“Art of War”, a 3-D animation clip by Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) third-year Multimedia student, Rave Tan Chin How, 26, was named the best work in the Desserts Category (Open category) of the annual animation competition, AniMania 2006. 

An initiative by media education company CreativeBITS, the competition aims to give recognition to gifted young animators and to encourage them to further explore their talents and passion in this area.

AniMania 2006 saw a total of 96 entries submitted by primary and secondary schools, junior colleges, the Institute of Technical Education, as well as tertiary institutions. The Desserts Category alone attracted 29 submissions from independent participants and higher education institutions, including NAFA, LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts, Nanyang Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic and Singapore Polytechnic. Eight were shortlisted for the finals.

Entries were evaluated on their creativity, concept, aesthetics, technical skills and educational value. Judges for AniMania 2006 included Mr Ronald Buenaventura, Lecturer, Temasek Polytechnic School of Design; Ms Hattie Liew, Manager, National Arts Council; and Mr Dennis Pang, Educational Technology Officer, Ministry of Education. Results of the competition were announced on 25 Mar 06 at the Woodlands Regional Library.

Rave Tan’s “Art of War” pays homage to the ancient Chinese military strategist, Sun Tzu’s concept that “all warfare is based on deception” (兵者，诡道也), and tells the story of a marine who outsmarts an invisible enemy – one of the deadliest among all warfare – a sniper. The two-minute clip won the judges over with its interesting camera angles and smooth movement of the characters.

Said Mr Alan Poh, NAFA’s Head of Programme (Diploma in Multimedia): “The students’ outstanding showing at AniMania is a pat-on-the-back for us. It reflects the academic excellence of our curriculum and our lecturers’ dedication in supporting students' creative endeavours. Most importantly, it shows that the NAFA Multimedia course advocates learning while having ‘serious fun’ at the same time – two key ingredients in the nurturing of creative minds!”

Another NAFA Multimedia student, Kevin Wong Seow Hong, took the second runner-up spot with his 2-D Flash cartoon animation, “Sh*t Happens”. The 26-year-old obtained a diploma in Information Technology from Nanyang Polytechnic before enrolling with NAFA in 2003.

Content Contributor: www.nafa.edu.sg