to celebrate the British talent in visual effects, animation and games whilst educating its guests.
The director of the event, Sofronis Efstathiou, is ‘delighted’ to be hosting the second BFX Festival after the success of last year. He endeavours to encourage the local community to visit the festival saying: “There is truly something for everyone from industry experts to hobbyists, animators to technical directors.” The event will be held in the Bournemouth International Centre from the 24th to 28th September.
Other masterminds present at the festival will include graduates from BU who were part of the team behind the visual effects in the Oscar award winning film ‘Gravity’. The brilliance behind Disney’s animation will also be revealed in exhibitions held over the course of the festival with artwork from Sleeping Beauty and Maleficent.
Naturally, the event has sparked up interest amongst many media outlets such as BBC Radio Solent and ‘The Daily Echo’. Gaming blogs such as ‘The Bearded Trio’ also ran stories on the event. The event was also mentioned in the online gamer’s website ‘Gamasutra’ where Bournemouth Council Councillor Lawrence Williams says: “We are delighted to support the BFX Festival. It is a fantastic opportunity for people starting their career to speak to the experts and gain insight and inspiration to enter the industry.”
By Charlotte Cranny-Evans
Charlotte is a graduate of Budmouth College in Weymouth, who is working at Bournemouth University in the Press and PR Department. She joined BU on a Sir Samuel Mico Scholarship, which provides 10 students from the college with work experience for four weeks over the summer.
The School of Health and Social Care has held its annual Awards Ceremony to celebrate the success of graduating students.
Students from each course were awarded prizes from local hospital trusts where they were on placement, course leaders and the Students’ Union.
Professor Gail Thomas, Dean of the School of Health and Social Care, said “I think this evening is one of the high points of the year because it celebrates some of our incredibly successful students.
“All of students are successful, but these have gone the extra mile and have made a real difference to their peers, to the practitioners they work with, and the patients, clients and service users they work with. Well done to all of them!”
A keynote speech from Judith Chapman, Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy, opened the proceedings with a motivational speech on how learning from the past helps with present challenges.
Presentations were then awarded to the students from all of the School’s undergraduate, postgraduate and post-registration courses.
Olivia Tuckerman, BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy graduate and recipient of the Students’ Union Award said: “It’s such a lovely event, I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone’s achievements”.
Rebecca Mitchell, BSc (Hons) Nutrition graduate and recipient of the Nutrition Award added: “It’s a real pleasure to be here, the evening is really nicely put on and I feel very honoured to be invited to come along”.
The evening closed with a celebration networking event for prize winners, tutors and their families.
Winners of the awards were:
Ten students studying the part time Foundation Degree in Business & Management will be the first graduates from the Guernsey Training Agency University Centre (GTA).
The GTA partnered with Bournemouth University’s Business School in 2010 to provide the first on-island alternative for Guernsey students, who wanted a recognised university education without having to study on the mainland.
This year’s graduates will be the first at GTA to successfully complete a university-level qualification and the FdA is the equivalent of two year’s of an honours degree, allowing the students to top-up to a full honours degree at a later stage. The course is open to those who recently left full time education and also mature students who are already in the workplace, a second chance at university education.
Deputy Chief Executive of the GTA University Centre, Simon Le Tocq, commented on the students’ achievements,
“To have 10 students graduate from what has been a three year commitment is fantastic and demonstrates the enthusiasm that islanders have for continuing professional development. All of the graduates feel they have benefitted enormously from having this opportunity and I am confident that their commitment will be recognised by their employers and that they will progress in their careers based on what they have learnt.”
The foundation degree involves a mix of classroom teaching from BU lecturers, online support from BU’s Business School and work-based learning supported by GTA staff. Study includes units in marketing, finance, HR, law, economics and management. Students also undertake complete a work-based project on a subject of their choice in a real business environment.
The graduates were presented with their awards by Professor Richard Conder, elected member of Guernsey’s States Assembly and external board member at BU.
A group of MA 3D Computer Animation graduates from the class of 2010/11 and 2011/12, have formed a new digital cooperative called BRILLIANA.
