The students from Ateneo de Naga University with Autodesk Asia Pacific Education Marketing manager Jenny Wah brought home the Best Team Work Award.

After days of intense competition among 11 student teams, the three-person team from the Ateneo de Naga University showcased Philippines’ talent for animation and won Best Teamwork Award at the inaugural Autodesk Panorama Asia Pacific Animation Challenge and Animation Bootcamp 2009. The team is comprised of Alejandro Karlo Zapanta, Albert B. Brisenio and James Jerome Raneses.

Team member Alejandro Karlo Zapanta says: “We were given the arena to demonstrate our talent in digital animation and also represent the Philippines in this competition.” With Autodesk software solutions such as Autodesk Maya which enabled them to bring their ideas and concepts to life, Ateneo de Naga University came up with their digital animation entry entitled Maskara.

“We were very impressed by the high standard of the audition submissions for PANORAMA across the region, and by how the 11 student finalist teams were able to deliver winning animated productions under the mentorship of industry professionals and Autodesk customers,” said Teddy D. Tiu, country manager, Autodesk Philippines, “With this competition, we have achieved our objectives of inspiring and grooming young digital artists, and providing them with opportunities to acquire the skills and industry exposure they need to excel.”

The Autodesk PANORAMA Animation Challenge received 57 entries across seven countries in Asia – Hong Kong, China, Australia, India, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore. Eleven student teams were shortlisted to compete at the Autodesk PANORAMA Animation Bootcamp held at the Hong Kong Cyberport from Dec. 11-14, 2009.

There, they were trained under the mentorship of industry professionals and Autodesk customers from Lucasfilm Animation Singapore, Imagi Studio, Rhythm & Hues Studio and Rising Sun Pictures, who shared their invaluable knowledge on how to leverage Autodesk software to fine-tune the animated projects that teams submitted during the qualifying stages of the competition.

The seven winning teams were judged on their creativity and originality, motion, technical excellence and overall design.

Benjamin Huber from Lucasfilm Animation said: “One of the hardest things for studios globally, particularly in this region, where the industry is still relatively young is finding talent that can immediately be productive without too much additional training. I applaud Autodesk for organizing PANORAMA, as it contributes significantly towards raising the design skills of students and their awareness of industry standards and requirements.”