Search For A Star | Games Animation Finalists 2024
The assessments have been completed and we have our finalists selection for this year’s Search For A Star and Rising Star challenges in Games Animation!
Our animation category is designed to help students create a high level portfolio project based on a studio brief and workflow, and then getting industry feedback from our assessment team of studio devs from across the industry. The highest achievers are invited to meet and interview with a panel of professionals from across the games industry.
We’ll be interviewing all the finalists and revealing the winners of this year’s challenges at our Search For A Star finals day, taking place on April 4th in Sheffield.
We’ve had a range of fantastic submissions this year, so let’s take a look at the projects that have taken these high achieving students into this year’s finals!
Search for a Star 2024
Students in their final year of a degree or in postgraduate study
Brendon Chadwick
Falmouth University
With inspirations from Nier and Fire Emblem, Brendon created a fully game-ready set of character animations with a strong technical approach.
Our assessors awarded Brendon great scores overall, with the joint highest score in the technical / workflow criteria for showing excellent potential across a range of technical animation skills.
See Brendon’s portfolio here: https://brendonanimations.wixsite.com/brendonanims
Corin Astles
University of the West of England
Link Block and Hit
Corin produced a dynamic knockback and recovery sequence, with a great sense of impact and athleticism.
Assessors scored the project very highly, with particular notes towards the excellent documentation and presentation, as well as the secondary detailing within the sequence.
See Corin’s showreel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmvzPA7bmZc
Leona Thompson
Teesside University
Solarsearch
Leona created a fully implemented gameplay scene for their animation, really showing off the varied and dynamic move set from the charismatic red panda hero.
Our assessors loved the presentation as a playable demo, showing the animations in-engine as they would work when user-controlled, and also earning high scores across the technical, research and creative development criteria.
Martin Karazarwe
Middlesex University London
Deadpool Crowd Pleaser
Martin smashed it with their first ever character animation, delivering a complex, dynamic and visually impressive combat action sequence.
Assessors were impressed by the excellent level of research put in, which allowed for a great level of complexity in the sequence. Of particular note across the assessments was the excellent quality of posing, movement dynamics and body mechanics on display.
Philip Do
Middlesex University London
Ganon, Disciplined Fighter
Philip created a stylised and highly expressive special attack sequence, intended for a Guilty Gear-like fighting game.
Our assessors loved Philip’s project, giving excellent scores across all criteria and praising the level of thought and research that went into developing such an impactful and creative sequence.
Rising Star 2024
Undergraduate students not yet in their final year, or at college/school level
Adam Fakla
Futuregames
Azri Slide
Adam created a fast-paced slide attack combo, pivoting the character into different states in a fluid action sequence.
Our assessors liked the technical challenges that were achieved in creating a difficult set of motions, while also praising the approach to research and presentation.
James Picton
Teesside University
Get To Cover!
James produced a great combat cover sequence, presented in a really smart way showing its exact role played out in a game scenario.
The assessors praised James’ great approach to planning and research, combined with showing good technical skills across rigging and presentation in-engine.
Maja Bogdanienko
Breda University of Applied Sciences
Execution
Achieving a lot in a short space of time, Maja created an excellent sequence with a lot of characterisation and personality.
Assessors scored Maja well across all criteria, particularly for the creativity on show with the storytelling and the overall quality of the presentation.
See Maja’s portfolio here : https://mbogdanienko.wixsite.com/portfolio/animation
