With the passage of time, amidst the advancement of digital technology, the realm of animation has also seen a major improvement. Mohammad Vieyo Naufal Zarrar Daffa, a student of the The Applied Undergraduate Animation Department Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (Udinus), believes that animation can potentially be among the biggest digital markets in the near future.
“With the advancement of technology, animation will eventually be adopted in various media, including movies, advertisements, and video games. Even though animation is still fairly niche in the Indonesian market, it holds big demand . This means that the realm of animation carries such potential to be further developed,” Vieyo uttered.
Vieyo stated that his interest in the field of animation had emerged since his childhood. According to him, the animation sector could bring imagination to a tangible visual form. This was the reason he studied animation at Udinus in the first place.
Until now, Vieyo, born in 2004, is still productive in pursuing this field. Several of his animated works even won competitions. This includes his animated work entitled ‘Heartless Smoker,’ which won first place in the Novejam National Game Developer 2025. His other work, Homepia, also won first place in a competition hosted by the Industry and Trade Service in 2024. Lastly, Vieyo’s animated film entitled ‘Khodams Theater’ was also nominated in the 2024 Top 10 National Gamefest held by the Ministry of Communication and Information.
“I also occasionally do some freelance jobs for company profiles, advertisements, and other kinds of animation. I was once even employed to be an animation teacher and featured many times as a speaker in various events, including the 2022 Nickelodeon IP Backyard Dragons and the Twins Workshop, Inspiring Talk at Rus Animation Kudus 2025, and the 2024 Campus 3D Animation Workshop,” he explained.
Necessary Skills
With his expertise in animation, Vieyo, who was a native of Yogyakarta, revealed that creativity and storytelling skills were essential. Moreover, in this day and age, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is still prominent in various aspects related to digital technology.
“AI can indeed help production, but it cannot replace the touch of humans and their emotional sensitivity in crafting stories. Real animators have their own upsides, like perspectives, originality, and feelings,” he emphasized.
Additionally, Vieyo, who is currently the Chairman of the HR Development division of the Animation Bureau at Udinus, also mentioned that the importance of technical capabilities and visual communication was also paramount. This is because animators must adapt to technology to keep their relevance and competitiveness.
According to him, studying at Udinus was one of his attempts to improve as an animator. The sophomore student admitted that the campus is supportive of its excellent facilities. The faculty members were also experienced, allowing him to be one step ahead with the provided projects and learning materials.
“My target is to produce more animated works for shows and video games, as well as make it to streaming giants, like Netflix. I want to craft an animated series to be known globally, with its strong Indonesian identity. I also want to participate in the development of the Indonesian industry to lead it to be marveled at,” he concluded. (Humas Udinus/Penulis. Ika. Editor: Haris. Foto: Dok. Pribadi)
