UWTSD Applied Computing Blog

Our students, staff and alumni have recently enjoyed a film night, a movie night and lots of popcorn 🍿:), that allowed them to learn more about Animation and the creation of the PC industry with the founding and rivalry of Apple & Microsoft.

Educational Film Night: Five Nights at Freddy’s

The Educational Film Night showed a viewing of Five Nights at Freddy’s, a film that provides valuable insights for students across Animation, Visual Effects, and Games. The production incorporated a sophisticated combination of practical animatronics and CGI, illustrating how physical creature effects can be seamlessly integrated with digital animation to produce convincing and engaging character performances. Additionally, the film makes effective use of atmospheric VFX, stylised lighting, and environmental design to establish tone, tension, and narrative impact.

The animatronic characters provide a strong case study in how movement, timing, weight, and subtle micro-behaviours can communicate personality and emotional presence, even when working with characters that have limited facial articulation or mechanical constraints. Additionally, the film’s use of lighting and rendering techniques such as controlled shadow placement, colour temperature, and reflective surface management enhances mood, tension, and realism. Analysing how the film’s performers, puppeteers, and animators work together to convey intention, threat, and believability will deepen your understanding of character psychology, cinematic lighting, and visual storytelling.

Movie Night: Pirates of Silicon Valley

The Movie night showed a viewing of ‘Pirates of Silicon Valley’,a fast-paced, dramatic retelling that explores the fierce rivalry between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, and the scrappy early days of Apple and Microsoft. Packed with ambition, ego, betrayal, and breakthrough ideas, Pirates of Silicon Valley shows how a handful of visionaries rewrote the rules of technology—and changed the world forever. A must-watch for anyone curious about innovation, startups, or the real stories behind today’s tech giants. 

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