University of Creative Arts graduate Chloe Rodham won the Open/Drawn category of the inaugural Red Bull Canimation contest.
From UCA press release:
Chloe Rodham, who graduated from the University of Creative Arts with a BA (Hons) in Animation in July 2010, won the ‘Open/Drawn’ category of the inaugural Red Bull Canimation contest.
Her winning short film Skyhound will be featured in a Red Bull takeover of the advertisement break on Channel 4, E4, More 4 and Film 4 from 22.10 – 22.15 on Monday 9 January 2012.
Chloe, who is 22 and from Newcastle, said: “I’m delighted to have won the Canimation competition. It was an incredible feeling to hear my name announced - I didn't quite believe it and my friend had to nudge me to remind me to get up to collect the award.
“This award is very special to me because it’s the first I have won where the piece was created specifically to a brief for a competition and, of course, Red Bull is very a big, well-known brand.
“It was an exciting competition to be a part of because creating a buzz about your entry via social media and Vimeo was part of the first round. I told a lot of friends and family about the films so it’s been great to tell them the good news.”
Over a six-week period, hundreds of student, professional and hobbyist animators took inspiration from the Red Bull can to create films across three specialist categories: CGI, Drawn and Stop Motion animation.
Judging was shared between the public and a panel of esteemed animation experts from The Mill, 12foot6, Aardman, The British Animation Awards and 4Creative, with the winners announced at Empire in London’s Leicester Square on 15 December 2011.
Since leaving UCA, Chloe has made animations for ITV, the Labour Party and a music video for DeVotchKa.
“Chosing to studying animation at UCA has been crucial to my career,” Chloe added. “The portfolio and showreel I developed at university has been invaluable to me finding work since graduating. As well as teaching the vital techniques and providing inspiration and advice, the tutors at UCA helped me gain the confidence to promote my work.”
Bexie Bush, a 2011 Animation graduate from UCA Farnham, was also at the ceremony as one of the Canimation finalists in the Open/Stop-motion category.
The Animation degree at UCA Farnham is no stranger to national and international success - three previous students have gone on to win Academy Awards. The most recent was in 2008, when Suzie Templeton won Best Animated Film for Peter and the Wolf.
The University for the Creative Arts has campuses in Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester and is one of Europe’s largest specialist Universities of art, design, architecture, media and communication. With around 7, 000 students studying on a wide range of well-established courses, potential graphic designers’ work alongside budding journalists and pioneering fashion designers in a highly creative environment. www.ucreative.ac.uk
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
