One Dinosaur leads to Another

To some the NHS is a cumbersome dinosaur whose best days are behind it, and a Dundee student's animated satire of the health system has led to her landing a placement working on a project to create cumbersome dinosaurs.

Gabi Pruszkowska (29), originally from Lodz, Poland, will take up a month's placement with Jellyfish Pictures in London in June. She has just completed an Animation degree at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design and her final year project is currently being displayed at the 2010 Dundee Degree Show.

She will be working on 'Planet Dinosaur', a major three-part BBC One series, which will be created entirely in CGI. Chris Seed, who graduated from the Animation programme last year, will also take up a month's placement with Jellyfish.

Gabi's Degree Show exhibit is a short film featuring Dr Pastille, a grotesque and uncaring GP who refuses to listen to his patient's complaints and who prescribes a little white pill, regardless of whether their symptoms are a broken leg or an eye that has become detached from its socket.

Gabi says the inspiration for the film came from her observations of the NHS after moving to Scotland five years ago, and from hearing horror stories from friends and in the media.

"It appeared to me that the NHS was this giant bureaucracy, which is very much centrally controlled and is driven by targets and management rather than a concern for patients," she said.

"The pill which the doctor in the film keeps giving out represents paracetamol as that seems to be the standard advice to anyone who sees their doctor, regardless of what their symptoms are.

"Very often it seems to be an easy solution for problems that people have. This medicine is virtually free from side effects and looks like the safe option to use regardless of what the symptoms are. To me it is a way of playing safe: it might not help but certainly will do you no harm.

"In fact the last patient in the film is based on a real person. I remember a story about someone who died from pneumonia because of misdiagnosis. The symptoms were recognised as an ordinary cold and he was given paracetamol as a solution.

"This isn't always the doctor's fault, but the situation comes about when the system is so over-worked and doesn't allow the doctor time to listen to their patient's complaints. This lack of care and attention will inevitably lead to misdiagnosis from time to time. The characters are grotesque caricatures as it's a grotesque situation for health to be measured in the way it is.

"I'm very much looking forward to the placement with Jellyfish and hope it might lead to a permanent job. I came from a Fine Art background and had hoped to possibly work in fashion design but I changed to Animation when I came to Duncan of Jordanstone. I initially came to Scotland on holiday, but it turned into a very long holiday. I've been here for five years now and have had an amazing time."

Phil Dobree, Director of Jellyfish Pictures, said he was looking forward to welcoming the two new animation interns.

He said, "'We were particularly looking for skilled creature animators and the tests both Chris and Gabi did for us were impressive. They fulfilled the criteria we were looking for."