The Catalunya Media City project is also being closely followed by professionals in highly specialized audiovisual disciplines, such as those dedicated to stop-motion animation , made frame by frame. BAU, the Barcelona University Center for Arts and Design, offers a master's degree in stop-motion animation , a unique national and international training program aimed at professionals in the design, communication, animation, and creative sectors in general who, without any specific qualifications, want to reorient their careers toward this animation. It is endorsed by the University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC).
"On a global scale, stop-motion has experienced significant growth in recent years, as evidenced by notable productions such as those from Laika studios, Wes Anderson's films, and Guillermo del Toro's recent version of Pinocchio," Frank J. María, coordinator of the audiovisual department at BAU and coordinator of the master's degree, explains to ARA. "In Catalonia, although it is still a small sector, it is expanding, thanks to training initiatives such as this master's degree and local productions such as L'Olívia and El terremoto invisible , which are already generating real and stable professional opportunities," he analyzes.
For him, Catalunya Media City could be a catalyst for the sector. "The project has the potential to become a driving force for specialized niches such as stop-motion animation ," he asserts. He adds: "If we commit to providing space and support for manual and artistic creation within the audiovisual sector, supported by the advancement of new technologies, we can consolidate an internationally competitive local industry that fosters both creation and employment and ongoing training."
For now, the master's program attracts students from all five continents. "Over these ten years, we've welcomed students from Latin America, the United States, Africa, Central and Northern Europe, Russia, China, among others," he explains. These students have a solid artistic foundation and, increasingly, advanced knowledge of cinematography. "They all share an interest in recovering the traditional art of stop-motion in all its forms, and they especially value the physical contact with the material and the international collaboration to create joint short films," he explains.
The graduates have followed very diverse paths: some have continued their training and work at renowned institutions such as Aardman Animation—the creators of the legendary Wallace and Gromit—and others have launched stop-motion teaching and training projects in their home countries, such as Colombia, Egypt, the United States, and Russia.
