The QANTAS Spirit Of Youth Awards has added a new animation category to its 2012 line-up of disciplines aimed at showcasing the emerging talent of young Australian creatives. Charbel Bousamra is an Interactive Entertainment student at QANTM in Sydney and has been awarded a top ten finalist spot for this year.
Charbel, who enjoys designing for films, says the awards provide great exposure and allow people to check out other works. He found out about the competition on Facebook and then put together a portfolio of designs from college and personal creations.
The types of stories Charbel likes to tell revolve around believable characters who are continually engaging to the audience. Understanding the audience allows for more direction with the story. “I like stories that have some sort of moral compass and teach people,” he says. “That's what people in today's film industry do. They teach some values and that's what I like to do.”
When designing a character to engage the audience Charbel says he prefers to create some backstory before sitting down at the drawing board. “The design of the character is the appeal. But it's not only the appeal that draws attention to the character but what's behind it. I believe it helps to work out a story before you design anything.”
Charbel Bousamra
QANTM requires its design students to submit a major project before graduating and Charbel and his group have decided to create a film. “What I would like to do [with films] is create something with more of a retro feel. But also make it very interactive at the same time, like today's games. I like the retro feel because it's very simple and I believe the simple games are more engaging than the complex ones.”Charbel is looking to graduate from QANTM in March and says he will spend the post-graduation months building up a portfolio. He says competitions like QANTAS Spirit Of Youth Awards help promote individuals.
“Take every opportunity to showcase your work,” says Charbel. “And although compliments are great, search more for criticism because they help you learn the best. It allows you to find out which parts to work on more and if you're dedicated you'll definitely get somewhere.”
