MA Animation Production

The course itself has three elements in which to explore: a theoretical investigation, developing your creative practice, and engagement with professionalism. Personally, I’m also hoping to lecture someday, and so the theoretical element of the MA was right up my street. I decided to research into the different ways a background artist can aid in the storytelling of an animation production, and this became a sort of secondary thesis within my overall project. I thoroughly enjoyed this line of questioning because I felt like it would in turn improve my practical work, as I would be able to implement the things I had learned into my background designs.

After learning as much as I could about the expectations of a background artist, I decided to design two different projects to fill my portfolio. Both projects aimed to showcase the necessary skill set to become a background artist, but one portrayed my ability to match style (an important skill for a background artist), whilst the other illustrated my own style and voice (to hopefully help me stand out in the crowd). I hoped that with these two briefs I could build a portfolio of technically accurate pieces that are eye-catching and filled with storytelling.

Finally, I liked that even the pragmatic lines that I wanted to go down – like writing my CV, how to display my website, and developing a professional network – were also welcomed as part of my studies. They weren’t something that I had to do on the side, but were a part of my overall learning in response to my goal. Being able to direct my own studies in that way helped me to feel very proactive in my goal of gaining employment.

Read Béibhínn's full story: https://aub.ac.uk/latest/b%C3%A9ibh%C3%ADnn-mccarthy-gaining-skill-set-design-animation-industry

With the support of Prof. Paul Ward and my classmates, I decided to create a film that drew from my personal experience of being part of a global Asian diaspora, and specifically about the tension I feel between my ancestral heritage and my lived experience in the global empires of the US and the UK. The goal of the Fulbright program is to engage in cultural exchange between the origin and host country.

I decided to draw these connections through a semi-autobiographical story about an international student who must reconcile her Indian, Trinidadian, and Canadian ancestry with her American and British upbringing. As my own family history reminds me, the British Empire shaped the lives of many Asians in the US, Canada, and the Caribbean. Films about this diverse history are necessary because the violent histories of anti-Asian hate are reappearing in our contemporary lives. The COVID-19 pandemic brought to light anti-Asian sentiments in both the US and UK. Events such as the Atlanta spa shooting in 2021, where six Asian American women were killed in my hometown, not only demonstrated how the pandemic has heightened the racism that Asian Americans experience every day, but also brought the impacts of gendered racism to the forefront.

With this context, I wanted to create an innovative film that engages with critical forms of representation and highlights how members of the Asian diaspora experience the tension between their ancestry and lived experience. It was an absolute joy to be able to work on and receive encouragement about this project. I was able to complete the film, and it is currently on the festival circuit in the hopes of reaching audiences who want to engage with diverse ways of storytelling.

Read Kheyal's full story: https://aub.ac.uk/latest/kheyal-roy-meighoo-the-year-at-aub-transformed-me-into-the-animator-that-i-am-today

My time at AUB has been a whirlwind of exploration, experimentation, and most importantly, a deeper understanding of how storytelling can transcend traditional boundaries to become an immersive experience. When I first joined, I was unsure of what I would find, but I knew one thing for certain: I wanted to blend my love for art with my desire to tell stories that went beyond the conventional. Little did I know that this path would not only transform my creative process, but also shape my perspective on life itself.

When I think back on my year at AUB, I see it as a journey of evolution, of stories told and retold, of challenges faced and overcome, and of endless experimentation. Together with the International Collective Exhibition and the final MA showcase, I got the opportunity to contribute and participate in four exhibitions throughout the year. From the early, deeply personal works like Bathing in Sunlight, to the boundary-pushing projects like Build your Beau, I’ve learned to embrace both the old and the new, the emotional and the experimental.

I’ve realised that storytelling is not just about telling others what you know; it’s about inviting them to see the world through your eyes and feel what you feel. It’s about creating spaces where imagination and reality collide, and where both the artist and the viewer can discover something new about themselves in the process. I cannot stress enough on how grateful I am to the faculty and friends I made here. This past year changed me as a person more than anything and I will carry that with me forevermore.

Read Ananta's full story: https://aub.ac.uk/latest/creative-reflection-with-ananta-sharma-i-wanted-this-project-to-not-only-be-seen-but-felt