News
Two of Australia's most in-demand 2D animation artists flew to the bottom of the country to spend a day with SIT students — and left impressed enough to say Invercargill was the highlight of their New Zealand tour.
Melbourne-based Colin Bennett, widely known in animation circles by his online alias 'Onion Skin', and Mike Aldrich, Australia-New Zealand representative for Toon Boom software through Greenhills Media, ran a free five-hour workshop at SIT's Centre for Creative Industries on Friday July 17. The session was open to Bachelor of Screen Arts Animation students and was organised by 2D animation tutor Ruby Meades.
Bennett is not a small get. "Any kind of recent, especially 2D-animated Australian content will have Colin and Mike in the credits," Meades said. "Colin Bennett, aka 'Onion Skin' has a YouTube channel and quite a following; he's known all over the world and I have been a fan for a decade."
Third-year students had their demo reels reviewed and walked away with professional feedback, business cards, and post-graduation deals on Toon Boom software. International study abroad students were among the most active participants.
Ana Avalis-Martoglio, an Argentinian exchange student completing a degree in design and digital animation, had only been using Toon Boom for a month before the workshop. "I was most interested in learning about the professional workflow used in the industry and seeing how experienced artists work in their everyday tasks," she said.
Having her portfolio reviewed by the guest tutors was the standout moment. "I felt heard and the feedback was incredibly valuable for me; it also gives me the chance to look at my own work from a different point of view so I can keep on improving."
SIT was the last New Zealand school on the visitors' itinerary, after stops in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Bennett said Invercargill was the highlight. "Ruby and Chris [Popham] were incredible hosts who really care about the wellbeing of their students and providing the highest quality education. The students are engaged and driven. Many wonderful conversations were had." He added that through events like the monthly international animation challenge LoopdeLoop, "Invercargill is becoming an animation hub known across New Zealand and Australia. There's a reason people travel to this city just to study here!"
Aldrich backed that up with some institutional context. "SIT Invercargill has been at the leading edge of international animation education for many years, so it was an absolute honour to visit the school for the first time." SIT is one of the first institutes in the world accepted into Toon Boom's Centre of Excellence programme — the software company's highest accreditation, awarded only to schools operating at international best-practice levels. "We performed a full-day workshop with a highly engaged group of students. I was left with no doubt that SIT Invercargill deserves this recognition, and it is a credit to the team who work tirelessly for their students and graduates."
Meades has herself visited Melbourne animation studios and attended the Melbourne International Animation Festival, and says SIT graduates are already making inroads there — attending industry events, picking up freelance work, and entering festivals. A future student study trip to those studios is on the table.
The guests also got a tour of the Catlins. McLean Falls, Curio Bay, and the Waipapa Point Lighthouse. "I knew it would entice Colin and Mike to come all the way to the bottom of the motu and see our campus," Meades said. Apparently it worked.