Winnipeg students receiving mentorship from Nickelodeon

WINNIPEG — Going to class is far from normal at Sisler High School this year thanks to COVID-19. Hallways are divided with taped-on arrows and most students are only physically in class about once a week.

But for Daryl Mabunga, part of the SislerCREATES animation program, the 2020 school year is exceptional for an entirely different reason.

“This whole opportunity is really cool,” said Mabunga, who is participating in the inaugural “Orange Tree Project,” a collaboration between SislerCREATES and Nickelodeon Studios. “When do you have a chance to talk to these people who are from Nickeloden when you live in Winnipeg, Manitoba?”

Mabunga is one of a group of students participating in the Orange Tree Project, a learning initiative launched in late September that has animation industry professionals teaching students on the ins-and-outs of the animation industry.

Participating students are working in three separate groups, all tasked with developing original story ideas. Each group is being mentored by a Nickelodeon artist throughout the program, which runs until the end of May, and teams will be pitching their story concepts to their Nickelodeon mentors next week.

“I just started learning animation about a month ago,” said Mabunga. “Before it was just me making my own stories but now I have a whole bunch of new people helping and putting in new ideas.”

“We’re creating this thing together so that’s really cool.”

Getting the Orange Tree Project off the ground is largely thanks to Sisler High School animation teacher and CREATE department head Jamie Leduc, who worked with Nickelodeon to set up the mentorship program.

“I think they’re empowered and I think they really want to develop (their) story,” said Leduc of his students. “It’s more about, from my perspective, the journey and the progress.”

“Watching these students develop their skills over time has been a highlight of my career.”

Leduc says the program is keeping students engaged, working ten-to-twelve hours a day on their projects, despite all of the COVID-19-related disruptions this year.

And, while students are learning what they need to create animated works from start to finish, they’re also gaining skills applicable to any industry.

“I’ve learned how to communicate with people,” said Gab Reyes, one of three team leaders in the program, “Which is especially important during the pandemic with everything online”

“I’ve learned how important communication is with your teammates, how to arrange things, and how it’s okay to have help from other people, as well.”

For Nya Langit’s team, the project offers a chance to create stories showcasing underrepresented cultures. Langit and members of her team are Filipino, so they’re imbuing elements of Filipino mythology into their story pitch, a culture Langit says isn’t often seen in mainstream media.”

“With Asian representation in the media, it’s mainly Chinese or Korean or Japanese,” said Langit. “I think if we bring in more Southeast Asian (culture) then more people will feel represented.”

The Orange Tree project ends in late May when students will aim to complete three animated short films. The films will then be submitted to various film festivals. 

“This project is really about providing opportunities for our students to learn more about the animation and art careers in today’s world. Streaming content right now — there’s a lot of demand for it.

“And a lot of companies, a lot of studios are trying to engage more artists, more young people to actually look at going into the arts as a way of actually sustaining themselves and giving them a career path,” Jamie Leduc, a CREATE instructor, said.

The project will also enable students to build connections in the industry, which are crucial to success. Leduc explained that this may help students advance their careers while remaining in Winnipeg, now that the COVID-19 pandemic has normalized working from home.https://player.vimeo.com/video/465105045?dnt=1&app_id=122963

“One thing that’s really interesting when you look at the economy right now is that the animation industry is thriving in the new world.

“Animation studios can survive because they can basically assign people wherever they’re working on their scenes. So it’s an amazing time to be an artist and to be going into the (industry), because I think a lot of students in Winnipeg could probably start working for studios remotely, once they have the training.”

Grade 11 student Kimberly Chau, who said she wants to pursue a career in animation, said she is excited about this opportunity because it’s not something that is often accessible to immigrants.

“Immigrants usually don’t have these opportunities,” Chau said. “I think it’s really nice because a lot of us are, or at least our parents were, immigrants … My parents don’t really see this industry as something you can do as a career. So having this opportunity is a really nice way to kind of show them this is possible for me.”

