We spoke to BA (Hons) Animation student, Christopher Hoare, on why he chose to study in Leeds, what exciting projects he's currently working on and his plans for after graduating...
Why did you choose Leeds as a city and more specifically, Leeds Arts University?
I chose Leeds for the city. I wanted to escape my provincial life, Beauty and the Beast style, and Leeds was densely packed with awesome student-y things and a bustling community of youngsters like me. As for the University, I loved the idea of going to a specialist art school and the opportunity to try everything in animation before developing a "superpower" was really appealing.
What made you select BA (Hons) Animation?
I chose animation because I really enjoyed acting and cartooning, and the course seemed to be a beautiful marriage of the two. I liked the large number of different avenues I could potentially go down.
What do you specialise in? What exciting things are you working on at the moment?
I specialise in character animation, be it in 2D hand drawn or 3D computer aided. Currently I'm working on a short 2D documentary about a criminal who called himself "Captain Moonlite" (yes, it's meant to be spelt that way). It's cool because he was a crazy criminal lunatic, but he also had the most compelling and passionate gay relationship with one of his cellmates, so I thought he'd be a complex character to try and convey. I'm hoping to submit it to festivals when I'm done.
How does the University develop your practice?
The University has taught me all the processes of making a film in any medium I choose, from start to finish, at an industry standard. Any random person might even mistake my animations for REAL animations! My knowledge of the software has gone from zero to competent since starting the course and I have a good idea of how the animation world works. It seems much less daunting now than before I joined the course.
What do you plan to do after University?
After university, I'd love to stay in Leeds or live in Manchester. I hope to get to the point where I can make what I want to make and answer to no one. I want to make short films or full-length features eventually, but I'm happy just to get out there and start building experience!