Animation - Student Profiles

Brendan Body

Course: Animation and Electronic Media
Date: 1996 - 2000

I always intended to study animation after High School, so I visited all the art colleges in Scotland where I enquired about their animation courses. Duncan of Jordanstone stood out as producing the highest quality animation and was the best equipped.

The facilities in the animation department when I attended the course were state of the art. 3D animation was still fairly rare, so the equipment and programs available there were unmatched anywhere else in the country. I am not a particularly technically minded person, and at first, 3D animation software can seem a little daunting. Because of this, I liked how the course enabled students to switch between different media. I focused on learning the principles of animation, primarily through drawn animation, then applying them to the computer, which was an ideal way to learn.

Dundee is a fun City, with plenty of pubs and good nightlife. I'm originally from a small village in the North of Scotland and Dundee seemed like a big city when I first arrived. Having worked in London for many years since then, Dundee seems quite small when I visit these days, but looking back I think it provided a nice stepping stone from country village to big City, Dundee is small enough to be easily navigated, has all the facilities of a big City, but still manages to maintain a friendly community feeling.

I am currently working for Animal Logic in Sydney, on an upcoming animated feature called The Guardians of Ga'Hoole. Other animated films I've worked on include Happy Feet and The Tale of Despereaux. Before this I worked in visual effects, animating various creatures and characters for the films Hellboy 2, The Dark Knight, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and the many of the Harry Potter Films.

The skills I learned on the animation course, and the work I produced there, are what lead to my first job in animation. The head of animation at Framestore, Michael Eames, travelled to Dundee where he saw my work at the degree show, and was impressed enough to offer me a job. My degree still helps me to this day, enabling me to get working visas abroad easier.