Sixty40’s Proto Ninja Award, running for the second year as part of the UTS: Sydney International Animation Festival, was recently awarded to Michael Burr's The Secret: Cyberion Emissary.
He used John Green’s track Lomo to fuel a moody motion graphic about a computer-generated creature sent on a mysterious journey across the world. The film captures movement and rhythm and uses the animal’s flight within the expansive landscapes to draw the audience into this enigmatic world. In addition to a cash prize, Michael will undertake a mentorship with Sixty40 over two months as part of the award.
Entrants were required to create a new work of between 40 and 60 seconds length, following the theme ‘Secrets’ and incorporating one of four supplied music tracks. They could choose which production techniques to draw upon, from stop-frame, traditional 2D, motion graphics, 3D, photography, puppetry to film or video. The competition attracted entries from creative minds not necessarily in the industry, offering them the opportunity to work in a commercial animation environment.
Watch Michael's winning entry:
2011 Protoninja Winner: The Secret: Cyberion Emissary from sixty40 on Vimeo.