VANDAL and University of Technology Sydney Partner on Generative AI in Animation
Animation studio VANDAL is collaborating with the University of Technology Sydney to explore how generative AI can integrate into hybrid animation workflows. The partnership brings together VANDAL's production experience with UTS faculty and PhD students from Media Arts, Animation Production, and Music and Sound Design.
The first project will produce a suite of animated films for schools that introduce children to science through character-driven storytelling. The films will feature notable scientists and translate complex ideas into age-appropriate visual content.
How the partnership works
VANDAL will help develop a workflow that uses AI as an image-making tool within the animation process, building on foundational creative work from UTS students. The work is part of an Australian Research Council Discovery Project.
The focus is on extending creative possibilities rather than replacing artists. Human authorship, intention, and craft remain central to the process.
Chris Scott, Executive Creative Director at VANDAL, said: "This is exactly where we think generative AI should be explored: in the hands of curious, ambitious creative people. This collaboration with UTS is about helping emerging creatives build that fluency early, so they can approach new tools with confidence and critical thinking, while maintaining a strong sense of creative authorship."
Professor Rachel Landers, Head of Media Arts and Production at UTS, said the partnership connects "research and teaching practice with VANDAL's industry-leading expertise in generative AI and hybrid animation workflows."
VANDAL's track record with AI
VANDAL has spent four years working with generative AI tools and processes. The studio has applied AI to projects including Natural Rhythms of Australia for Lendlease and CommBank, Sydney New Year's Eve for the City of Sydney, and An Impossible Life for the Sea Turtle Foundation.
In An Impossible Life, VANDAL used generative AI to visualize a period of a sea turtle's life based on scientific data. Each project combined technical experimentation with artistic direction, design craft, and purpose-driven storytelling.
The partnership reflects a broader shift in how studios approach emerging technology. Rather than treating AI as a replacement for creative work, VANDAL uses it as part of a larger production process where creative direction and human decision-making remain central.
For creatives looking to develop skills in this space, resources on Generative Art and AI Design Courses offer practical foundations for integrating these tools into existing workflows.
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