LONDON — Software developer The Foundry recently announced the winners of The Foundry Student Championship 2016. The three winners are Alvaro Claver from Vancouver, Canada, Dai Zhongyan from Oakville, Canada, and Samuel Wilkins from Romford, England.
The Foundry’s Student Championship 2016 was open to college and university students across Europe and North America. Following the success of this year’s Student Championship, The Foundry will be launching the competition in China in 2017.
All three finalists will be awarded the Production Collective, which includes Nuke Studio, Modo and Mari. The entries will be showcased on a dedicated page on The Foundry’s Website (www.thefoundry.co.uk/industries/education/whats-in-my-mind/).
Alvaro Claver, 34, currently studies the art of VFX/CG at the Think Tank Training Centre in North Vancouver, Canada. Claver’s project, Apex, involved collaboration with a toymaker who produces robots from spare mechanical parts. Using Mari, he created an image of a robot model using the photos and references he took of the toymaker’s robot toys.
Dai Zhongyan, 27, studies visual effects at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario. Using Nuke to create the 3D space, Zhongyan’s project features the imagery of a moving train against the backdrop of a snowy city. The concept for the project was inspired by his hometown in Nanjing, China.
Samuel Wilkins, 21, is studying visual effects for film and TV at the University of Hertfordshire in the UK. Wilkins’ project was inspired by matte paintings used in filmmaking and his travels to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. He took photos of the old town as reference shots to bring the project to life.
“We had some truly phenomenal entries for our inaugural Student Championship this year,” says Alex Mahon, CEO at The Foundry. “It was not easy to choose the winners but Alvaro’s, Dai’s and Samuel’s entries really stood out and demonstrated a strong understanding and passion for the creative industries we support. All of the entries were fantastic and it is exciting to see that that there is so much amazing, young talent out there. For everyone who entered in 2016, please do so again next year; we’d love to see what’s in your mind in 2017 as you continue to develop your skills.”