An animation graduate from the University of Worcester has been nominated for a Royal Television Society Midlands Student Award.
Martha Copsey, 24, who graduated last year, was nominated for her film Mors Tua, Vita Mea, which explores themes of isolation, loss, love, and friendship.
“I was really surprised when I first got the news,” said Martha. “I’m actually super pleased with just getting the nomination.”
She said: “That is something I can add to this film and show animation studios I’ve got this film that actually got a nomination.”
The 2D animated short film tells the story of a ghost experiencing loneliness, who mistakes a plastic bag for another ghost while seeking companionship.
She said: “My idea was that this ghost would be quite lonely and in order for her afterlife to have significance, she would need a companion of some kind.”
She continued: “I wanted to emphasise throughout the film how she couldn’t really touch anything or make contact, as she just passes through everything, and the idea is that if she met another ghost, she would finally have something that she could connect with physically.”
She added: “I guess I made it as a reflection of things I was going through at the time and previous experiences in my life.”
Mores Tua, Vita Mea is one of three films nominated for the award in the Midlands region, the largest area at the RTS student awards, and will be judged by leading industry professionals.
Animation Course Leader Omid Ghanat-Abady expressed confidence in Copsey’s chances of winning.
He said: “We’ve got a really good feeling that she might win, it has that John Lewis Christmas advert feel to it.”
He added: “It’s an incredibly proud moment, all the work is done by the student, all we do is guide them, but it’s almost like a colleague or I have won the award. It’s amazing for us to see this shy first year student slowly grow to be such a confident well-rounded individual.”
The animation course at Worcester offers a joint honours degree where students combine animation with another subject.
Omid said: “I’ve come to recognise that most of the courses of our competitors, if you like, are single honours, so it’s courses where students study one subject area. In that sense, I think what we are doing has got a lot more worth.”
He said: “The course is celebrating just getting the nomination, it’s a recognition of the strength of the course and validation that the course is doing all the right things in terms of the curriculum and how we teach. We are proud of all our students, but this is just like the cherry on top of the cake for us.”
The University of Worcester is one of the few university programs that provides an animation course placing a strong emphasis on 2D animation.
Martha Copsey said: “It’s the style I most prefer and am most familiar with.”
“I’m proud of what I’ve done at Worcester, my time here has definitely helped me get better at the whole development process and I can definitely see that come through in this film.”
The award ceremony will take place in Birmingham on March 19, where the nominee and tutors will attend.
If you're interested in studying animation at the University of Worcester, you can find out more on our course page, or watch the video below to hear from people on the course.
For information on courses at the University of Worcester visit www.worcester.ac.uk or for application enquiries, telephone 01905 855111 or email admissions@worc.ac.uk