Kamila Konczewska
School of Creative Industries / Creative Futures / Student Case Studies
My career in animation started while I was still at University – I had a chance to became one of the animators working on a music video for one of The Prodigy’s songs – Nasty. After graduating I worked as a lead assistant animator on one of the National Film and Television School graduation films The Wrong End of The Stick. And then, as an assistant animator on four feature films (Ethel & Ernest, The Breadwinner, Klaus, Space Jam: A New Legacy), 20 minutes long Christmas special We're going on a Bear Hunt and several episodes of Loony Tunes.
I am currently an assistant animator (I mainly work on feature films but I did have a chance to work on some tv series as well). Even though I worked in animation industry for years, with every project I still learn new things and try to constantly improve my skills.
I liked my entire stay at the university, but if I had to choose my favourite memory it would be a trip to Bradford Animation Festival. We watched some amazing animations, listened to talks and had a chance to speak to animators/producers and see how the work in the industry actually looks like. I really enjoyed talking with everyone abut animation and I still have a photo that me and my friends took with Peter Lord (animator and co-funder of Aardman Animations Studio)!
My favourite quote always was “The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried”, so my advice would be: never give up. If you think that you're not good enough at something or your work doesn't come out as good as you thought it would, remember that professors and other students are always there ready to give you a helping hand. University provides you with good facilities and all you have to do is try again.
Attending university was one of most rewarding experiences for me. I was challenged every day by my course and worked hard to improve my skills. All of those experiences were what allowed me to become who I am today.