Benilde Animation Students Bag Awards at the International Animation Challenge 2024 in Singapore
Benilde Animation Students Bag Awards in International Animation Challenge 2024 in Singapore
27 September 2024
De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde is no stranger to excellence. Be it in academics or in extracurriculars, Benildeans always rise to the occasion, in turn bringing pride to the College.
This was further exemplified in the International Animation Challenge 2024 held last August 19 to 30 in Singapore, where six Bachelor of Arts in Animation (ABANI) undergraduates from Benilde participated in mixed, multinational teams. The event, organized by the Nanyang Polytechnic Singapore, saw Benildean representatives bag the top awards in the competition where they had to create and complete a chained animation.
Coming in first place were Michelangelo Limueco and their team who featured the Bras Basah Complex. According to Limueco, the inspiration behind their work was realized after visiting the said place. “It used to be where most students would go after school either to just hang out or to buy books or supplies that they need. It is also the center of arts and music, and bands used to go there and perform,” they explained.
Meanwhile, Samantha Louise Ocampo and team, who created an eight-second animation based on the Asian Civilization Museum in Singapore, bagged the second-highest distinction in the competition. “Our main inspirations were the countless artifacts displayed in the museum as well as Singapore’s rich history in maritime trade,” they remarked.
In third place was the team with Karissa Rae Chuayap, whose team animated the National Gallery of Singapore. Happy about the accomplishment, Chuayap credits the entire team they got to work with, “My teammates all did their part in a splendid manner and I am thankful to have been given the opportunity to work with such skilled people.”
Also coming in third was the team of Gerone Viktoria Esguerra, who was also given the Real Time Animation Award for their animation. Esguerra felt relieved and validated with this win, citing that one of their worries about the competition was if they realized that other participants had a greater advantage over her. Still, with great teamwork with her co-challengers, they showed their impressive work.
Esguerra also credits the tips and tricks they learned from their classes, especially when using Toon Boom, an animation software used by the program for 2D animations. “My consistency when it comes to drawing characters was drilled into me by the fundamentals of my drawing and cleanup classes, and my AE and compositing experience that I got from ANICOMP and ANITECH,” they expressed.
ABANI Chair Patrick Astilla also shed light on what went down during the competition, citing that there were no prior preparations made. “They did, however, go through some workshops and tours during the first week. That I think helped them with conceptualization and the skills they needed for the competition,” he reasoned.
Along with the aforementioned, Maria Adrianna Sofia Ramirez and Zjanelle Aubrey Reyes also represented the College in the said event. They were judged according to their teams’ creativity, visual development, animation, and good use of the given source material and theme.
In the previous academic year, the ABANI program received a Level 1 accreditation from the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU). They also are a Toon Boom Center of Excellence, being one of only two schools in the Philippines.
“We are also in partnership with the Cultural Center of the Philippines for an animated short film they produced titled, ‘Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang.’ Some of our faculty and students worked on this film. The director is also an alumnus of the Benilde MMA program,” Astilla added.
For more information on Benilde undergraduate programs, contact us at (63) 2 8230 5100 local 1801 or admissions@benilde.edu.ph. You may also visit our website at www.benilde.edu.ph.
