‘I Steal My Neighbour’s signal’ — joint runner-up for Judge’s Award

MA Animation students Ben Sullivan and Linh Nguyen have been awarded second place in a competition run by TV Licensing and the BBC, to bring the bizarre excuses for watching TV without a TV licence to life. Their film, ‘I Steal My Neighbour’s Signal’, features a pair of crafty foxes, who head into a farmer’s cottage to nab the TV aerial cable, which they then plug into their TV set, hidden in their den.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKPmm021Zyw

‘I Steal My Neighbour’s Signal’ was judged as the runner up by a panel of respected animation experts, in a competition which drew entries from five other universities. More than 40 excuses films were submitted from students across the UK, illustrating the dubious explanations for non-payment, which TV Licensing officers and call centre staff have heard over the past year.

Ben Sullivan said, “I really enjoyed taking part in the ‘No Excuses’ project. It was a great opportunity for us to put our skills to the test and to showcase a variety of animation techniques. To have our animation recognised as one of the leading entries by industry experts is incredibly rewarding.”

Linh Nguyen added: “Getting the chance to work to a client brief, especially for an institution as well-known as TV Licensing, was really exciting and a great creative challenge. The ‘No Excuses’ campaign was particularly interesting because we got the chance to put a fun spin on an issue which is actually quite serious and important. Hopefully our animation will have helped to raise awareness amongst the public.”

Head Judge, Charlie Mawer, Executive Director at Red Bee Creative says, “The beautiful illustrative style, gorgeous colours and clever framing made ‘I Steal My Neighbour’s Signal’ a really charming runner up.”

Abigail Davies, Associate Head of Department, Lens and Moving Image, Bristol School of Film and Journalism, says, “Coming in the top two of this prestigious competition is a real endorsement of Ben and Linh’s design and storytelling talent, which is what we are all about at UWE Bristol’s School of Animation. The sixteen students who took part in the ‘No Excuses’ project, gained excellent industry style experience and we are always keen to promote such opportunities to students as a way of building their professional skills.”

Richard Chapman, TV Licensing spokesperson for the South West, says, “The winning animations are a testament to the imagination of the students.”
To view all the animated films, including ‘I Steal My Neighbours Signal’ and the overall winner, please visit the YouTube page.