Bournemouth University graduates are behind some of the biggest films in the running for this year’s Academy Awards.   

Graduates from the National Centre for Computer Animation and Media School have contributed to all five films nominated in the Best Visual Effects category and at least four of the titles nominated in the Best Picture category, including Hamnet, Frankenstein, Sinners and F1.  

Fernando Morillo

They include Fernando Morillo, who graduated in 2014 with a Master’s in Digital Effects and who was part of the team at Sony Pictures Imageworks that worked on KPop Demon Hunters (nominated in the Best Animated Feature category). Fernando said: “One of the most rewarding things about working in FX is that there’s always room to be creative. It’s always fun to explore unique ways to bring crazy visuals to life, whether it is destroying the Honmoon or making the environment turn pink for the Saja Boys. You never know what the brief will be. One of the most important lessons that I learned during my time in Bournemouth is that everything is a learning experience and it doesn’t matter how complex the task looks at first. The best way to solve any task is to break it down into small pieces and tackle it one at a time. Learn from each iteration and don’t be afraid to ask your colleagues for advice.”  

Kyran Bishop

Kyran Bishop completed the BA (Hons) in Computer Animation Arts in 2016 and worked as a compositor on Jurassic World Rebirth. Kyran said: “My time at BU gave me an awareness of every stage of the animation process, which has been incredibly important in my role. The diverse areas of study and soft skills I gained from the course have benefitted me daily, and I still come across course mates throughout all areas of the industry. Outside of the lectures and workshops, the networking events and strong ties to the industry have set me on a strong career path from graduation, all the way through to my current role.”    

Since graduating from BU’s MA in Digital Effects in 2021, Paolo Mercogliano has gone on to become an FX Artist with Outpost VFX, where he worked on two of this year’s Oscar-nominated films – Sinners and The Lost Bus.

Paolo Mercogliano

He said: “Even though I am one of many to have contributed to these films, it still is a very heartwarming feeling that I can point to the big screen at the bits I have done and celebrate that they are up for Oscars, as well as many other awards. Studying at BU is what gave me my first connections in the VFX industry, and it’s also the best conversation starter because so many people studied there. During my time at the NCCA, I learnt the foundational skills of photography and cinematography, computer graphics and digital compositing, and all those things are still relevant, because tools can evolve but the core principles will always be the same.”  

Lasma Zeimule-Kay

Lasma Zeimule-Kay (MA Digital Effects, 2019) also worked on Sinners as a Digital Matte Painter at Outpost VFX. She said: “BU was great for learning all steps of the industry pipeline and finding out what I wanted to do.” 

Stephen Cullingford

Meanwhile, Stephen Cullingford worked on Avatar: Fire and Ash as part of the team at Weta FX. The computer animation graduate said: “My time at BU gave me a strong foundation in both the artistic and technical aspects of visual effects. The course encouraged curiosity and problem solving, which are skills I’ve relied on throughout my career working on digital characters and facial performance in film, including award-nominated productions in the industry. It’s great to see so many BU graduates contributing to major projects across visual effects.” 

Professor Christos Gatzidis, Pro-Vice Chancellor Dean for BU’s Faculty of Media, Science and Technology which includes The Media School and National Centre for Computer Animation, said: “It is impressive to discover the breadth of graduate involvement in what are the biggest and most successful films of the year. We are proud to be developing graduates with the technical skills and creativity required to bring continued innovation to the media industry. These awards recognise exceptional talent and every one of those nominated should be justifiably proud of their achievements. We wish them every success for this weekend’s awards.”   

Other graduates who will be getting ready to celebrate when the Oscar’s are announced this Sunday include Eimear Crotty, who graduated with a Master’s in Computer Animation and Visual Effects in 2020 and who is now Technical Director at Walt Disney Animation Studios. Eimear was part of the team behind Zootopia 2, which has already won a BAFTA this season and which is nominated for Best Animated Feature.    

The winners of the 98th Academy Awards will be announced this Sunday (15 March).