A North Kent College student has earned a place on the big screen after her stop-motion film was officially selected for the No Reason Short Film Festival 2025 which took place in Bristol at the end of November.
Erin Clarkson, a second-year Animation & Concept Art student, created the short film Little Red Riding Hood as part of her coursework. The piece, an imaginative and darker twist on the classic fairy tale, impressed festival organisers, who invited Erin to have the film screened alongside emerging filmmakers from across the UK.
Erin adapted the well-known story with a modern, stylised approach, using detailed handcrafted puppets bring the narrative to life. The short film follows Little Red Riding Hood as she encounters the Big Bad Wolf before the tale takes an unexpected, and slightly gory, turn upon reaching her grandmother’s house.
Passionate about the craft, Erin shared what drives her work: “My favourite medium is stop-motion; in a technologically advancing world, I’m passionate about bringing this unique filmmaking technique back into popularity. Bringing my puppets to life and creating fascinating new environments is what I enjoy the most.”
Marius Smuts, Lecturer in Animation and Concept Art, expressed how proud the department is of Erin’s accomplishment: “This is a wonderful achievement, and we’re incredibly proud to see Erin’s work gaining recognition. As a department, we are committed to helping our students share their creativity beyond the classroom. Having a student film showcased at an event of this calibre is inspiring and a testament to the talent within our courses. We are actively pursuing further opportunities and film festivals to promote and celebrate our students’ work.”
North Kent College’s Animation & Concept Art course provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the entire concept art and animation pipeline, from early idea generation and character design to developing environments and producing finished animations.
The course combines hands-on creative practice with industry-standard software, including Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Animate and Toon Boom, taught on high-spec Apple workstations.
Students refine essential skills such as anatomy and perspective drawing, narrative development and digital illustration, while also accessing the College’s Creative Studios, which house 3D printers, graphics tablets and iPads with Procreate.
With a strong emphasis on real industry workflows, client briefs and professional practice, the course equips aspiring animators and concept artists with the skills, experience and confidence to turn their ideas into exciting creative careers
To find out more visit the Animation & Concept Art page on the North Kent College website.