#csssa help

[zoloxolo]

Project Thoughts: Student Film "Heard Somebody Cry" [April 12th 2025]

New semester, new student film to work on!

As I said in my last update, I decided to drop my uncompleted film "Lost and Found" last semester due to the amount of baggage it carried during production. I knew that I wanted to do something a bit more light-hearted and fun for the next one, even if it meant working on something as cringe as an animated music video of my two precious ocs.... a but indulgent, yes, last year was very difficult for me so dont judge.... Unfortunately, because i am using a song from a popular band, i won't be able to enter it into any film festivals. The most i can do is hope my film gets selected for my college's screening and maybe win a single award if the judges like it enough.

Anyways enough blabbering, here is what i have so far!

Lemmie first introduce you to my characters I'm going to be animating! The man in the green sweater is Omar, the other ghostly figure with the beret is Benjamin. Back in 2021 when i was attending CSSSA, I attempted to animate a short film of these two which was gnna be named Acquainting Painting. Looking back after years have passed.... it was very silly of me to think I could finish a 1 minute film in just a week, but I managed to have the storyboard done at the very least. I haven't uploaded the film on youtube yet so maybe sometime in the future I'll be able to link it here, but I aint gnna lie, I am a lil too lazy to find the video. I think the file itself is gone forever from my hard drive failing, but I definitely have the file exported as a mp3.

Here is what Benjamin looks like in human form with his proper colors. This was concept art for his redesign, thus the outdated outfit.

Here is what he's supposed to look like in the final product after adding in the effects, but tbh, I'm still not fully on board with these colors. It's got a nice pallet, but i want him to pop out more in a lighter blue since the setting is going to take place in an art gallery at night. By the time i roll out another update, I'll update his FINAL final look.

And now, for the animation segment!

In total, i wanna say i put in about over 40 hours of work into this since 3 weeks ago. I definitely should've put more work into this segment during that time, I was sorta dilly dallying for a bit. There's a few more boards beyond this, but i wanna wait to show it off after the majority of this segment is animated. It was super hard to animate Benjamin glitching since the only things i have ever animated up until this point has been character acting. I had to watch a lot of aimkid beforehand to study the way she makes her character move. I definitely need to watch more 2d animated movies that aren't disney related and get caught up with the times... but i can't help it, i love animating the Richard Williams way 😵‍💫

That's it for now. Its 8am and I stayed up all night trying to type all of this out. I'll see yall preferably next week.

[noxxiecoffees]

Hello, this is the link to an artist jukebox.png gofundme: https://gofund.me/c73cba4c

They need money in order to be able to attend their school and I’m just spreading the word here! Please support and reshare to help a fellow artist!

You can find their TikTok under the same username.

[the-fengverse]

I FRIPPIN" DID IT!!!!!!!!

I finished my CSSSA APPLICATION!!!!! Now all I have to do is wait til April when I'll find out if they accepted me or not! Fingers crossed if I did! :D

Anyways heres my prompts and assignments for each!

A) What Writing Means to You: Write a short reflective piece on the role writing plays in your life. Why do you write? What kind of writing excites you most? Who are some pieces of writing that have inspired you? What are your favorite forms (short stories, novels, poetry, comic books, film/tv) and why? (Limit: 500 words/double-spaced.)

afeng_A:

