Starfall is more than an animated short film, it’s the outcome of a deeply creative, student-led collaboration that reached far beyond the walls of the classroom.
Lead by JMC Animation student Jesse Heriot (Director/Producer), alongside fellow students Ash Dhanu (Storyboard Artist), Jack Lodi (Character Design), and Kit Woodburn (Character Design), Starfall brought together 25 animators from around the world to contribute one frame each to create a film where every shot is uniquely different, yet flows as a single, unified story.
Student Vision Meets Global Creativity
This project started as an idea developed within JMC’s animation cohort and quickly expanded into something much larger - a collaboration with artists across continents. The students led the entire process: from early concept development and storyboarding to art direction and artist coordination.
Each animator brought their own style, technique, and voice to the table. But it was the structure created by Jesse, Ash, Jack, and Kit that held it all together - a shared creative vision that allowed the diversity of each contribution to shine through.
Learning Through Collaboration
Beyond the artistry, Starfall stands as a real example of the skills needed in modern creative industries: leadership, communication, adaptability, and trust in the collaborative process. Working across time zones and creative disciplines, the team learned what it takes to guide a project with both flexibility and focus.
These kinds of cross-border, student-driven projects are exactly what JMC Academy encourages: a space where creativity meets initiative, and where students are empowered to take risks, work with others, and explore new ways of telling stories.
Starfall is available to watch now, a film-built frame by frame, by creatives around the globe, led by students at JMC. Check it out here!