3D Animation
Faculty
James Cunningham - 3D Course Leader
James comes to MDS with significant pedigree as both a celebrated filmmaker and experienced industry professional. A successful filmmaker, he has written, directed and animated four award winning theatrical shorts. His most recent short film is entitled Poppy. It had its International Premiere at Telluride Film Festival and recently won Outstanding Technical Contribution to a Short Film at the 2009 New Zealand Film and TV Awards.
Infection competed in competition at Cannes International Film Festival 2000, Sundance Film Festival 2001 and 20 other international Film Festivals and is one of the most successful short films ever made in association with the New Zealand Film Commission. Delf was selected for the Saatchi & Saatchi new directors Global showcase in 2000 and won numerous awards. Delf is an acronym for ‘digitally engineered life forms'. Blinder was released theatrically in New Zealand. All of these films explored James’ vision of what programs, as characters, might look like within computers and digital space.
James previously headed 3D at one of New Zealand’s premiere Post Production houses, Digital Post where he led a team working on Visual Effects for local and international TV Commercials. Prior to this he was a Technical Director on The Lord of the Rings at Weta Digital Ltd. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography and a Master of Fine Arts in digital animation from Elam School of Fine Arts (Auckland, NZ).
Roger Feron - 3D Tutor
Roger joins Media Design School from Christchurch where he has been lead animator on various projects such as Hawaiki (animated short stories for Maori TV) and numerous commercials including Toilet Duck, Meridian Energy, Telecom and Vodafone. His clients have ranged from New Zealand to Australia and Asia. Roger is still involved in creating TV commercials for various clients through his freelance work. Beyond this, Roger runs NZCGI.com which is one of New Zealand’s most active Computer Graphic forums. Roger has a Graduate Diploma in Design (3D Modelling and Animation). Outside of animating Roger is a keen movie fan and traveler.
Simon Heath - 3D Tutor
Simon studied with TAFE On-line, Brisbane, earning a Diploma in Multimedia. He then went on to attain a Diploma of 3D Animation, with Distinction, and a Graduate Diploma of Creative Technologies from Media Design School. In 2004 he won a Bronze Award for a short 3D Animation in the International Crowbar Awards. Skilled in multiple creative content packages, Simon has also done some freelance 3D animation work for Industry. He is an enthusiastic filmmaker and has participated in the 48 Hour Film Challenge for the past 4 years.
Ingrid Morrison - 3D Tutor
Ingrid is a 3D artist with over nine years experience in the TV and video games industry, primarily in the UK. Born in Scotland in 1976, and brought up on a dairy farm in a small town called Auchterarder, she graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art (Dundee University) in 1999 with a Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Art, Design and Electronic Media.
Ingrid specialises in Modelling, Rigging and Animation and is fluent in XSI, Lightwave, Messiah and Maya, Motion Builder, 3D Studio Max, 3D Character Studio, Photoshop and Zbrush. In her spare time she has a passion for snowboarding (instructing), surfing, climbing, travelling, movies and video games.
Link Choi - 3D Tutor
Link is singularly occupied with making pretty pictures. An alumni of the MDS 3D Animation course, he uses the tools of the VFX trade to create 'fine' art images. His digital painting "Christ at the Pillar" is in the collection of the James Wallace Arts Trust.
Previously Link worked for Massive Software, where his diverse functions included building 3D assets, troubleshooting production problems with customers on high-profile projects, and the selection of new hires. He also successfully led a pilot project which took the company into the sphere of Architecture, Engineering and Construction.
Link's teaching methods strongly emphasize the development of traditional art skills and professional behavior.
