Student Animation Shines at SEA Kre8tif! Awards

The SEA Kre8tif! Awards, hosted by the Malaysia Digital Content Festival (MYDCF), is a prestigious event that seeks and recognises the talents of animation content creators and awards them for their outstanding work. This year, it received over 300 submissions across 25 categories from the Southeast Asia region.

Among the winners was “All We Have Left”, an animated short film by 90 GB Productions, a collaborative team of 18 Digital Animation and 22 Illustration final-year students from The One Academy. The film tells the story of Lily, an innocent girl who discovers on her birthday the grim truth her father has kept hidden from her: they are among the few remaining inhabitants of an abandoned, dystopian Earth. It won the ‘Best Animation Technical Award’ for its noteworthy complex technical demonstrations.

More than just an achievement for the team, winning the award was meaningful in recognising the time and effort that they had poured into the short film. Director Sean Tan Zheng Wei attributed their success to their commitment to detail, from perfecting the appearance of holograms and glitches, the delicate sparkles of a butterfly, and even a single teardrop timed flawlessly.

“Even with all the challenges we faced, we held ourselves to the highest standards, refined every aspect, and ultimately achieved something we are truly proud of," Tan reflected.

The short film carries a thought-provoking environmental message, exploring themes of humanity's survival on Earth, environmental neglect, and inequality. It challenges viewers to consider whether we will act in time to save our planet or face irreversible consequences.

The production spanned a year, with illustrators and animators working closely during the pre-production stage to establish the art direction. The illustration team designed characters, props, and environments in 2D, which the animation team then translated into 3D.

According to art director Kuan Yue Tong, with a big production group such as theirs, everyone takes on a lead role while juggling multiple side roles. “By managing workloads effectively and maintaining clear communication, we do our best to ensure everyone stays on track with the production pipeline,” said Kuan.

One of the major challenges as Sean Tan noted, was overcoming moments of doubt during production. “There were times when things didn’t look promising, and I felt improvements were needed, but we were working on a tight schedule. After discussions with the team, we agreed on getting the improvements done. It took a lot of effort and precious time, but it definitely paid off.”

Lead Animator Fong Zi Yi emphasized the importance of passion and character acting in animation, “The way characters express emotions and react to situations brings the story to life, so understanding how to animate those subtleties is crucial.” Being open to feedback – receiving constructive criticism and adjusting the animation based on those insights was key in improving their work. “That, combined with a strong understanding of animation principles and attention to detail, help ensure that the animation flows naturally and captivates the audience,” Fong added.

For Tan, "All We Have Left" is a culmination of the skills and knowledge that they gained at The One Academy. He credits his classes and assignments with sparking his passion for filmmaking and providing the foundation for a good head start.

“The purpose of your film is what matters most – whether it is to raise awareness, to tell a message, to entertain, or to strike a certain emotion within the audience. As long as you put your heart into making a meaningful film for your audience, the smiles and enjoyment on their faces are more rewarding than any award,” Tan concluded.

Watch “All We Have Left” at https://youtu.be/HZfiVqP0qRI

The One Academy is committed to providing the best art education programmes and continues to nurture its students passionately through its “Masters Train Masters” coaching philosophy, which has been practised for over 33 years, by providing diploma and degree courses in Visual Communication Design, Digital Animation, Digital Media Design, Film Visual Effects, Interior Architecture & Design, Illustration, Fine Arts, Paris Fashion Design & Pattern Making, Computer Science & Game Design. For more information, visit www.toa.edu.my or call 03-7875 5510 or e-mail your enquiries to [email protected].