Personal Statement

My Personal Statement – Dominic Carmody-Keeble

Animation is a subject that has fascinated me my entire life. I grew up on cartoons and games, but it wasn’t enough just to watch and play them, I wanted to understand them. I drew little comic strips of my favourite characters, and when I look back at them now they still make me laugh. I’m also very interested in film, and my dream would be to direct and make animated movies, that make children smile and laugh as I did. And I’m certain that the animation course at your University will make that dream a reality. I don’t want to just work for Pixar, Disney or PDI. I want to run it. I want to be up there. I think big and I know I can be good enough and work hard enough to achieve that.

I study Maths and Film A level and also BTEC Art and Design. The BTEC Art and Design course at my college is very challenging; it encouraged me to use different mediums, not just pencil on paper. But after completing my units, my tutors saw that I excelled in graphics and computer animation work and I saw that too. My assignment was to produce a film poster and title sequence of a movie we produced ourselves. I used a combination of photography, Photoshop, After Effects and Premier to produce my final Piece, which I got a Distinction. I was really proud of myself, not because of my grade, but that I really worked hard. I took pride in my graphics work and I enjoyed every second of it. I went above my brief and took my work that extra mile. Which I try to do with all my pieces, but it is just the Animation project, I took a special interest in.
I found my Maths A level very challenging, but I am determined to see it through and achieve the best possible grade I can. Most of our curriculum doesn’t cover any computer related subjects (no algorithms or software functions), but I asked my teacher to give me advice outside of lessons. So including my maths and statistics subjects, I study algorithms and software design at home. Film is amazing, we study British and Bollywood cinema mostly, but my teacher is also a huge animated movie fan, and we frequently discuss animated films, their concepts and ideals. I’m a huge fan of Robert ZemeckIs, who directed ‘Polar express’ and ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit.’I do a lot of projects outside school as well. I enrolled in an ‘Animating Art History course’, with Central Saint Martin’s and The Courtauld Art Institute, where we researched the history of Animation and produced our own animation on a painting using stop motion. It is fairly simple, but I loved the experience. I learned many things about. The animation is available on my YouTube channel, as well as other work I’ve done outside school. http://www.youtube.com/user/slikashi737

I also have an award in Architecture, in co-operation with Open City.
I’ve done a lot of work experience, some also animation related. I did a 3-Day course with the BBC 21cc project, where 12 other students and I had to produce a stop motion; I drew the backgrounds, vehicles and animated the “hole” scene. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00grmgx

I also have an Apprenticeship level 2 in Short Feature Film Editing. This is actual work where I was paid; it was a 2-month course, which I did during summer to gain some experience. I had to write 3 scripts for 2 short films and a TV series. Out the 20 on the course, all 3 of mine were chosen to film, they are also on my YouTube channel. I am currently working part-time in Argos.
But Animation is not all I do; I exercise and am a rather sporty person. I played for the under 16’s Acton Wasps Rugby Club. I play paintball, squash and swim regularly. I was also in the Army Cadets for almost 5 years, where I achieved the rank Lcpl. I gained team building and leadership skills. I also have the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award.

My whole life I have been animator, I just didn’t know it yet, but now I do. I’ve learned to appreciate It, I’ve researched, I know how hard it will be but I am determined that this is what I want to do in the future.