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Pocahontas, Moana and Toy Story, have
regularly sent speakers to Animex.
Behind the scenes insight has also been
provided over the years from the likes
of Jason Schleifer, who worked as lead
animator on The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Visual effects expert Phil Tippet has talked
about working on the original Star Wars
trilogy, the Jurassic Park films, the RoboCop
films and the Twilight trilogy, while California
State University Professor Stuart Sumida,
has shared insight into advice provided on
the movement of animals for films such as
Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Stuart
Little, Hercules, Mulan, Scooby Doo and
Kung Fu Panda.
From the games industry, big names over
the years have included Rockstar Games,
creators of the massive Grand Theft Auto
series, Blizzard Entertainment, who are
behind the World of Warcraft games, and
Assassin’s Creed creators Ubisoft.
Tim Brunton, Animex project manager,
said: “We are amazed when we look back
at names that Animex has attracted to
Teesside over the past 20 years and we
continue to be delighted by the calibre of
guest speakers who attend.”
The line-up for this year’s event, which
took place in May, remained as diverse as
ever, ranging from Disney animators to the
creators of the latest Marvel Spider-Man
game.
Animex also welcomed Kaya Jabar,
who worked on season seven of Game
of Thrones and talked about her work
bringing to life a fire-breathing dragon. More
technical insight was shared by Walt Disney
Animation Studios layout artist Lindsey St
Pierre, who most recently worked on Ralph
Breaks the Internet.
Also talking about her latest projects was
Chiara Antelmi, fresh from Tim Burton’s
Dumbo and now working on upcoming
Disney titles The One and Only Ivan and
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.
Animex offers students and games
industry professionals an unparalleled
opportunity to collaborate and share
expertise.
Also taking place during Animex was the
university’s annual ExpoTees showcase,
where employers can find out more
about the work of final year students
from the School of Computing and Digital
Technologies.
Tim Brunton added: “We have invited
Teesside University graduates who are
successfully working in the industry to offer
one-to-one feedback and advice to students
on their portfolios and how to make the
break into industry.
“Animex was founded in 2000 with
the aim of creating a world-class festival
which would draw some of the games
and animation industries' brightest lights
and future stars together to share their
knowledge.
“It offers an opportunity to meet industry
experts and get behind the scenes insight,
and enables students to take advantage of
valuable networking opportunities as they
prepare to enter the industry themselves.”
OSCAR-
WINNING
TALENT
O
ne of the most successful
alumni of the School of
Computing and Digital
Technologies is Tristan Myles, who
this year picked up an Oscar for Best
Achievement in Visual Effects.
Tristan, who now lives in Canada,
is DFX Supervisor with DNEG, which
was given the Oscar for its work
on First Man, a film about life of
astronaut Neil Armstrong.
Tristan, who also worked on
Blade Runner 2049 and Interstellar,
graduated from Teesside University in
2000 with a BA Creative Visualisation.
The award was DNEG’s second
consecutive VFX Oscar, with Tristan
also part of the team which won
an Academy Award last year for
Blade Runner 2049. DNEG has now
received the Best VFX Oscar for four
of the last five years.
Tristan said: “I knew from a fairly
early age that I wanted to get into
visual effects in film, and the BA
Creative Visualisation course at
Teesside University afforded me the
knowledge and tools needed to take
the first step into that field.
“From then on it was hard work,
lots of hours, and a commitment to
the craft that got me to where I am
today.”
DNEG hosted last year’s ExpoTees
London, Teesside University’s annual
industry-led exhibition of work from
recent graduates, showcasing work
in animation, games, concept art and
visual effects demonstrating creativity,
imagination and industry-standard
skills. It provides an opportunity for
recruiters and producers to meet the
graduates and talk about their work.
This year’s ExpoTees London event
is due to be held in June at Bafta
and Oscar-awarding winning creative
studio Framestore.