Thirty third-year Animation students from Loyalist College visited the TIFF Bell Lightbox, new home of the Toronto International Film Festival, on November 23rd in support of four classmates who were selected to participate in the Master Class of world-renowned animator Tim Burton. Team members Theo Wolff, Alex Bosch and Mark Schuenemann, were chosen to participate based on the content of their animation Opening Day, created during their second year of the Animation program. An audience of approximately 200, including Tim Burton, laughed as they watched the escapades of Charlie, a museum watchman. The team was then invited onto the stage where Mr. Burton met them with praise and encouraged them to continue developing their skills.
“The opportunity to meet Tim Burton and have him praise our work was wonderful in itself, but more importantly, I saw that he’s like all of us,” said Theo Wolff. “We live our lives, take those experiences and bring them into our creations. It’s all about using your skills and working really hard. I’m proud of our project, and although I was pretty burned out by the time we had completed it, I had a great time working with the team and enjoyed the process and what I learned from it.”
Loyalist Professor Lisa De Angelis said the day exceeded her expectations. “Our students enjoyed the ambiance of the Lightbox and were delighted to see that Tim Burton was so approachable and down-to-earth. Through evaluating the students’ animation, Opening Day, Tim Burton validated not only their creative efforts, but those of the whole class and, indeed, the whole program. He answered our questions thoughtfully and patiently. Today we held our creative work up to the light where it was viewed by others, including an industry master. The audience really liked it. What a wonderful experience for our students.”
“Tim Burton’s praise and the audience’s positive response to Opening Day was a definite morale booster,” added Alex Bosch. “I love every aspect of this industry and someday hope to be the one in the director’s chair. When a leader like Tim Burton tells you to keep doing what you’re doing, it reinforces your belief in yourself and encourages you to work even harder in pursuit of the goals you are passionate about.”
Opening Day can be viewed at: http://www.vimeo.com/17004701. For information about the Loyalist Animation program click here.
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Media Contact: Kerry Lorimer, Director of Communications, Loyalist College, (613) 969-1913, ext. 2536