Since graduating from The Northern School of Art’s BA (Hons) Animation course in 2025, Dan Michael has begun developing his career as an animator and filmmaker, building on an experimental approach to storytelling that combines traditional, digital and mixed-media techniques.
Dan’s final-year film, Blink, won the Animation category at the 2026 Royal Television Society Student Awards for the North East and the Borders. The film explores escapism, unhealthy habits and addiction through the story of Kyle, a character who uses an old television set to enter an imagined world where his creativity can run without limits.
Blink allowed Dan to experiment with techniques and creative disciplines beyond his previous experience. The film combines live action, stop motion, claymation and other animation techniques, alongside hand-crafted elements including painted backgrounds, cardboard and papier-mâché models. Dan also collaborated with fellow students and lecturers to create a stop-motion version of the film’s central character.
The project also allowed Dan to develop his technical skills across a range of creative software, including Toon Boom Harmony, Adobe Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Illustrator, After Effects, Audition and Blender. His approach was deliberately experimental, using his final major project as an opportunity to try new processes and explore different ways of combining animation, craft and live action.
Dan credits his time at The Northern School of Art with helping to shape his creative practice, particularly the collaborative environment and support from lecturers. He describes the School as an important part of his development as an animator:
“I wanted to take the opportunity to learn from others and other creatives around me and take advantage of my environment during my time at The Northern School of Art to demonstrate my skills, creativity and adaptability as a creative.”
Since graduating, Dan has continued to develop his animation practice through short films and new projects, with ambitions to continue storytelling through animation and work on larger-scale productions.
His career so far demonstrates the value of experimentation within animation. By combining digital technology with traditional craft, stop motion and live action, Dan has developed a distinctive approach to visual storytelling, while his RTS award provides early recognition of the ambition and creativity within his work.
I think this is the right balance for the non-submitted alumni: factual enough that we’re not putting words in Dan’s mouth, but still personal because we’re using a genuine quote from him.
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