Big Aims Cool Guru Series: Stimulating Seminar On "Animation Magic"

Online, November 2, 2011 (Newswire.com) - BIG AIMS (Animation Infotainment & Media School), a premier animation and VFX training academy of Reliance Animation, today successfully conducted a seminar on "Animation Magic" at Sri Sathya Sai International Centre, Pragati Vihar, Lodhi Road by leading Australian Animation Guru, Darcy Prendergast. The event got a phenomenal response from students across the city. Those who heard Darcy Prendergast just gasped OH! YEAH!! WOW!!! at the end of the session.

This workshop conceived and arranged jointly by BIG AIMS, Australian Consulate General Mumbai & supported by Australian High Commission, New Delhi, saw Darcy Prendergast speak with passion about his journey through the world of animation, unfurling one creative clip after another each bearing the testimony of the creative genius that he is. The highlight of the seminar was the captivating demonstration of light animation a technique that he developed and used to create "Rippled" which has already racked up more than 197,905 views on Youtube owing to the tireless work that went into the making and promotion of this awesome music video.

Storytelling in the plasticine medium with the ability to create artistic magnificence is what defines the 26 yr old Darcy Prendergast. Visiting BIG AIMS, Darcy came in close interaction with students to share his experiences of filming in the stop motion medium of storytelling. Hailing from Melbourne this amazingly talented clay animator found his interest in the field of animation from his love of sculpting. Darcy's first Claymation "Ron - the Zookeeper" shot at his uncle's tiny tin garage was showcased at Annecy France, wining him world wide acclaim. Whether it would succeed or not was never the alarming question, whether he was satisfied with his creation was more important to him! For students at Big Aims this was a great learning point. He advised students to keep creating films with a focused motive of finding real satisfaction with the creation. If that is achieved, success will follow suit as a natural process. He also told the students of BIG AIMS that animation should not be for the sake of animation but, animated content should be created and developed to showcase the best of what can be delivered. Students content once created with passion should be sent to various film festivals across the globe. Acceptance and rejection should both be taken with the right positive spirit as everything that one faces and experiences as a student adds to their learning curve.

Darcy has not only been passionate in creating his own content but he has also worked for a feature film titled "Mary and Max" for a production house in Australia which too won him international acclaim. In a production environment where generating output was the key requisite, Darcy believed that creativity couldn't be forced rather it needs to flow. Budget restriction would often leave him compromise on his quality of work, which was something he hated to compensate for. That is when he decided to come up with his own little studio called "OH Yeah Wow" and steered the creation of his indigenous business with a very small team. But he soon realized that for his studio to survive he needed money, that was when he was approached by a company named All India Radio which instigated him to create "Lucky" a stop-motion technique of light animation.

"As an animator there is no end to learning"- said Darcy. What compelled his creation was his passion for the craft. Darcy advised the students to do work not only for money but also for the passion of it. "It is about the personal pay-off and satisfaction out of the work created" - said a beaming Darcy. His films Lucky and Rippled sent murmurs within the auditorium and students were very eager to understand the execution of this new technique. Darcy with the elegance of a master demonstrated the basic techniques of his light animation. Soon the auditorium was all in applause of this young genius.

"One needs to enjoy and find fun in what they love rather than do anything and everything without enjoying any bit of it. You've got to be proud of your creation" - advised Darcy. "There should not be any restriction in the mind for creating something in a particular medium whether live action, 2D, 3D or Claymation it is the rendition and the visualization that matters rather than the medium of such storytelling. One should not only enjoy his own creation but also must be inspired with his own creation. The path in the field of animation is not very easy; nobody here becomes a master overnight. It takes time before one actually starts growing to reap he fruits of the harvest" added Darcy.

Darcy was thoroughly impressed with student's work and projects at BIG AIMS and strongly complimented the education methodology and the course curriculum. "I found unbelievable talents here at BIG AIMS among the students. Honestly even I was not capable of delivering so much at this age what the students are delivering here. I loved the way the course has been laid out at BIG AIMS with such amazing infrastructure and great faculties to teach and if students follow it with heart and passion, there is no reason why they should not succeed at the highest level" Darcy said before signing off.

About BIG AIMS:
BIG AIMS, a premier animation and VFX film making academy of Reliance Animation, is part of Reliance Entertainment - the largest entertainment group in India. BIG AIMS focuses on the promising Indian animation with a believe that India as a nation is fast emerging as a global giant in the field of animation, getting ready to take the world by storm.

BIG AIMS has been incepted to bridge the gap between present training methodologies and answer the real professional needs of the animation, VFX filmmaking industry. In other words, BIG AIMS positions itself as an Academy that inculcates learning in the real-time production environment to equip the students to perform as per the demands of the industry from day one.

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