A behind the scenes look at animation
Victoria University of Wellington's School of Design is partnering with Te Papa to present Te Papa Talks Animation: Exploring Digital Storytelling, a series of events for aspiring animators inspired by DreamWorks Animation: The Exhibition.
The events, being held on 19 and 20 of February at Te Papa, will include presentations from industry experts, a question and answer session led by Victoria’s Dr Leon Gurevitch, a networking session and a day of hands-on workshops.
“We see this collaboration as a great way to raise the profile of the animation industry in New Zealand, and to engage with young people to highlight the study and career options available to them in Wellington,” says Associate Professor Douglas Easterly, Head of Victoria’s School of Design.
Speakers at the event include DreamWorks Animation’s Production Manager Kelly Cooney, Victoria graduate and Pik Pok Managing Director Mario Wynands and Weta Digital’s Visual Effects Supervisor Wayne Stables. Their presentations will focus on animation projects they’ve worked on throughout their careers.
Following on from these presentations, participants are encouraged to attend a networking session where students from Victoria’s School of Design will showcase their work.
Byron Mallet from the School’s Master of Design Innovation programme will present his creation Pensato. Based on Oculus Rift technology, participants are transformed into master composers as this deeply immersive experience surrounds the user with a unique virtual reality world of music sequencing interfaces.
“We want to use this opportunity to show those interested in entering the design industry, what our programmes have to offer,” says Associate Professor Easterly.
“At Victoria we are actively training our students for careers in the industry, and equipping them with skills and knowledge that may see them go on to work for industry leaders, such as DreamWorks Animation, in the future.”
Curated by the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), DreamWorks Animation: The Exhibition, now on at Te Papa, features never-before-seen original artworks and models, behind-the-scenes interviews and spectacular interactive experiences direct from DreamWorks Animation Studios.
For more information or to purchase tickets visit Te Papa.