With a Kickstarter campaign launched this week for their first animation entitled “The Lost Romance of Elizabeth Linley”, the cooperative is based at the digital production house, London Animation Studio.
The project focuses on the 3D computer animation portrayal of 18th century pop star Thomas Gainsborough’s work.
The BRILLIANA group’s three minute computer animation will digitally deconstruct Gainsborough’s portraits of Elizabeth Linley, a famous societal woman who was something of a celebrity when it came to societal men. The animation aims to strike a balance between contemporary and the original beauty of some Gainsborough’s ultimate works.
The BRILLIANA group includes Leo Crane, Emanuela Gatto, Evelina Jeliazkova, Arda Kaya Iuliia Markina, Jonathan Toomey, Colin Tunnicliffe and Archit Vazé.
Director Leo, set up the company in January 2013.
“One of the great joys of studying at Bournemouth was forming a close group of friends who have continued to work together as professionals. This is in spite of the fact that our year was hugely international, with eight people from six different countries.
We were encouraged to work collaboratively at Bournemouth and this has instilled in us an understanding of how much we can achieve when we combine forces. It has also taught us valuable lessons about pipeline and project management, which we are now testing in this project.”
Project member Emanuela Gatto describes the journey so far with BRILLIANA.
“I am glad every day that I got that decision to apply to the Master course in 3D Computer Animation at Bournemouth University, not just because I started there my career as Animator, but also because I met the most creative and inspiring persons from all over the globe.
During the Master we learnt to develop our ideas, covering all the aspects of the production pipeline, we tested different approaches and experimented personal styles, always pushing to achieve quality results. At the same time we learnt a lot from each other and from our different backgrounds. We shared our enthusiasm, helping each other through such a much positive collaboration that we could say that BRILLIANA began just there, before we could even realised”.
The graduates are working in collaboration with, Andrew Hayes, whose band ‘The Unrecorded’, is providing the music and sound design. The Dulwich Picture Gallery amongst others is also helping by providing high resolution images of Gainsborough’s paintings translated directly into film. The deadline for funding for the project is Saturday July 19 2014.
For more information or to pledge your support go to the Kickstarter website.
Bournemouth University graduates were celebrating last night as their work on the film Gravity was highlighted with an Oscar win.
Graduates and lecturers from BU’s National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA) were part of the team that worked on the visual effects for the blockbuster.
Gravity picked up the Oscar for Achievement in Visual Effects at an eventful awards ceremony in Hollywood, Los Angeles hosted by Ellen DeGeneres.
The film picked up a total of seven Oscars on the night, including nods for Best Director (Alfonso Cuarón), Achievement in Cinematography and Achievement in Film Editing.
The movie, which also picked up high-profile awards at this year’s BAFTAs, stars George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, but the majority of the space-themed film was created digitally.
London-based effects house Framestore worked on the special effects for the film – with the help of around 60 alumni from BU’s animation and visual effects courses.
Adam Redford, a Senior Practice Fellow in Computer Animation at BU, was a senior texture artist at Framestore. He worked for around six months on the film, helping to paint some of the interior and exterior sets and props seen in the film.
Adam said, “”The NCCA at Bournemouth University has a great reputation for producing graduates that go on to achieve amazing success in the feature film visual effect industry all over the world. A lot of the tools, techniques and processes used in the creation of the visual effects for Gravity are being taught in NCCA classrooms every day, this will give our students the necessary education and understanding of visual effects to enable them to achieve great success in the feature film visual effects industry of the future.”
Anna Swift, Recruitment & Talent Development Manager at Framestore, said, “We are so thrilled to be celebrating Gravity’s success, which is a testament to the commitment and skill of our talented staff, including Bournemouth University graduates”.
It is not the first time that NCCA alumni have had their work recognised with high-profile awards.
More than 50 graduates and former BU academics worked on the Oscar-winning visual effects for Avatar, while MA Visual Effects graduate Andy Lockley won an Oscar in 2011 for his work on the special effects for Inception.
The NCCA’s contribution to world-leading excellence and pioneering development in computer animation was even recognised with a Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2012.