Why I Write By: Ash Feng I write because reading is my escape into magical worlds with intimate characters who know what it means to be cherished by those around them. I write because I want to help people with my stories. I write because I want to feel like I matter to somebody! When I read a good book, my mind just explodes with color and music as it orchestrates the story in my head. I just get so immersed and captivated that I want nothing more than to get isekai’d straight into the story. It makes me wish I could find my own knight and fall in love. It makes me wish I could have my own loving family and happy ending. I escape because I want to feel safe. Safe from my parents never-ending pressure and expectations to be someone I’m not, from my mind that I’m scared will break due to our cruel reality that is seemingly hellbent on punishing the weak. That is why I escape into fantasy and fiction, to feel like nothing can hurt me and everything is all sunshine and rainbows even if reality doesn’t work that way. However, escaping into stories has also helped me discover new things about myself that I never knew were there. Mainly, I’ve realized that I’m creatively intelligent and that I want to use that to follow my dream of becoming a successful author who leaves a positive impact everywhere she goes, no matter the challenges she faces! I don’t want anyone else to be told that they’ll never amount to anything just because of the way they look or the way they act or over something they can't control. I want to inspire others to not give up so easily, to keep reaching even when told they’ll never make it. I want to remind them that everything will be ok and things will work out, it’ll just take time and support. I want to give my readers what I never had growing up. Hope. Due to being born with a disability, and my parents never really acknowledging my emotional or mental health, I’ve dealt with my fair share of self-esteem issues. It hasn’t really helped matters that I’ve grown up with the wish that I was born ‘normal’ instead of with my broken eyes. However, as I’ve grown older and read countless stories, my spirits have gradually started lifting! I write because to me, becoming an author means that I will make books that help people like how I was inspired by the books I’d read when I was little. I know the road ahead is hard, that it will be filled with seemingly insurmountable writer’s block and procrastination and whatever else life decides to throw at me, but I know that If I work hard enough, I can and will achieve my dream!

B) Original Writing: (I chose Dramatic Writing for this one) Dramatic Writing (screenplay, play, comic book script): Think of someone in your life who you can’t relate to. Imagine a character based on that person. Write a scene in which you and this imagined character must work together to solve a problem. (Limit: 3 pages, single-spaced)

afeng_B:

(Dramatic Writing)

INT. A SPACIOUS PARISIAN MANSION LIVING ROOM - EVENING

FENG (17) lounges on the chaise, in her pajamas. Her mother, AKUJI (38), enters in a fancy gown and finds her.

Akuji {Surprised}: Feng, why aren’t you dressed for the party?

Feng glances up at Akuji with a defiant glare.

Feng: I don’t wanna go!

Akuji sighs exasperatedly and walks closer.

Akuji: {Annoyed} Feng, you know that this party is incredibly important to me so yes, you are going!

Feng rolls her eyes with an annoyed scoff.

Feng: The only reason why you’re even getting Designer of the Year in the first place is because those Americans don't know what true beauty is!

Akuji crosses her arms and raises a skeptical brow.

Akuji: Oh, and you do? Then what, pray tell, is true beauty?

Feng: {Falters} Ye-Yes I do! True beauty is -it’s…

Akuji: {Triumphant} See? You don’t even know what you’re talking about!

Akuji puts a hand on Feng’s shoulder.

Akuji: {Softer} I’ve always put you first above my career, haven’t I?

Feng shoves her hand off her shoulder and glares up at her.

Feng: {Snarkily} Pfft, yeah right! If you really did then you wouldn’t always be busy making stupid and overpriced clothes for your precious fans!

Akuji gives her a hurt look.

Akuji: Well why do you think I design clothes?

Feng: {Stubbornly}To keep up your follower count, duh!

Akuji shakes her head.

Akuji: {Sighs} try again, Petit Renard

Feng: {Slowly} You…like making clothes?

Akuji nods and gestures with her hand.

Akuji: Partly, but what’s the other reason?

Feng: {Sheepishly} …I don’t know.

Akuji: Ok, let's try this then: Who pays the bills? Your tutors? All your craft supplies?

Feng: {Shamefully} Toi, maman…

Akuji: And where exactly do I get the money from?

Feng has a sudden realization.

Feng: {Sighs} I'll go get ready…

Feng gets up and exits to her bedroom.

INT. Bedroom -Continuous

Feng holds a torn dress with a hole in it and shrieks.

Akuji rushes in.

Akuji: {worried} What happened?!

Feng (Distraught): Delphi ruined my dress!

Feng points to the poodle innocently dozing on her bed.

Akuji glares at the poodle.

Akuji: {Scolding} Bad dog, Delphi! Very bad!

Delphi rolls over on the bed so she is visible and yawns in her sleep.

Feng runs a hand through her hair in a panic.

Feng: {Distressed} What are we gonna do? It’s ruined and I can't go to the Soiree without my dress!

Akuji: {Soothingly} Ne pas paniquer, I’m sure we can fix it!

Feng looks up at her with tears in her eyes.

Feng {Quietly}: Vraiment?

