WE RETURNED FROM INCHYDONEY BEACH with a bucket of sand and immediately set off trying to make it tell a story through an animation.

Caroline Leaf does it much better but it's good to know that storytellers of all ages can be empowered by the simple things in life. Like sand. There is a lot to be learned from Caroline Leaf's work and a lot of inspiration walking the streets of Annecy, France, during the annual animation festival there. We start the first session of the 2011/12 academic year with both thoughts in mind. And below the break sits a sample video used in the lead-off Digital Design lecture.