Graduate Works On Animated Film

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Isabelle Kennedy has completed a short contract as an Art Department Junior on the production of film Chuck Steele: Night of Trampires.

The 21-year-old made contacts during her Animation studies at University, which enabled her to secure work with the film's makers Animortal, Trampires Ltd shortly after finishing her degree.

"It was very overwhelming when I was told I was working on this film," said Isabelle, of Falmouth, Cornwall.

"Working in this job has allowed me to meet a range of people, who have all worked in different studios. I have many contacts now and it is amazing."

The feature length horror comedy film is a stop-motion animation, meaning that objects are physically changed frame by frame so they appear to move on their own.

Each puppet is handmade with the heads made from plasticine to enable each facial expression to be manipulated.

In her role, Isabelle helped make various props for the film, using a wide range of tools and materials, and also did set dressing, including painting and texturing.

Isabelle's route to the film initially came from an Animation Industry Panel set up by the ¹ú²úÊÓƵ's Animation lecturers to inform the course and support student learning.

This included a talk on the animation industry by Drew Roper from Yamination.

After being impressed by Drew's work, Isabelle emailed him to show him her work and managed to get work experience.

This led to further work experience in with the makers of Chuck Steele, which led to the offer of work.

"It is all about who you know in this industry, so it is important to stay in contact with everyone. The more people you know, the further you can go in the industry," she said.

She praised the course, which she said had exposed her to all different types of animation, which helped her decide what to focus on for her final year project.

"The tutors were friendly and helped us through each year, teaching us all the skills we need to experiment with 2D, 3D stop motion animation and more," she said.

"We were taught a range of skills, from stop motion sculpting to CGI rigging.

"I enjoyed meeting animators who visited the university. It was a great way to learn about the industry."

Jacqui Edwards, Lecturer in Animation, said: "We were absolutely delighted to hear of Issy's success.

"We have worked hard to establish greater ties with the animation industry, particularly within our region, and it's great that initiatives such as our Animation Industry Panel have made such an impact."

Pictured: Isabelle working on her final year project at the ¹ú²úÊÓƵ