The work of graduates and staff from the National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA) on the BAFTA-winning visual effects for the film Gravity received coverage across a range of local media.
Around 40 graduates from the NCCA – as well as current Senior Practice Fellow in Computer Animation Adam Redford – worked with effects house Framestore on the visual effects for the blockbuster, which won six awards at the 2014 BAFTAs.
Their success was picked up in articles by local newspaper the Bournemouth Echo and Blackmore Vale magazine – which both quoted MA Visual Effects graduate Sam Salek about his involvement with the film.
The story was also featured in news bulletins on local radio station Fire FM, while Sofronis Efstathiou, Framework Leader for postgraduate visual effects and animation courses at BU, was interviewed about it live on BBC Radio Solent’s Drivetime programme.
Sofronis told presenter Tim Butcher that Framestore have an outpost based near BU’s Talbot Campus, where some students and graduates worked on the visual effects for the film, and that the reputation for BU’s animation courses and graduates continues to grow.
“We’ve been around for about 20 years now, but over the past 6 or 7 years, every Oscar or BAFTA night we’ve seen our graduates either be nominated or certainly part of those films,” he said.
“We’ve got a big team here and we work very hard and speak to industry, having them feed into our teaching, so it’s good to see it’s working.”
He added that the visual effects industry – and the popularity of BU’s animation courses – continued to grow.
“It’s one of the best courses in the country…It’s a vibrant industry, it’s a creative industry around here – not just in London, but around the borough and certainly around the world it is doing very well.”
Listen to the interview in full (Starts 1 hour 35 minutes into programme)
The work of BU graduates on the visual effects for Oscar-nominated film Gravity was featured in an article in 3D Total.
London-based effects house Framestore worked on the visual effects for the film, which has been nominated for both the Oscar and BAFTA for visual effects, and the article highlights that a number of graduates from the National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA) at BU hold key positions at the company and worked on Gravity.
The article includes interviews with NCCA graduates including Ian Comley, who is now Framestore’s look development lead and worked on making sure that the texture and lighting of the effects in Gravity were as realistic as possible.
He said: “My year at Bournemouth was packed with lectures ranging from cinematography, through animation and rendering to the mathematics for inverse kinematics.”
Also interviewed was one of Framestore’s resident paint and roto artists, David J Nolan, who completed the MA in Digital Effects at BU.
David, whose work on Gravity involved converting live action sequences to 3D formats, said: “Framestore decided to open an outpost office in Bournemouth, and I was hired as a junior paint and roto artist,
“This meant that I hit the ground running immediately after finishing at the NCCA and was able to put my new-found knowledge into practice, working on some very big projects.”
Another graduate featured in the article was Framestore’s digital modelling supervisor Ben Lambert, who helped oversee all of the visual effects for the film.
He graduated from the BA in Computer Visualization and Animation at the NCCA in 1999, and said his time at Bournemouth University was invaluable.
“The course gave me a very broad overview of all areas of 3D and animation,” he said.
“I think it’s important for artists to have a wide range of skills and versatility, it means they can work at both larger and smaller studios. I think the programming aspects of the course have surprised me with how much I’ve had to now use in my day-to-day job.”
Read the 3D Total article in full
Find out more about the National Centre for Computer Animation at BU
Media School alumni who have gone on to industry success came back to Bournemouth University to give advice and inspiration to current students.
Top directors, writers, radio producers and business owners were among those who returned to talk to third year Media School students as part of the Bourne Legacy event.
The speakers for the day-long event, which is now in its third year, included Richard Senior.
Since graduating from the BA (Hons) Television Production course in 2002, Richard has gone on to become the youngest ever Director of Doctor Who, Lead Director for children’s drama M.I. High and an award-winning promo producer, creating ad campaigns for BBC dramas.
He said that his advice to the current students was to: “Work hard, build good relationships and don’t be afraid of taking risks.”
He added: “I’m here because I wouldn’t have got where I am without Bournemouth University.
“I think some of the most useful sessions when I was here were when industry people came back to tell us about their experience. I wanted to be part of that and I hope that the advice I give is equally useful.”
