Over 2 Million Views And Counting for MA Animation Student’s ‘Death By…’ Series of Shorts 

Zanna Verdon-Roe is an MA student at Bristol School of Animation, whose aim is to pioneer and popularise 2D Comedy Animation for adults in the British entertainment industry. It seems that before graduating, she is already doing just that – her ‘Death By..’ series, a compilation of short, stupid deaths, is already becoming hugely popular. It has gained over 2 million viewers so far on Instagram, and clips have also had tens of thousands of likes on TikTok.  

The series is comprised of 7 mini skit episodes whether the protagonists cannot escape death. These include a huge range of inventive and extremely silly situations, some involving a photocopier, a firework, and some soup. You can view all episodes of the series here on Zanna’s Instagram reels.  

‘I made the series over the summer, when I was messing around with Adobe Animate. I set myself a goal to do one a week just to make sure I didn’t forget how to animate before coming back to uni! I had the rough idea and I wanted to keep the animation pretty simple but eye catching with pastel colours. The first few I posted and they got the usual amount of likes and views, and then the photocopier one really took off…I started getting tagged in big animation accounts’ posts and it was really exciting.’ 

Zanna is now busy assembling a team for her newest series, ‘Animals’ Guide to Dating’, and is managing her anijam (animation jam) project ‘”Naked Came the Stranger”,  in which over 20 animators are collaborating on a fun, experimental film. She is also pitching two series, ‘Magical Misfits’ and ‘LUMPS, to Netflix, BBC & Channel 4 in a few months’ time, with the support of her mentor Miles, MD of Wildseed Studios.

‘I want to be a creative producer and Miles has given me so much great advice on pitching and managing a team, it’s been a big help’, she says. Asked if she had any advice for budding animators, Zanna gave these tips: ‘go out and meet people, expand your network, and share you work even when it’s not perfect – there is an audience for everything. You could be the best animator in the world but if you only keep it in your garden shed then that’s as far as it’s gonna go!’  

Keep up to date with Zanna’s work by following her on insta: @roroverdonroe Tiktok: @zannadoo.animations