Students put race ace in the picture

TWO talented students who have created animations for dance superstars The Prodigy and banking giant Santander have set up their own production firm.

Gary Carse and Daniel Waterman are fitting their studies at Staffordshire University around their burgeoning company, Carse and Waterman Productions.

And the pair have already created animations for The Prodigy's Warrior's Dance single, which features cigarette packets coming alive, and the Santander advert, which depicted a tiny Lewis Hamilton racing around a Scalextric track.

Daniel, aged 20, who is studying 3D character animation, said: "We were both working on freelance projects when Gary got a call from director Corin Hardy, asking if he'd be interested in doing the animation for Warrior's Dance on quite a tight budget.

"Gary asked if I could help him out. It was weird shooting a music video, going to lectures and trying to keep it quiet that a well-known director was here too.

"It was quite a long process. There was a three-day shoot in Hackney, then we were working up here on a small set for about two to three weeks.

"The video was shown on all the music channels and it gave us the confidence to set up the business.

"It was great to see it on TV – we were in the students' union one day when Warrior's Dance came on. Our tutor stood up and said, 'see those two guys? They did that'."

Daniel, who is from Hertfordshire, said: "Not long after, we got another phone call asking if we'd be interested in doing some animation for the Santander advert.

"We animated some of the shots where the car is driving around the track."

Daniel admits he and Gary, who is studying animation, sometimes find it difficult to juggle their university work with their business projects.

He said: "We're trying to build up high-profile connections with big productions and we're doing reasonably well.

"Trying to balance that with university work does get stressful but Gary and I are so passionate about what we do.

"Gary and I have different inspirations – he loves the Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera cartoons while I've always loved Disney."

Daniel and Gary, who is 19 and from Northumberland, are in their second year of studies and say they plan to focus completely on their production firm once they have graduated.

Daniel said they would consider making Stoke-on-Trent a permanent base.

He said: "We are thinking about staying here. It depends on where the best funding is available and I know Stoke-on-Trent does offer good funding for business start-ups."

Bob Bell is chairman of North Staffordshire professional service network finest, which runs the Graduate Works scheme to encourage the region's brightest and best to stay in the area.

He said: "As we come out of recession, Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire needs to hold on to its skills.

"Keeping young entrepreneurial talent around is absolutely crucial."

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