Venice comes to Newcastle

A lecturer from the University of Newcastle had her animated short film showcased at the Newcastle International Animation Festival last month.

The Cartographer was directed and animated by Jane Shadbolt who lectures Visual Communication Design. Her animated short film has been viewed at animated festivals around the world including Los Angeles and Geneva but made its local debut just a few weeks ago in Newcastle.
 
“I was so proud to be part of the festival and I’m so glad my film finally came back home,” said Shadbolt. “It was a long journey but to see it go around the world and come back to Newcastle was just fantastic and my film got an enthusiastic response from everyone that saw it,” she added.

The Animation Festival was part of the Look Hear Art and Design Festival that was held across various locations in Newcastle from October 27 until November 2, 2012.

The stop-motion animation took two years to complete and addresses several themes including the issues of identity and geography. Shadbolt used a Nikon D50 digital camera and second-hand lenses to film parts of Newcastle’s streets that formed the backdrop of the film’s world.

“I wanted to create a watery Venice streetscape in Australia and hope that viewers caught a glimpse of parts of Sydney and Newcastle that they know,” said Shadbolt.

The International Animation Festival Newcastle 2012 screened over 60 international and award winning short animations on October 28 at the Conservatorium Concert Hall.