Students get set a nightmare project

Back in September tutors set the HND students the project of producing a visual effects animation of their interpretation of dystopia – an imagined nightmarish place representing genres of literature that explore social and political structures.

Over the next 13 weeks, the group honed their skills using LightWave, After Effects and Photoshop to put together their versions of this negative world. Most presentations used the college campus as backgrounds of the set, while the students’ imaginations and creative skills gave it an apocalyptic feel.

Last week, (23 March) students received critical feedback on their visual effects project by Amy Smith, the global head of recruitment for Framestore. Framestore is the BAFTA and Oscar-winning creative studio that works on visual effects for films such as Gravity, Avatar and Beauty and The Beast.

Student James Corton, 19, was able to present his idea to Amy. He said: “My project revealed a cold, futuristic world which combined elements of technology within a research lab.

“It took two to three months to put together. We had to learn the skills and once we picked it up it all fell into place. Eventually I would like to go into the games industry and I’ve been looking at the visual effects industry too.”

Amy Smith said: “I’ve seen some great stuff today from the students. There’s been a huge range of inspiration in their projects from film and literature such as the Hunger Games, 1984, Aldous Huxley. I saw great execution in the presentations. Everyone had an issue with ‘tracking’ but it was identified and rectified.

“I’ve also been able to see some of the BA students’ portfolios today, and there’s plenty of variety in their work and showreels, proving that many of them will have great careers in anything from illustration to graphic design. Everyone I met demonstrated they can take critique and feedback really well which is important in this industry.”