Akuji nods with a reassuring smile on her face and wipes Feng’s tears away. . Akuji: Oui, vraiment, Petit Renard!

Feng: But how? The soiree starts soon and all of my other dresses are still at the cleaners!

Akuji takes the dress and inspects it.

Akuji: {Muttering} The hole looks big but…

Feng: {Confused} But what?

Akuji: {Determined} Go get me my sewing kit, this can still be fixed! And since it's at least somewhat the same color, we'll use my dress!

Feng {Unsure} Are you sure? Then your dress won’t be perfect anymore!

Akuji: {Nods} I’ll explain as we work, just go get me my sewing kit!

Feng leaves and comes back with the sewing kit. Working together, Feng and Akuji fix the dress and make sure Akuji’s dress is still nice.

Feng: {Excited} We did it! We really did it!

Akuji: {Proudly} And my dress is still great! Now get dressed, quickly, Petit Renard before we are no longer just fashionably late!

Feng: Oui, Maman!

Feng changes and they leave hand-in-hand, the soft snow swirling around them as they exit the mansion.

C) Writing Sample: Share a piece you wrote on your own. The work can be fiction, dramatic writing (play, screenplay, or comic book script), spoken word poetry, or poetry. Excerpts from longer works are acceptable. Do not include school assignments. (Limit: 3 pages/double-spaced for prose, single spaced for poetry or screenplay/play format.)

afeng_C:

Those 4 Months By: Ash Feng

"It was supposed to have been nine months! Instead, it was five…”

Aiyla Dawnda is born into this world as a micro-preemie who barely has a chance of survival. Immediately after her birth, Aiyla is rushed off to the NICU of the Jorvik City Hospital and put on life support. The doctors don’t offer much hope, especially after Aiyla suffers two heart attacks in quick succession the night she is born. Now, it is a race against time as her mothers anxiously wait and pray that their little Aiyla survives. (I own nothing except for my Original Characters, everything else belongs to Star Stable Online or the original owners. SSO is an online horse MMO RPG made by Star Stable Entertainment. SSE is based in Stockholm, Sweden. ~A. Feng) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~PROLOGUE~ Linda and Heather Dawnda were overjoyed when they discovered Heather was pregnant, happily dreaming of the life they would build together with the new addition to their family. But their joy soon turned to fear when their baby arrived dangerously early… Linda was at a showjumping competition in her hometown of Dundull, focused on preparing her horse, Meteor, for the event. It was a moment for which she had worked so hard for, yet everything came to a halt when her trainer, Nona, pulled her aside and delivered the news: Heather had gone into early labor. Linda felt like her world had been flipped upside down as she struggled to process the news. "What? N-Now? But she’s only 22 weeks…" Linda's breath hitched and her mind raced. For a moment, the noise around her faded. Twenty-two weeks. That’s too early. Way too early. The risks are staggering…! The word ‘viability’ echoed in her thoughts. She and Heather had only just started planning the nursery, the tiny shoes, and the lullabies. Now they might not even… Get a grip, Linda! Now is not the time to panic, not when Heather needs you! She tried to clear the fog drowning her with a shake of her head, but it was Nona’s sharp tongue that cut through. “You need to get your head in the game, Dawnda!” Nona barked. “You’re up next, so quit panicking about your kid being born a little early,” Linda just stared at her. For a moment, she thought she had misheard. A little early? A cold, numbing disbelief settled over her, quickly giving way to something hotter. It felt as if the air around her had thickened, but then the fog in her head cleared with a surge of fury. Linda straightened, fists clenching at her sides. “My wife is having our baby almost four months too early,” she snapped, her voice trembling with emotion. “I’m not just ‘panicking’, as you so kindly put it -I am terrified! I am fucking terrified because my baby might not even survive being born!” Nona just sighed and shook her head in exasperation. “Look, I get that this is hard,” her tone clipped. “But we all have obligations, and this competition is yours, Linda. That’s the reality of professional competition -you know that. And if you leave, you forfeit. Doctors deal with early babies all the time. They’ll handle yours, so why don’t you just focus on the competition? Besides, you and Meteor have been practicing for months; this is your chance! That scout out there is searching for the next Grand Prix champion and that champion is you!” Linda barely registered Nona’s words. A scout? Champion? Is she being serious? None of that matters right now! Does she really think I can just shove all of this aside? Her breathing grew shallow, her vision tunneling. Her pulse pounded like a galloping horse, and suddenly, Linda couldn’t stand still. I have to get to Heather, I just have to! Her hands shook as she turned on her heel. “I-I can't…I can’t do this… I-I… I have to go!” she stammered out, stumbling backward a step before breaking into a full-on sprint to her car. She barely heard Nona calling after her. All she could think about was Heather. Heather, who, until leaving her sorry excuse of a birth family, had never known what it was like to have someone in her corner. Heather, who was probably alone and scared in a hospital room, fighting to bring their baby into the world. And Linda wasn’t going to let her go through this alone.

