BFX Competitions

BFX Competition

The 2022 BFX Competition is a short animation competition. Unlike other animation competitions, participants will be provided with scripts, prepared by charity organisations, to implement in the form of animated movies during a 9-week online production period. During this time, all participating teams will benefit from virtual mentor sessions with industry professionals and regular online meetings with the charities they choose to work with. The normal length of the resulting film is 30 seconds. The competition is open to teams consisting of UK Higher Education students.

There are awards for the winner and runner-up for the competition, as well as other awards for various categories, such as Best Design, Best Character Animation, Community award for the most impactful film etc. All winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony at the BFX Festival in November 2022 where your movies will also be screened.  You’ll be able to choose if you and your team attend the awards ceremony in-person as part of the 2022 BFX Festival.

We are delighted to be working with the following charities this year:

Firmitude

Firmitude is building a non-elite sporting community, focused, but not exclusively, around women’s beginner football. Firmitude provides opportunities to a forgotten generation of women to play the game that is familiar to all. These individuals want to play for varied reasons, including relating to their children through the game, finding friends through play, and building confidence through learning something new.

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is special and we believe everyone should be able to enjoy it’s landscape, wildlife and heritage. Being a coastal National Park we have some amazing beaches and have a small fleet of beach wheelchairs servicing them. These beach wheelchairs help people with disabilities or limiting health conditions have a day out at the seaside with friends and family and experience the wonder filled coast.

Planet Purbeck Youth Group

The Planet Purbeck Youth Group (PPYG) is an environmental voice and action group for young people in Purbeck. This group is run by young people for young people! It’s a place to share the youth’s voice, come up with ideas and make real change! The ages of the group are secondary school and sixth form ages.

Sign-up deadline: 1 May 2022

What should the team size be?

The team should have at least three students and at most five.

Are there any restrictions on the team members?

All participants should currently undertake undergraduate or postgraduate studies at a UK university or HE College.

Can students on a placement year participate?

Yes.

How long do we have to create a short film?

You will have 9 weeks starting from 9/05/2022 until the submission deadline of 11/07/2022

Are there any restrictions on the software?

Any software can be used as long as it can produce animated film.

Are there any restrictions on the format (2D/3D?)

No.

Why should I participate?

It’s a great opportunity to work with industry mentors and to add an extra piece to your portfolio, the best outcomes will be screened and don’t forget about prizes.

What are the prizes?

There will be plenty of prizes: apart from the first and second prize for the best animated piece you might win in categories such as Best Character Animation, Best Design and so on. We will announce exact categories and prize amounts soon.

Who are the mentors?

Participants will get mentorship from industry professionals working in companies like ILM, DNEG, MPC and so on. Mentors will cover different parts of the pipeline and every team will be able to attend several online sessions with our mentors. Who exactly our mentors are will be announced in early June.

OK I’ve signed up what do I need to do next?

Please make sure you are checking the email address you entered when you filled in the sign-up form, we will send you further instructions in early May.

How will the voting work?

Participants, industry professionals (including mentors) and general public will be voting in different categories and then by using clever mathematics we will find out who wins in which category.

When will the results be announced?

The results will be announced during a special Awards Ceremony at the BFX Festival 2022.

How will we work with the mentors and charities?

You’ll receive industry mentorship via online sessions, most likely over teams or Zoom. Meeting and working with the charities will also take place virtually. Wherever you are in the UK this is a chance to get involved.

How can we attend the awards ceremony?

The awards ceremony will take place during the 2022 BFX Festival, 8 – 13 November, final date and time of the ceremony is to be confirmed. You and your team can decide if you would like to attend in person.

I have another question but it is not listed here.

Contact us at bfx@bournemouth.ac.uk and we will get back to you.

BFX Easter Jams

The 2022 BFX Easter Jams were co-organised with the Bournemouth University Animation Society and were open to all Bournemouth University students.

All participants benefited from two two-hour Zoom sessions with industry mentors. The winner and runner-up of each category was announced in late May and awarded Amazon vouchers. Winners will also be listed and mentioned at the BFX Festival 2022.

Themes

Bringing their passion for environmental change and seeking to encourage awareness for a sustainable future, the BU Animation Society was inspired by one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals for this year’s theme, Life on Land. This juxtaposes last year’s theme, Life Below Water.

Sustainable themes were further explored in the subcategories. Modelling/Texturing entries addressed deforestation; Lighting/Rendering submissions explored extinction; the Real-Time Art pieces illustrated Invasive Species – Epic Games supported this category.

BFX Game Jam

More information coming soon.

Video Gallery

BFX has a 9-year history, a variety of competitions and Game Jams have and continue to be hosted. Peruse through previous entries.