Nickelodeon Animation is a California-based studio, best known for television shows such as Spongebob Squarepants, Hey Arnold!, and Dora the Explorer — to name a few.

Information about the Projects

Grim Companion by Yam Jam Animation 

Synopsis:  An unexpected encounter with a new companion gives the Grim Reaper a new sense of purpose in the lonesome world he roams in. 

Students and their roles:  

• Gab Reyes (Team Lead, Animator, Background & Character artist) 
• Kyla Ramilo (Producer, Social Media/Branding, Animator)  
• Angelo Alviar (Animator, Background Artist) 
• August Calayag (Background artist, Social Media, Animator) 
• Bianca Solis (Animator, Background Artist) 
• Driccson Orina (Background artist, Cleanup animator) 
• Jireh Laririt (Animator, Background artist) 
• Justin Choy (Music and foley arts) 
• Macky Pelico (Animator, Background & Character artist) 
• Rance Dee (Animator, Background artist) 
• Vince Bulanhagui (Animator, Background & Character artist) 
• Xierra Cansino (Animator, Background & Character artist) 

Ikaw Muna by Monarch Martians 

Synopsis:  “A normal day of babysitting and basketball takes a turn for siblings Maya and Enrico after accidentally destroying the home of a Nuno sa Punso (a dwarf-like nature spirit from Filipino Mythology known for bestowing curses on those who anger it). Watching the creature turn her little brother into a runaway chicken, Maya has to find a way to save her little brother from the busy festival streets before it’s too late.” 

Students and their roles:  

• Nya Langit: co-director, co-writer, concept artist, storyboard artist, animator 
• Ethan Reyes: co-director, co-writer, concept artist, storyboard artist, animator 
• Yzabelle Tolentino: producer, social media manager, voice actor 
• Allen Miranda: concept artist, storyboard artist, animator, animatic editor 
• Noah Ascano: concept artist, animator 
• Andrew Dilag: concept artist, animator 
• Mae Lestones: concept artist, animator 
• Megan Koscielny: concept artist, animator 
• Meadow Chaput: concept artist 
• Chrysler Uy: animator 
• Jayson Salak: animator 
• Raia Guinto: animator 
• Maryanne Guiboche: animator 
• Anne Gendive: animator 
• Mikhylla Dilag: animator 
• Julia Vallega: animator 
• Aylene Sun: animator 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MonarchMartians?s=09 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monarchmartians/?igshid=1lyfq8cmg0zag  

Eclipse by Clementine Animations 

Duration: 3:32 (subject to change)  

Students and their roles:  

• Jemimah Suba: Team leader, Creative Director, Production Manager, Animator, Storyboard Artist, Compositor.  
• Dairyl Mabunga: Production manager, Animator, Storyboard artist 
• Kimberly Chau: Art director, Social Media Manager, Animator, Storyboard artist, Background Artist, concept artist.  
• Kaylise Rose: Animator, Background artist 
• Sam Balanial: Animator, Concept artist, Social Media Manager  
• Gian Abaad: Animator  
• Francesca Musni: Animator  
• Kiara Skye: Concept Artist, Background Artist, Animator  
• Adrian Knight: Animator  
• Camille Dubeau: Animator, Concept artist 
• Marjorie Dumaua: Animator  
• Onah Fuentes: Background artist, Animator  
• Tiryn Dudley: Background artist, Animator 
• Kayla Contois-moar: Concept Artist 
• Jed Orellano: Compositor  

Synopsis:  In a land where magic is abundant, two young witch sisters spend their days creating magical potions. The eldest sister Sun, is gifted in the arcane, gaining recommendation and winning awards. The younger sister Moon however, constantly feels overshadowed by her and this causes a rift in their relationship. Moon seeks out to prove herself by entering the annual magic fair. When Sun finds out, she tries to help but ends up overstepping and meddles with Moon’s project. This causes a malfunction in Moon’s contest entry, turning what Moon thought would be a contest-winning potion into a giant monster that can only be defeated if the sisters work together.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/clementineanimations?igshid=amxjd9ciquqc