[peachpoem]

csssa 2017: what i wish i had known

hello there! i was at csssa for creative writing and i thought i’d make a list of things that i wish i had known before coming to csssa for everyone applying/attending next year! 

1) there’s a gender neutral hall (at least there is one right now) i know a lot of non-cis people who attended and had no idea that it existed until i got here. i don’t know how to get into said hall, but its there!

2) you have a joint bathroom with the dorm next to yours. you become very comfortable with the people in the neighboring suite. it’s a pretty good idea to make some sort of shower schedule/structure to avoid really awkward encounters

3) its pretty fuckin hot (shocker, i know), but its really fuckin cold inside the classrooms and some of the dorms, especially at night. its a good idea to bring a jacket or sweatpants. layers are your friend.

4) you don’t need a shower curtain. the door on the shower is frosted over and nobody can see inside of it so you don’t really need it unless you’re super uncomfortable without one

5) you don’t need an ethernet cable the wifi’s totally fine (even in the dorms. yes, there is wifi in the dorms)

6) you definitely need a trash can, and probably a big one. the packing list says to bring a small trash can, but my dorm definitely needed a bigger one.

7) kinds of shoes you should definitely bring: flip flops or sandals for showering/pool/generic hot weather, sneakers or every day shoes, and maybe some running shoes if you’re planning on being on the active side while you’re here

8) to avoid having to cross the massive hill from the main entrance of the main building and Chouinard Hall, there’s a little shortcut. if you come directly from Chouinard and just keep walking straight, you’ll see a pair of double doors on the side of the main building. you might want to figure out how to navigate the halls before you use this shortcut, but it’s air conditioned and is a shorter way to get to the dining hall/classrooms once you figure it out!

9) Chouinard is pronounced “shih-nard” CSSSA is pronounced “see-sah” 

10) curfew is VERY IMPORTANT. they mean it when they say that 1 minute late is late (unfortunately). teachers are a little more lax about time, but the RA’s aren’t.

11) the Valencia Shopping Center isn’t as close as they make it seem. it’s not a long walk, but it’s hot. there’s a Von’s (supermarket, basically the LA version of Safeway or Publix), Michael’s Crafts, Party City, and Walmart (amongst other food establishments)

12) you’re allowed to put up streamers and decorations on the dorm walls as long as its done with scotch tape or masking tape. we went to party city and got some Dora the Explorer decorations. edgy, i know.

13) if you forget some supplies, you can get some from the student store on campus! it’s a little more expensive than Von’s or Walmart, but it’s closer

14) there are two cool cafe hang outs on campus! one is Mom’s Cafe, which is by Chouinard and it’s usually pretty crowded but has microwaves and games and you can watch TV and stuff. Tatum Cafe is inside the main building by the nurse’s office. it’s a little coffee shop that is reasonably priced and has really good iced matcha lattes. a lot of cw kids hang out there

15) laundry is a BITCH AND A HALF. on the weekends there are always huge lines (i’ve spent upwards of 3 hours doing one load of laundry) so definitely try and do it on week days or when there’s open washers and dryers. the washing machines accept credit/debit cards and quarters, not cash or dollar coins.

16) they mean it when they say that they’ll expel you for drugs or alcohol or doing anything stupid and irresponsible. just don’t do it. it’s only 4 weeks.

