R.L. Turner High School's Academy of Media Arts and Technology (AMAT) students claimed a second state championship title at the UIL State Film Festival in Austin, winning the 5A digital animation category for their short film, "Forest Feud." The winning team members were Carver Stevenson, Emily Gutierrez, Evans Kangethe, Gabriela Belmont, Jayden Bucio, Jeremiah Shaw, Jose Pabon, Perla Hernandez and Zion Branch.

The UIL film festival offers students a platform to showcase their filmmaking skills in the categories of digital animation, documentary, narrative and traditional animation. Finalists are invited to the festival, where their work is screened and awards are presented. Turner’s AMAT has participated in the competition since 2018, with this year marking the program’s fifth state finalist appearance and its second state championship in Digital Animation.

"I am so proud of my students,” said AMAT director Kat Wendling. “The professionalism and teamwork they showed on this project was incredible. I am glad to see their hard work rewarded."

“Forest Feud” was created during the fall semester’s Practicum Animation class. Students began with a pitch session, then formed teams to handle various aspects of production. The students handled all stages of filmmaking, including storyboarding, animation, coloring, sound effects and post-production touches. 

UIL limits each film entry to three minutes, but the production requires an extensive amount of time and effort. For every one second of film, there are 24 frames of animation. This means the students had to create more than 4,300 individual drawings to complete the project. 

“The students completely immersed themselves into every stage of the filmmaking process,” Wendling said. “This hands-on experience empowered them to take ownership of their projects and mirrored the collaborative environment of a professional animation studio.”

Watch AMAT’s “Forest Feud,” animation 

About AMAT

The Academy for Media Arts and Technology is a four-year sequence of courses that works towards industry software certifications in the areas of Media Arts, Digital Graphics/Graphic Design, Animation, Video Game Design, Commercial Photography or A/V Production. Students in AMAT receive an elevated academic experience that will include industry internships, college visits, mentorships, competitions, in-class speakers, academy socials, industry field trips and more. Students work with up-to-date industry software and technology to create professional portfolios and prepare for professional certifications.