Ballyfermot College of Further Education and Trinity College launch Collaborative Animation Short Movie
An animated short movie THE LAST TRAIN that was made as part of the Animation Hub, a collaboration between staff and students of the Irish School of Animation (ISA) at Ballyfermot College of Further Education (BCFE) and Trinity College's Graphics, Vision and Visualisation Group (GV2), and the animation studio Giant Creative formed by BCFE graduates, was launched this week (October 26th). Part of the Innovation Dublin 2011 festival, the event was launched by the Principal of BCFE, Maureen Conway and TCD Provost Dr Patrick Prendergast and was attended by representatives from Bord Scannán na hEireann/the Irish Film Board, Science Foundation Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and Irish animation studios were also in attendance at the launch.
The Animation Hub with support from the Irish Film Board and Science Foundation Ireland, ran for three months over the summer and involved Giant Creative working with animation and computer science students. Together they created a one minute animated short, fusing motion capture techniques with naturalistic 3D character animation, a similar technique to that employed by recent Ballyfermot graduate and Oscar winner Richie Baneham on the film 'Avatar'.
BCFE Principal, Maureen Conway said: "This project provided a unique opportunity for students from both institutions to work together in the combination of artistic and scientific skills leading to a creative learning experience for all."
Commenting on the project, Programme Leader of the BA (Hons) Animation at BCFE, Gareth Lee said: "This was an exciting project to be involved in. All of the students gained valuable experience working on a high-end short film using cutting edge techniques."
"The result of this exciting collaboration is a showcase of the best of both institutions in the area of Creative Technologies," continued Trinity's Professor of Visual Computing, Carol O'Sullivan.
The credit list for the film, which is about a man being chased by an unrelenting force, is as follows:
Producers: Professor Carol O'Sullivan (TCD) and Gareth Lee (BCFE)
Technical Advisor: Shane Whelan (BCFE)
Directors: Alex Sherwood, Ben Harper and Sean Mullen (Giant Creative)
Sound Advisor: Franziska Prendergast (BCFE)
3D Animation and Modelling Students: Mark Fisher (BCFE) and Owen Maloney (BCFE)
Motion Capture Students: Amy Davidson (TCD) and Kenneth Ryall (TCD)
The partnership is part of Trinity's Creative Arts, Technologies and Culture Initiative, an initiative to spearhead a dynamic new approach to innovation by promoting the generation of new ideas, creative practice, connections and programmes across the Arts and Sciences, and between the City and Trinity. (www.tcd.ie/catc).
"The animation is the first project to emanate from this unique partnership between Trinity and Ballyfermot College. Both institutions are producing graduates of excellent calibre in very different learning environments. ‘The Last Train' highlights this exciting fusion of talent," said TCD Provost, Dr Prendergast.