17) always wear your name tag! you won’t get in serious trouble for it like michael fields says you will it’s embarrassing to get called out for forgetting so it’s easier to just wear it

18) it’s super easy to make friends, even in different departments, so don’t stress about it. everyone’s really nice and just wants to have a good time. nobody WANTS to be an asshole

19) the food’s actually pretty good. better than you’d expect. even if you don’t like what they’re serving, there’s always a salad bar, cereal, pastries, and multiple vending machines across campus

20) the sublevel’s fucking awesome (it’s one of my favorite places on campus!) it’s in the main building so just take the stairs all the way down to the basement. have fun!!

21) they don’t let you take prescription medications back to your dorms - you have to leave them at the nurse’s office (in the main building) and take them there when you need them. for non-prescription drugs (like advil) you should let the nurse know that you have them, but you can keep them in the dorms

22) if you’re going to bring and play Cards Against Humanity, definitely keep it on the down low. since it’s rated 17+ most people aren’t really supposed to play it and if the RA’s catch you, they might take it away. just be sneaky about it

23) attach your key to your lanyard/name tag so you don’t lose it. i brought a piece of ribbon and tied my key to my lanyard, other people slid the key on their string, etc. (speaking of lanyards: you don’t need to bring a new lanyard to put your ID badge and stuff into. the ones they give you are fine)

24) go to all the events that you can, even if it’s not specifically marketed towards your department! it’s always cool to see what everyone’s up to

25) the cots are actually pretty comfortable (arguably more comfortable than the Actual Beds) so don’t flip out if you’re sleeping on them.

26) so many people dye their hair at csssa. it’s fun and kind of a rite of passage, but just rinse the dye out in the showers by the pool so it doesn’t stain the bathrooms

have fun at csssa - it goes by way too quickly! if you have any questions message/ask me and i’ll help u out.  good luck on future applications, packing, and attending!!!!!!!!

[olderthannetfic]

Re slur discourse: Yes. And another thing I thought of after sending that message. A country being violently homophobic was the norm, even in the anglosphere, up into the... 90s I want to say? Laws had been changing, but it was still very much not unusual to be murdered (or die mysteriously in custody).

--

Not unusual, no.

I’d say that by the mid-90s in the more liberal parts of the US (where I am from), the people I knew were more afraid of other things, but there were still serious threats, like losing your kids in a divorce. I have people in my own family who stayed in loveless marriages because they worked in education and were afraid they’d get accused of being Bad For The Children if they were known to be queer.

(I am not only queer myself but have a surprising number of queer people in my family. It’s honestly kind of weird. Is it something in the water, guys?)

Even in these liberal-ish areas where literal death was less of a threat (at least to the middle class and white--because, let’s be real, if you are poor and nonwhite or god forbid a sex worker, you’re in all kinds of danger), losing your career or your family could still be a serious possibility.

I was very clear as a teen that I didn’t want to be a politician or work with kids because I wanted to safeguard against nonsense. It wasn’t only because I’m queer, but it was definitely an aspect of it. I was quite conscious of the need to asshole-proof my life. And I was a relatively privileged person in a relatively supportive area with a supportive family.

I had it a lot better than most queer teens in the 90s, but it’s a mistake to think the US was a bed of roses at the time. I went to CSSSA one summer and met a lot of kids from the sticks, many of them queer. Getting violently assaulted was a serious concern for most of them, even the white ones with some money. Every summer, apparently, there were stories about straight kids coming there, making queer friends for the first time, and going home horrified about their own past behavior and their classmates’ behavior.

Now, what we didn’t have was government-sanctioned disappearance campaigns or executions. (AIDS being used as a way to get rid of gay guys by intentionally thwarting public health efforts, yes, disappearance campaigns, no.) We definitely had it better than a lot of countries, even in the most homophobic and dangerous areas. But it still sucked.

We also need to be clear that different flavors of queerness were and are not the same. My danger of being murdered in the 90s as a more or less feminine cis-ish bi white woman was not high, but in college in the early 00s, I went to GenderPAC a couple of times and got on their mailing list. I was always seeing news articles about trans women being assaulted or murdered for entering women’s bathrooms (Oh, the bitter irony!) or for daring to sleep with some straight guy who later found out and flipped. Wikipedia says:

In 2006 with Global Rights, GenderPAC researched and published "50 Under 30: Masculinity and the War on America’s Youth". The first human rights report on fatal violence against gender-variant youth, "50 Under 30" documented an epidemic of violence that had claimed the lives of more than 50 young people aged 30 and under from 1996 to 2006. 82% were black or Latina/o, and virtually all were male-to-female transsexuals. Most were attacked by assailants within 5 to 10 years of their own age.[5]

In 2008, with 17 new murders in just two years, the report was updated and reissued as "70 Under 30" help from the NYC Gay & Lesbian Anti-Violence Project, which eventually took over the project and integrated it into its annual hate crimes report.

