BOURNEMOUTH graduates who helped create the special effects for the British blockbuster Gravity have been praised in the House of Commons following the film’s Oscar success.

During Prime Minister's Questions Tobias Ellwood, MP for Bournemouth East, invited David Cameron to join him in congratulating the fifty graduates from Bournemouth University’s National Centre for Computer Animation and Arts University Bournemouth who worked on the space thriller, which won seven Oscars at the 86th star-studded Academy Awards ceremony, including best visual effects and best film editing.

Mr Cameron said: “Bournemouth University does have excellent courses that have helped to build up the British post-production and facilities industry which is now so busy helping to create these blockbuster films.”

He added: “It is very good news to see not only are we wining Oscars for British films but actually the British studios are full to bursting point making movies and also the facilities industry and the post-production industry is now leading the world.”

The effects house Framestore produced the special effects for the film with the help of around 40 alumni from BU’s animation and visual effects courses and ten from AUB.

Sofronis Efstathiou, postgraduate Framework leader for animation at Bournemouth University, said he was proud to see Bournemouth graduates recognised for their hard work.

“We were so proud to hear David Cameron’s endorsement of Bournemouth University’s courses and the recognition that we are preparing graduates who are equipped and ready to hit the ground running within the visual effects industry,” he said.

“To receive praise from within the House of Commons is very special and another accolade to show that we really will prepare you for a long and successful career in industry.”

A spokesman from AUB said the university was thrilled the work of its graduates had been recognised by the Prime Minister and local MP Tobias Ellwood.
 

He said: “With Framestore's own outpost based on the AUB campus, it's great to see both David Cameron and Tobias Ellwood acknowledging the contribution Arts University

Bournemouth makes to the British film industry.
 

“With our graduates going from working on their degrees to an Oscar–winning film in a matter of months, it really reinforces our learning ethos of turning creativity into careers."