Bob Fletcher, who graduated from BA (Hons) Scriptwriting in 2007, was also speaking at the event.
Bob is now working as an associate TV Producer, coming up with new comedy formats, as well as a comedy writer – creating sketches for the likes of Miranda Hart, Jack Whitehall and Harry Enfield.
“Bournemouth University has a really good reputation in the TV industry,” he said.
“If you say you went to Bournemouth, people’s ears prick up.
“People who leave here have every advantage, you just need to make sure you sell yourself and make yourself employable.”
His advice included making yourself stand out by creating and sending short films of your work, rather than just scripts, and not being afraid to hound people.
“You just have to make sure everyone knows who you are,” he said.
“Be really enthusiastic and have ideas. You have got to get past feeling bad about being a nuisance.”
He added he wished he made more of the extra-curricular activities and equipment available to him while at BU.
“I wish when I was at university, I’d made more effort to do things outside the course and collaborated with students in other disciplines.
“I wish I could come back and make some more films and sketches and use all the equipment you have here for free.”
Other speakers at the event included MA Radio Production graduate Mog McIntyre, who is now working on Chris Evans’ BBC Radio 2 programme, and Hollywood horror writer and BA Scriptwriting alumni Richard Hobley.
As well as talks, there was a question and answer panel sessions and the chance to network with the alumni.
Gavin Williams set up his own company, Fishrod, after completing the Interactive Media Production (now Digital Media Design) degree in 2010. The company, which develops web applications and interactive technology, now has clients including BskyB and WWE Wrestling.
Gavin said that he hoped his talk at the Bourne Legacy event would inspire current students.
“I hope it gives them inspiration and confidence to go out and do their own thing. They have the skills to do it,” he said.
“The most important thing is to seize opportunities. You do really tiny things and never know what it is going to snowball into.”
A new partnership between Bournemouth University and AFC Bournemouth will create exciting opportunities for students, graduates and the local community.
The four-year partnership between BU and The Cherries is designed to enhance students’ experiences through a variety of exclusive work experience opportunities, giving them a competitive edge when looking for full-time work.
This includes working alongside the AFC Bournemouth Community Sports Trust in delivering an annual season-long project for every year of the partnership, as well as supporting the club’s media and commercial team on match days.
Bournemouth University Vice-Chancellor John Vinney said he was delighted to see two of the town’s biggest institutions working together for the benefit of the students and the community.
“We are very excited about the partnership with AFC Bournemouth and the opportunities and experiences it will create for our students,” he said.
“It is also exciting that our two institutions will be partnering to make a difference in our local community, showing a continuing commitment to the area in which our staff and students live.”
The new partnership will also mean BU’s varsity football teams receive expert coaching from AFC Bournemouth’s Community Sports Trust.
At the launch of the partnership, the teams were treated to a training session with AFC Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe at the Goldsands Stadium.
“I think it’s a great tie-up,” Eddie said.
“We would love to give people the experience of how a football club works and obviously, from the students’ perspective, that will be something that they will value greatly.
“We’ve already had a few interns getting full time jobs with us, so it’s hopefully a set up that works and hopefully both parties will benefit.”
Megan Cave, from the BU women’s varsity football team, took part in the training sessions at AFC Bournemouth.
“It’s been good to have this experience and see it all, and the coaching will help develop us as players and as a squad,” said the second year Sports Development and Coaching Sciences student.
“I’m interested in working somewhere like this in the future so it’s great to be able to get in here and make those professional links.”
A number of Bournemouth University graduates are already employed by AFC Bournemouth, including the club’s commercial director Rob Mitchell.
AFC Bournemouth chairman Jeff Mostyn said that he hoped the new partnership would also benefit the local community.
“This is the start of what we hope will be a really large and successful partnership, with two of the most esteemed organisations in the area joining forces to create centres of excellence,” he said.
“We like to think that the football club is the hub of the community and the contribution of the university will help this develop into an amazing relationship, bringing both local businesses and students in the area together.
“It is a great opportunity to develop the skills of young people both within the university and the football club.”
Bournemouth University