Teaser: “GymAnxiety”
Seven students from the Dutch HKU arts college worked on a film project that delved into themes of personal growth and self-confidence, inspired by director Xander Schrauwen’s own experiences at the gym.
Over the past six months, from February to June 2025, we worked on this film as a team of students from the Hogeschool voor de kunst Utrecht (HKU). It was an intense and highly educational project that we worked on with great pleasure and dedication.
The film was directed by Xander Schrauwen, and the story is based on his personal experience with the gym. When he first started working out, he found it quite intimidating. He felt insecure and was afraid of what others might think of him. Thanks to the support of his friend, he gained more self-confidence and eventually began to enjoy going to the gym. This core theme is also reflected in our film.
To make the animations and 3D models in the film as realistic as possible, our team also went to the gym together. This was not only useful for gathering reference material for the gym equipment but also for animation references for the shots. Of course, it also helped us become a closer team. So, it was both useful and fun.
Who did what?
- Xander Schrauwen: Director, Story, Editing, Concept Art, (Character) Animation
- Abel Tulp: Rigging, Modeling, Story, Lead (Character) Animation
- Elsa de Swart: Lighting, (Character) Animation, Modeling, Concept Art, Story
- Thomas Wind: Producer, Editing, Art Direction, Compositing, (Character) Animation
- Sem Lagrand: Art Direction, Modeling, Texturing, Lighting, Rendering, Technical Director, (Character) Animation
- Torin Vreeman: Music
- Evy Boelhouwer: Logo
We currently do not plan to release the film online immediately, as we first want to submit it to several festivals taking place in 2026. The film will likely appear online sometime early next year.
Watch the teaser
