Poole’s council leader praised Bournemouth University for its graduates’ latest Oscar win as the movie Interstellar picked up an award at this week’s ceremony.
Councillor Elaine Atkinson said that it was “an honour” for Poole and Bournemouth to have the university with graduates who had won such a prestigious award two years in a row.
And more than 100 graduates worked across all the nominated feature films, said Sofronis Efstathiou, course leader of the university’s National Centre of Computer Animation.
He said a lot of Bournemouth graduates worked on the movie Interstellar alongside Oscar-winner Andrew Lockley, 43, at production house Double Negative.
“I would say all of them were hardworking and experimented with the subject matter as much as they could. The industry moves fast so they need to adapt quickly – that inquisitive mind and ability to problem solve s probably the trait that transcends other students on the course,” said Mr Efstathiou.
Animation and VFX blended maths, science and the arts, he added. “Not many disciplines do this. The courses here at the NCCA are intense. We have a good reputation but it’s not a free ride, students are expected to work hard.”
Oscar wins by former students were great. “It validates all the hard work the students and staff put into the course. It also reinforces the need for adequate resourcing and student contact time,” said Mr Safronis. He is convinced that winning streak doesn’t stop here: “I won’t say who – but there is definitely a few who are destined for great things. “
Postgraduate student Noel Mahoney, from the National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA), is optimistic about a future career in the industry. “It’s very motivating that someone who studied my course has picked up an Oscar in LA. It gives me the inspiration to work harder to become a leader in the industry,” said Noel.
At Sunday’s ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in LA, Andrew Lockley was celebrated for his work on the film Interstellar in the category for Best Visual Effects. Earlier this month he received a BAFTA award in the same category.
Graduates and lecturers from BU’s NCCA were part of the team that worked on the visual effects also won the last year’s prestigious award for the movie Gravity.
For a relatively small town on England’s south coast, Bournemouth’s University consistently ranks among the most respected educational establishments in its respective fields. Furthermore the recognition of its former students at awards such as the Oscars only goes to further establish its reputation farther afield. Not only does this have positive benefits for the town itself but also enhances the draw of the university on the global stage as students travel internationally to attend its courses.
