WLC intern Zozie Brown with Fika Entertainment

During my three-month internship at Fika Entertainment, I gained a new perspective on the animation industry and expanded my areas of research significantly. The purpose of this placement was to develop an understanding of current trends in television for young people, whilst also developing my novel, Good Bot, Bad Bot, into a pilot episode for an animated series. Throughout the placement, I learned a huge amount about what happens behind the scenes in film and animation. While I have had experience in 3D animation in the past, my experience was largely practical and I did not have any insight into the story-telling process. With Fika, I was encouraged to explore the ways that companies construct a narrative, and I gained a deeper understanding of the production side of the industry.

Academically, this internship has allowed me to expand my areas of specialisation in many ways. I now feel that I have the tools and knowledge to pursue further research in the area of animation, film and script-writing. This knowledge may also open doors for further teaching in the areas of script-writing and film. I hope to use what I have learnt to produce further research in this area and to find further publication for my research.

Overall, I feel that this internship has had a huge impact on my confidence as a writer, as well as my employability. It also allowed me to expand my specialisations as a researcher, so that I can incorporate elements of film analysis and script-writing into my future research. The experience was hugely rewarding and will prove invaluable for a career in academia or the film industry.

NOTE: Zozie completed this internship as part of her PhDXtra program – check out further details  here.