By Anja Zielinski-Runfola, Contributing Writer
The Daemen Visual and Performing Arts Department participated in its first global 24-Hour Jam Animation Contest on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024.
The nonprofit organization Legends Animated hosts the contest yearly. They aim to promote collaboration between independent artists and industry professionals, featuring well-known sponsors such as Netflix, DreamWorks, Sony, Pixar, Nickelodeon, and Disney Studios.
Students were tasked with creating a 30-second film in 24 hours pertaining to the morality of artificial intelligence, otherwise known as AI. They were asked to take a stance on whether or not the usage of AI is beneficial or harmful to society as a whole.
Independent from official judging, the Daemen VPA held a vote for Best Film.
Team Jam no PB was named Daemen’s winner of 2024. They also placed in the top 100 globally, landing a spot on the 2024 ranked list. Their film focused on AI image generation, and how the technology harms artists.
“Honestly, this went really really well,” said Jeremy Lopez-Reices, a junior animation major and team captain of Jam no PB. “Probably the smoothest animation jam I’ve ever done. There were genuinely no hiccups, we had no issues.”
“We were all very good at collaborating; everybody meshed together very well. A big part of the jam is just managing everybody’s mental health,” said Mia Weller, a sophomore animation student.
The team had agreed that in the face of a looming deadline, some stress is unavoidable, especially when sleep-deprived.
Two of the members of Team Jam no PB had never participated in the 24-Hour Jam before, but Sheila Forbes, a transfer in the animation program, said she really enjoyed her experience overall.
“I’m really impressed by how driven everyone in the VPAC is. I haven’t had a chance to see much of what’s outside of the VPAC, there’s very little intermingling,”
“One of the biggest things I’ve realized is that the artists on campus aren’t utilized enough as they should be. We only recently had an art major remake the school mascot. The school should collab with the art students,” Lopez-Reices said. “That way it feels like a bigger community, not like it’s the VPAC and the rest of Daemen, it’s one big school and every community is helping each other grow.”
They all seemed to agree that collaborative work should be encouraged within the community, both as students and as future industry professionals. They also mentioned that good animation takes time and that the 24-Hour Jam does not reflect what Daemen students are capable of when provided enough time to produce a quality product.
In an event that has brought together over 200 schools from over 33 different countries for more than 20 years, Daemen University is now officially on that list.