MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Six animation students from Middle Tennessee State University’s College of Media and Entertainment won the award for “Best Animation Comedy” at the International Student Media Arts Festival in Seoul, South Korea.

Dani Oliver, Ashten Royse, Olivia Armstrong, Star Akhom, Allen Marin and Emily Mishoe worked on the animation film “Bubbles” over the spring semester with the guidance of Department of Media Arts associate professor Kevin McNulty.

The film, set in the near future, tells the story of a social media influencer living in her own bubble.

“The idea for ‘Bubbles’ emerged from brainstorming sessions where we aimed to present a unique yet relevant take on climate change,” explained senior animation student Dani Oliver. “We decided to use an influencer approach, which allowed us to create an engaging narrative within our limited timeframe.”

Oliver said the team drew inspiration for the film from various types of streamers, including gamers and make-up artists while staying true to the climate change theme.

“Bubbles herself symbolizes how some influencers can be tone-deaf or ignorant about serious issues,” Oliver explained.

McNulty guided the students through every step of the project, which consisted of discussions, brainstorming, critiquing and problem-solving.

“Every student had an equal say in the whole production. Some students were more in charge of one area or another, but everyone had an equal voice in the entire thing,” said McNulty.

The International Student Media Arts Festival was held in late May at Kookmin University, South Korea, and attracted students from 25 universities from all over the world. While in South Korea, participants were split into groups and worked on a new project based on what they learned during recent excursions. Each group had 72 hours to work on the project before it was judged.

“We keep it fairly loose regarding the criteria for the extra project. They create the project within 72 hours, and they have to work around language and cultural barriers,” explained McNulty, who is also a judge of the projects.  

The student experience, McNulty said, is like no other.

“It’s great for them to see the rest of the world and see students like them in other countries doing the same kinds of things as they are. They’re excited but nervous because they don’t know what to expect, but by the end of the week, they’re also working on this additional project, and at least within their teams, they’re getting to know each other and having to problem-solve. They really bond through the entire process and ideally become lifelong friends. I don’t know another kind of experience that equates to.”

MTSU animation student Olivia Armstrong, who previously attended Yonsei University in Seoul, called the experience “rewarding” and said it “felt like returning home.”

“While participating in the competition, I interacted with students from various countries. Communication between us was often challenging due to language barriers, but we managed through body expressions and translation applications. This challenge was incredibly rewarding as I found ways to connect with others despite the language differences. It’s an amazing feeling to connect with someone from another country when neither of you speaks the other’s language,” Armstrong said.

This year’s festival theme was “Climate Change and Cities.” Guanping Zheng, director of the Center for Asian Studies at MTSU, joined the students and McNulty on the trip. The International Student Media Arts Festival (formerly known as the Wonderful World International Student Media Arts Festival) first began in 2016, and MTSU was one of the universities that helped start the festival. Each year, it’s held at a different university. Last year’s festival was held at MTSU.

“Attending the International Student Media Arts Festival exceeded my expectations,” said Oliver. “Visiting South Korea was a dream come true for me, as I love the language, media, and history. I will always cherish this experience and can’t wait to return. This experience will be invaluable for my future career.”

About MTSU’s Animation program

MTSU’s Animation program provides students with extensive knowledge of new and foundational skills and cutting-edge tools to build strong careers in films, series, games, visualization, commercials and more.

Students get hands-on opportunities beginning in their first semester with traditional art and animation techniques progress through a seven-semester sequence learning advanced digital tools, pipelines and equipment used by major animation, VFX and game studios, like a state-of-the-art XR stage.

For more information about the Animation program, visit www.mtsu.edu/program/animation-b-s.

For more information about MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment, visit www.mtsu.edu/media.

— DeAnn Hays (deann.hays@mtsu.edu)