“I always felt that I had space and support to express my creativity at this university.”
Amelia Connolly studied Animation at METU, whick was a dream of hers since childhood. She feels she’s gained a thorough introduction into everything she could possibly need to produce her own animation and work in the industry.
Why did you choose this field, this major and what inspires you?
Visualizing my imagination and sharing it with people has been an old desire of mine. Drawing has been my passion since early childhood, I also have a lot of interest in movies and books. Creating stories is what I always liked to do, and animation allows the full potential of visual storytelling, thus making it the most inspiring field for me.
What were your favourite projects at METU and why?
Besides Double Dare, my favourite project to work on was The Cure. This was a task in our second year, where we had to come up with an original concept and story for an animation film. Our teacher, Ervin Nagy helped us explore and understand the inner workings of the worlds we imagined and how to represent these details in our designs. Even though most of the classes were held online due to the pandemic, it was a refreshing and inspirational task.
What was your diploma work and why did you choose this topic?
My diploma film, Double Dare is about two young girls who have to take serious measures in order to stop something terrible from happening to them. I had thought about the story a few months before my senior year, it was inspired by a song called "killing boys" and my rising disappointment with the patriarchy. During the production and the writing of my thesis, I gained more understanding of the Female Gaze and female representation in stories. This movie is an experiment in telling a feminist revenge story, while also functioning more as a teaser for a bigger story, that is yet to come.
What did METU contribute to your professional development?
METU offers resources to explore every part of the animation creating process. From sound design, dramaturgy, animation techniques, to software usage, I've gained a thorough introduction into everything I could possibly need to produce my own animation and work in the industry.
What does METU’s credo “Inspired by Creativity” mean to you?
At METU I've found many courses to my interest, with great teachers who guided me to pursue my interests. I always felt that I had space and support to express my creativity at this university.
What would you say to those, who want to apply to a university, why choose METU?
I'd recommend METU to any newcomer, I think this university is one of the prominent ones in Hungary with the independence to stay true to its values and protect a path of creativity for its students.
What are your plans for the future?
Currently, I'm taking a year to prepare for a master's course, while hopefully working in the industry and gaining enough experience to keep producing my own animations in the future.
Take your next step at METU’s bachelors' program – get to know our Animation BA program!