Budding animator Ryan Mallon, a level 2 Creative Arts and Digital Technologies Traineeship student at Southern Regional College has been named as one of three finalists for the Young Animator of the Year, within the 15–18-year-old stop motion category. Ryan’s stop motion production was created around this year’s competition theme of ‘Change’.
To make the production, Ryan engaged the services of his granny to develop his concept which is based upon a fictional setting of a 1960s soldier viewing a peace protest and switching sides from being a combat soldier. This out of the box thinking impressed judges who were excited by Ryan’s creativity and skill, from all this year’s competition entries.
This year’s Young Animator of the Year has had more entries than ever, and Ryan is excited by the prospect being named the 2024 15–18-year-old stop gap animator of the year. On being named as a finalist, Ryan commented:
“It doesn’t feel real, I didn’t expect to get this far honestly. It’s weird that I could possibly win.”
Ryan found out he was a finalist for the competition after seeing his entry announced as one of the finalists on Instagram and now must wait until Sunday 10th November for the winner announcement, at the Manchester Animation Festival which he is attending along with his mum, dad and brother.
Entries for Young Animator of the Year include categories for stop motion, and 2D and 3D animation categories. For the stop motion category Ryan explains this involves moving a physical figure, in Ryan’s case Lego, and taking multiple photos of each slight movement, to build up a scene. 2D animation involves creating a film through many drawings while 3D animation is created using technology on computers.
Regardless of the format used, any creation requires ample time and opportunity to create. In Ryan’s case, he has spent the entire summer break creating his masterpiece using Lego, a computer and webcam. Ryan’s future plans include becoming a director or pursuing a career in stop motion animation, but first he hopes to progress onto the level 3 Media Extended Diploma at SRC, the equivalent of 3 A-levels.
Máiréad Duffy, lecturer on the level 2 Traineeship at Southern Regional College commented:
“Ryan is always thinking ahead, planning his next project and figuring out how to make it better. The Level 2 Traineeship has been an incredible opportunity for him to enhance his skills. This program offers a wide variety of modules in art and design, music, media, and performing arts, giving students a comprehensive introduction to the creative industry.
It’s crucial for young people to explore new opportunities, and this course enables this by helping students prepare for their future careers through building their skills and professionalism. I’m thrilled to see what lies ahead for Ryan and remain hopeful for his future.”