ANIMATION SOCIETY
Below : Anisoc uses industry-level software to create its images.
A NISOC was founded with the mission of recreating the story of legendary explorer and Old lleynian Ernest Shackleton’s voyage to Antartica, all in one animated film. When it is finished, we aim to show it on the Edward Alleyn Theatre’s big screen as a kind of cinema event, complete with refreshments and pre-film adverts for fellow societies. We threw ourselves into the project with practically zero animation experience, but nothing could have prepared us for how difficult animation really is. We started off old-school, sketching characters for each individual frame in the way Disney animated before they discovered computers. In an animated movie, there must be 28 frames per second, so you can work out how many sketches we needed to do for a five-minute film. We quickly realised there was no way we could finish the film in the time or to the quality we needed with this method. So, with the help of resident IT specialist Dr Storey we began using high-tech 3D animation software: Autodesk Maya. Maya is so sophisticated that the animation studio Pixar uses it (we got it for free thanks to our student status). There are two stages to producing the film using this program: first, you have to 3D model the characters, then place them over the frames. Modelling the characters is the hard part, but once that’s done the rest is quite a streamlined process. Perhaps I shouldn’t say streamlined, though, as the project is going to face many more bumps, shocks and repeats. However, the society is determined to do all it takes to make this film happen. And the society’s ambition does not stop there: once the Shackleton film is produced, we hope that the publicity will lead to teachers and students or other members of the Dulwich community requesting us to make animations for them. Physics teachers may ask for an animated film on quantum effects for their classes, other societies may ask us to make a film promoting them, and we will be able to say, ‘yes we can’. Oliver Morland (Year 11)
THE UNION: NEW SOCIETIES
The Union continues to thrive, with amultiplicity of groupsmeeting at lunchtimes and after school to explore a strikingly diverse range of topics. In addition to the continued presence of established societies, this year has seen the emergence of some intriguing newcomers. Here we profile four of them
T he Music Production and Writing society has been created to expand horizons: traditional music education can sometimes fall behind current music trends – or avoid them altogether – and it’s our aim to pick them up again. It is only recently that Music Technology has been introduced into schools, and whether you are a budding professional musician, or just a hobbying bedroom DJ, this is a society for you. We run group sessions during lunchtimes where boys can come and write anything from Dubstep to Trap, Film to Taylor-Swift-style-über-pop. This is achieved using a program called Logic Pro and uses the new iMac suite in the Lower Music Room. So far, boys have attempted remixes, film scores, new EDM tracks and mashups. Everyone works on individual projects, so you do not have to follow what the rest of the group is doing. Individual help is given on specific details, and we welcome anyone from complete first-timers to seasoned EDM producers. The society is growing every week, with more boys coming in to try their hand at writing new music. Music is an important part of school life, and if you feel that dropping a sick beat is your best way of taking part in what Dulwich has to offer musically then please do come along. MUSIC PRODUCTION AND WRITING SOCIETY Hal Howe (Year 8)
AVIATION SOCIETY Mitchell Simmonds (Year 10) President of Aviation Society
With two more speakers already in the diary, members of Aviation Society are able to look forward to a talk from a Ryanair Captain and a representative from the pilot training company, CTC Wings. We also look forward to working with the Physics Society and Drones Society in the future, competing to see who can design, build and control the most innovative aircraft.
E very Tuesday, the Aviation Society meets either to learn about a new aspect of aviation, or to learn to fly using a highly realistic training flight simulator. Members have also learnt how to tackle one of the most stressful jobs within the industry: Air Traffic Control. When controlling a few planes arriving and departing at a minor airport, the job was successfully completed, but when controlling up to 30 planes entering and leaving London Heathrow airspace, each member began to lose their cool! Nonetheless, it was an interesting experience for all. In addition, the Aviation Society has also had the pleasure of hearing from Senior First Officer Andre Calleja, one of the senior pilot recruiters at British Airways’ ‘Future Pilot’ programme. An entire laboratory was filled with members who learned about SFO Calleja’s experience, how to apply to be an airline pilot, and what it takes to work in the office with the best view in the world. Furthermore, as Andre was one of the elite members to be flying the new 787 dreamliner for British Airways, he gave us an insight into what it was like to be at the controls of one of these master machines. ‘For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return’ Leonardo da Vinci
Above: Mitchell Simmonds and Ubaid Mussa (Year 10), members of Aviation Society, with British Airways pilot Andre Calleja
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