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Creative Red Nose Day juices were flowing at the Norwich School Of Art And Design (NSAD), as second year degree students rose to the challenge to create a series of animated film-shorts to promote Comic Relief 2007.

The brief was simple: Create a 10-second sting based on the theme of The Big One, which is the message for this year's Red Nose appeal, using only the colours associated with the Comic Relief brand.

Four weeks and counting

From the initial briefing session, to delivery of the finished films ready for broadcast - the students were given just four weeks to complete the project.

How the students interpreted the brief was their choice, as the project was designed to encourage them to explore their own creative interests.

Rowena Cooper creates a puppet animation

"I think we all feel lucky we've been able to have this project," said student Rowena Cooper.

"It's really good that people from the ´óÏó´«Ã½ will come in, see our work and get it to a wider audience.

"It's a real opportunity for all of us. Usually you feel it's only the London schools that have these contacts, so it's great the ´óÏó´«Ã½ has come here," she added.

Silver-screening

In addition to the films being screened on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Look East and published at bbc.co.uk, the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Norfolk website team, which had led the project, also arranged for the films to be showcased on the silver screen at Norwich's Riverside.

"We at Odeon Norwich are proud to be able to play a part in helping showcase our community's talent. Who knows what great projects these young students could be responsible for in the years to come," said Amanda Cane, screen manager.

"Hopefully we will be premiering their first feature film in a few years' time," she added.

Digital partnership

The animation project was the fourth year the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Norfolk website had worked with the NSAD.

"We developed these film projects, alongside major ´óÏó´«Ã½ campaigns such as the landmark series Coast and Breathing Places, so they were part of the students' degree course," said Martin Barber, NSAD project leader for the ´óÏó´«Ã½.

David Little presents his storyboard

"Partnerships like this are really important, because for many students it's the first time they've been given the chance to work to a live brief, with real deadlines and to client's exact specifications.

"It's all great experience that will help prepare them for working in the industry after they graduate.

"But it's also about us - the ´óÏó´«Ã½ - investing time to help nurture and challenge the creative talent of tomorrow that's to be found within our local community.

"It gives that talent a platform to showcase their work, their skills and creative expression - to the widest audience possible.

"It's great we were able to tie the project in with Comic Relief, as it really fired up the students' imagination and it's a charity many already believe in and support," he added.

Mixed media

The Red Nose films feature a range of digital practice and techniques that include puppet animation and traditional drawing, along with character design and compositing.

Suzie Hanna, the senior animation lecturer at the NSAD, is delighted with the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s on-going work with the school.

Students line up for a Red Nose photo

"Once again, the ´óÏó´«Ã½ through the Norfolk Where I Live team have been hugely supportive throughout the project and always available to the students with help and advice," she said.

"The students are working with a real client, but also with somebody who really understands the media, so the students get a huge amount of back-up in this collaborative venture.

"It's good for staff too, in that the kind of conversation we have is one which is about education as well as about the public arena.

"It's not just about training and a commercial end, it's about the students using real creativity and conceptual development in an educational context.

"I think the ´óÏó´«Ã½ is putting a lot of effort into the community awareness and raising community involvement in the production of content to help people own their television, radio and web content in an intelligent way," she added.

Graduates from the NSAD animation course now work in fields as diverse as the special effects on Lord Of The Rings, Harry Potter and Tim Burton's The Corpus Bride, to 3D character design for computer games and model animated kids' TV like Fireman Sam and Bob The Builder.

Comic Relief - The Big One took place on Friday, 16 March, 2007.