Animation students from Edge Hill University gained invaluable collaborative project experience after linking up with counterparts in Lisbon, Portugal.<\/p>\n
Six Animation students from our BA (Hons) Animation Degree went to Lisbon and worked on a joint-animation project with 12 students from Universidade Lus\u00f3fona, with their work then being showcased during the Society of Animation Studies (SAS) annual conference.<\/p>\n
Split into four groups based upon students\u2019 specialisms (CGI, 2-D, etc), the resultant short films were the realisation of three-four days\u2019 work, based on the theme of \u2018Animation is a Place\u2019, with all years including post-graduates, represented amongst the participants.<\/p>\n
Chris who went on the trip said: \u201cI loved the trip, it was so much better it was a small group of six because it was amazing to get to know students from other years and build really good friendships. The Portuguese students were amazing, they were all friendly and amazing at helping us find different places across Lisbon; it was an amazing experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
The open brief allowed the groups space to express their ideas, exploring themes meaningful to the local community. Inspiration included cultural identity and architecture, much of it reflecting the sense of change in the Portuguese capital.<\/p>\n
Led by Alex and Senior Lecturer Andrew, and supported by Carol Poole, the students boosted their employability skills and professional experience through elements such as group working, meeting briefs and working to deadline, as well as being encouraged to keep sketchbooks of work, ideas and visual development, and reflect on their experience.<\/p>\n
The week-long trip, funded by the Student Opportunity Fund, also helped assist and develop the relationship with the Universidade Lus\u00f3fona, who are a new Edge Hill University Erasmus partner.<\/p>\n
Lauren who also went on the trip said: \u201cThe trip presented me with the opportunity to experience a new place, culture and people. There was, of course, a language barrier which we all worked though, and we worked closely together to make sure that everyone understood and executed their parts of the project. Experiences like this have helped me to understand so much better what it will be like to work in a varied, multilingual and multicultural industry like animation.”<\/p>\n