Case Study
Matthew Ciesla: Level 3 BTEC Digital Art & Animation Student Wins the Bronze at World VFX Day Art Competition
Meet our talented second year student, Matthew Ciesla. The Level 3 BTEC Digital Art & Animation student competed in the most recent World VFX Day Art Competition and achieved third place with his incredible 10-second animation clip.
This 10-second video paid homage to Georges Méliès’ ‘A Trip to the Moon (1902)', combining 2D animation, unique vision and technical mastery.
Read all about Matthew’s story so far at Belfast Met, his love for his course and why creative-minded individuals should consider Belfast Met as an option for Further and Higher Education.
How has your experience been on this course so far?
"My experience has been incredible so far! The course has given me the opportunity to develop many diverse projects that challenge my creativity and technical skills. Using a range of industry-standard software and methods, I am able to construct comics, illustrations, 3D models, 2D and 3D animations and much more!
"The course itself is well-structured, engaging, and I deeply appreciate the amount of support and help from our lecturers. I also love how much freedom we have to explore our personal creative ideas. It’s been demanding but equally rewarding!"
How has your experience been at Belfast Met so far?
"Studying at Belfast Met has been fantastic! The campus is modern and the facilities are amazing and spacious. Everything is set up to support creative work and the staff are very supportive. They are always pushing us to achieve our best while providing guidance, learning and experience. I have truly felt supported throughout my time here."
How did the opportunity to compete in the World VFX Day competition arise?
"The opportunity came through my lecturer who encouraged our class to compete at the World VFX Day competition as a class assignment.
"Our lecturer saw it as a chance for us to showcase our skills globally and gain valuable experience. The project began with our class watching 'Le Voyage dans la Lune 1902' and reference it in our projects. These projects could have been a 10-second animation, comic page, 3D model, and so on!
"When creating my project, I knew I wanted to create an animation as I’m deeply passionate about 2D frame-by-frame animation. On my early concepts I became interested in creating something more unique than just a loop animation.
"The encouragement and guidance from my lecturer, alongside the collaboration with the class, pushed me to develop my animation to the fullest. It was a big jump in my animation experience and I’m very grateful I had this opportunity to show my full potential!"
How did Belfast Met help in the creation of your animation?
"Belfast Met provided everything I needed to develop my animation. My lecturers were very supportive and provided constructive feedback on my work. The access to industry-standard software and equipment helped me develop my previous animations but during our second year, we are able to use any software we are comfortable with. This played a huge part in the quality of my World VFX Day animation.
"Without the resources and expert guidance at Belfast Met, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve what I did."
What advice would you give to those thinking of coming to Belfast Met to study a creative media course?
"My advice would be to take full advantage of the incredible industry-standard equipment and knowledge of the amazing staff and lecturers! The course is challenging but rewarding and you’ll get much more from experiencing and learning about the creative industry.
"Take risks and every opportunity possible, whether it’s collaborating, experimenting with new techniques or pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone. Belfast Met offers an amazing, supportive and creative environment that boosts your passion! And if you’re passionate about storytelling, character design, 3D modelling, 2D animation or comics, then this is the place to be!"
Find out more about Level 3 BTEC Digital Art and Animation HERE.
Watch as Matthew talks us through his ideas and vision for his World VFX Day Art Competition entry: