Hannah Wadsworth

Hannah is in the final year of our BA (Hons) Animation & Illustration, having just completed her placement year with The Walt Disney Company in London. She has also been a Course Rep, a Welcome Buddy and a member of the ARU Women’s Football team.

Which aspects of your course have most helped your career development, and why?

During my first and second year, we had a few guest lecturers come in and teach some of our modules. This was really great as not only were they professionals in their specific craft, they are now part of our network of creatives.

Additionally, we complete Live Projects in which we have a real client who expect us to make a film for them within a given time frame. This helps us with teamwork and prepares us for industry deadlines and workflows.

My placement year has been the biggest help, and the lecturers are always encouraging students to experience the industry – whether it’s for a whole year like I did or just over the summer.

I was the Animation Production Management Intern at The Walt Disney Company in London. I could say so many things about this past year but what sticks out the most is my improved confidence, both in myself and in my work. I learned more than I could have imagined and I feel like I’m entering my final year with a whole new perspective on the industry and the opportunities ahead of me.

Can you give us an idea of what your working day was like with Disney?

On my team there was a creative side and a production side. The creative team would review materials from studios, such as scripts, animatics and animation, and send their thoughts back to the studio. The production team, which I was a part of, would ensure that all studios stayed on track and worked to their schedule.

Every day, I was liaising with international studios, tracking the stages of each episode and joining in with the creative reviews. I attended (and led) a lot of meetings, took lots of notes, sent lots of emails and made lots of connections!

Despite working on different shows, our team was very tight knit and always working together. Every morning we’d have a meeting about our tasks for the day, but it always started with a trivia question to get us talking. As the person who had to ask the question every day, I now know many weird facts; did you know that mangoes are related to pistachios?

What's the most valuable thing you will take away from the course?

I think that the most valuable part of this course is the range of practices and software that we learn. There are so many opportunities in animation, from concept art to scheduling, and by doing a little bit of each stage we are familiar with the whole pipeline and can then choose a specialty.

What inspired you to get involved with animation in the first place?

It was quite a surprising twist, actually. In college I studied Graphics, Games Design and Computer Science, with the intention of going into games programming.

I found that in the Games Design classes I was getting more and more creative, and we did have a small animation module which I found really interesting. I continued exploring animation in my graphics work and realised that I was more passionate about animation than coding, for sure!

Why did you choose to study at ARU?

When exploring different animation courses, they did all look quite similar. However, when I saw ARU’s course, I thought it was great that it was not only animation but also had a focus on Illustration within that.

I signed up for the placement year when applying for the course – I knew I had to at least try it! I preferred this to the standard 3 years as I felt that not only would it be incredibly beneficial to gain industry experience, but also it would act as a gap year and break up the course a bit.

After looking more into it, I also liked the idea of ARU’s Ruskin Module and I wanted to get involved with the Anglia Language Programme. In a couple of weeks I’ll be taking the French course which I hope will help me find confidence in speaking French. I’ve been learning on and off for years but I think this is the push I need to finally do it properly! I’d love to work in France one day as the animation industry is thriving there.

What do you hope to do when you graduate?

During my placement I worked closely with lots of animation studios, and I’d love to join them once I graduate. I ended up taking on a Production Coordinator role on an upcoming series called Messi and the Giants, which is being produced by Sony and Disney, and created by a studio called Atlantis Animation.

They’re based in Tenerife and the show will still be in production for a little while after I graduate, so I’d love to work with them again on this awesome series! I’ve been wanting to move abroad for a while now, and if not Tenerife then there are many French studios I’ve got my eye on.

 What piece of advice would you give to other students in your field?

Absolutely take every opportunity to gain as much experience as you can! The worst that can happen is that they say no, then you just move on to the next. That being said, paid work experience is always preferable – don’t sell yourself short.

Meet as many people as you can, go to animation festivals and events, expand your network always! Try to keep up with what is happening in the industry; what are broadcasters looking for? Which role is most in demand and how does that relate to the role that you want?

What is your favourite thing about studying in Cambridge, and what have you learned about it that you didn’t previously know?

As somebody who has commuted to Cambridge, lived in Cambridge and lived in London, I feel qualified to answer this question. The best part of Cambridge for me was the amount of creative people around me. This was not just at university, but in the city there are always people drawing, taking pictures, making music. The sense of community is palpable.

What I didn’t know before I moved was that most of the museums in Cambridge are completely free! That makes it a great little day out for someone on a student budget, and also a good place to practice observational drawing.

What projects are you currently working on, both on and off the course?

On the course, I’ve just finished a Live Project for charity Parents1st UK. We worked in groups to create an advert for the charity’s services and completed it to a tight deadline.

I’ve also just finished writing the script for my Final Major Project, which I’ll be working on through to the end of Trimester 2. I think it’s really taking shape and it’ll be a really fun and challenging project for me.

I have been keeping up my illustration skills by practicing observational drawing and attending ARU’s free life drawing sessions.