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Animation Graduate Creates King Kong's Face
Ileana Stravoskiadi works for Oscar Winner Peter Jackson

Bournemouth graduate, Ileana Stravoskiadi, has been up to monkey business working on the smash-hit monster movie, King Kong.

The epic ape-meets-girl story has been given a makeover by Oscar-winning Kiwi filmmaker, Peter Jackson, who says it has been his dream to remake the 1933 classic since seeing it when he was nine years old. Costing over $200 million it is the most expensive movie ever made, but is set to more than cover its outlay after taking an estimated $14.2 million on its first day of release in the US and Canada. And Ileana has been part of the action.

Actress Naomi Watts Copyright Weta Digital

After graduating in 1999 she has been lending her talents to animations company, Weta Digital, having worked on films such as Tomb Raider Two & The Lord of the Rings

Originally from Greece, Ileana moved to Britain in 1995 to take the renowned BA (Hons) in Computer Visualisation and Animation at The Media School. Ileana enjoyed the course so much she stayed on at Bournemouth and completed a Masters in the same subject.

And now, with her most recent success, you could say she is swinging from the trees! After graduating in 1999 she has been lending her talents to animations company, Weta Digital, who got her involved in films such as Tomb Raider Two, The Lord of the Rings, and Jim Henson's Watergiant, which is still to be released.

It was the same company that contracted Ileana to go to New Zealand for the second time in her career to work on the massive King Kong. " I had already been to New Zealand once when we made Return Of The King", lucky Ileana told me. "It was the same company so they knew what I could do." Ileana started her work in New Zealand in the modelling department, doing everything from creating Jackson's crazy creatures to replicating the bridges and buildings of New York. But Ileana soon moved on to other areas.

It is really amazing being part of something so huge. .. I'm very proud of myself for what I've achieved.

"You get hired for a certain role to begin with but you move on to other things as the movie evolves. I changed departments in June to do facial motioning. That was very exciting." To create Kong's life-like expressions, which will pull on the heart- strings of audience members world wide, Ileana used a combination of computer animation, mixed with the real-life facial expressions of Andy Serkis, who did the voice and movement for Gollum in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy.

"It is really amazing being part of something so huge. It's very different from working on little films, because it's a big well-oiled engine and there are massive challenges for every department. I'm very proud of myself for what I've achieved."

While it took Ileana a few months to land her first job after graduation, due to a slow period in the industry, thanks to the massive popularity of special effects films such as Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia, Ileana says there is now a constant flow of work, especially for Bournemouth graduates.

King Kong and Actress Naomi Watts Copyright Weta Digital

There are so many people from Bournemouth in the industry, and people know that if you're a graduate from there they've got a good deal.

"The course makes a really big difference. There are so many people from Bournemouth in the industry, and people know that if you're a graduate from there they've got a good deal. There were at least ten of us working on Kong. It helped me a lot and I'd definitely recommend it to others who want to be in my position."

So, after a full-on two years working with the biggest alpha male of them all, Ileana is taking a break from her hectic schedule and is flying back to Greece to spend Christmas with her friends and family. But with the current climate of special effects mania, Ileana won't be relaxing for long, and will be choosing which new projects to bless with her expertise early in the new year.

Story by Crystal Wilde
BA (Hons) Multi-Media Journalism - 2nd Year Student

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