The type of queer I am and am most familiar with (cis gay and bi people with relative social/economic privilege) had it... okay in the US by the 90s. Not great, but okay... if you were in the right area with the right family.

But as far as I know, to this day, we have an epidemic of violence against our trans youth of color. (And tbh, the only reason FTMs aren’t in those stats above is that those murders are often not correctly spotted as hate crimes and don’t get reported as such.) I don’t know if there’s really a reasonable way to compare it to, say, Chechnya. But it ain’t good!

[veggieboxes]

csssa animation application tips! thought this would be helpful for those digging through the csssa tag for more info/guidance

[qink]

this kid asked me about csssa, so i explained it briefly, but it brought back a whole slew of memories lmao:

- playing foosball with that one girl from teens react

- purposely not meeting kirsten vangness because i was hungry and wanted lunch instead

- a free book that i never read from an “established author” that my writing friends clowned on after ahaha

- the best dance performance i’ve ever seen, and that includes that 2018 tisch showcase i went to for some reason

- pokemon go summer, babey

- sublevel boobsgate 2016

- the sublevel concert where a skinny teenage boy in a jazz rock (?) band slowly stripped his shirt off while singing “this is gospel�� and “wonderwall” (he only followed back my white friend on ig)

- the sublevel in general

- that one girl who used to ask people to send her anything they wrote that she liked, and feeling extremely flattered when she asked me

- that one guy who got complimented a TON for something he obviously worked hard on, and not telling anyone i watched him write it during class in the fifteen minutes before he presented it (writing kids ftw, actually)

- actual feedback i got: “your writing is nice and smart, like you” lmao go fuck yourself, [teacher’s name]

- getting yelled at to dab by random kids (did not dab,, was kind of a party pooper)

- talking about asian representation with one of my roommates, since we were some of the only asian kids not in the digital media program

- overhearing my other roommate loudly talking about shoplifting on the phone

- a writing teacher reading a story about graphic CNC (though you don’t even realize there’s consent involved until the end) at a mandatory event and “respectfully disagreeing” with the kids who asked him to use a trigger warning next time

- they accidentally put 4 people in the college double across the hall, but 2 in our suitemate’s room, and they never fixed it (everyone else was in 3s)

- i got up at 8am, after my suitemates but before my roommates, every day and i actually woke my roommates up for class more than once (me rn could never)

- the, and i cannot stress this enough, guy fieri hitman screenplay we wrote with the hot but actually annoying kid (unfortunately cannot access it anymore :( )

- watching [insert friend’s name here]’s self-esteem being crushed every day but not doing anything about it because i was 16 and had actually no emotional understanding

- heavily considering applying to the much-promoted private arts high school in the middle of nowhere because i had depression and that was surely the way to fix it

- a number of people hearing “ghosts” that were actually more likely people hooking up after curfew

- one of the first things i learned about my roommate was that lin manuel miranda had reblogged her art on tumblr (and, in hindsight, learning she had a tumblr helped the process of becoming friends immensely)

- my eyes stinging and tearing up because they can’t handle dry socal weather and my zines professor seeing it, thinking i’m breaking down in the middle of class, and complimenting my work in front of everyone for a looong time

- actually crying? on a stairwell? under the dance practice areas?

- watching b-movie horror films and a lot of that 70′s show

- not actually writing that much, but getting published in a csssa student zine afterwards

- an abandoned straw doll in a metal dish that shoplifter roommate found by a dumpster that we kept in our room

- some real good sushi

- acting workshop that i went to because we were lied to and told it was for everyone

- one kid got kicked out?? i don’t remember why but i’m pretty sure he said some fucked up stuff to a teacher??

- randomly seeing one kid in my program from yeehaw, ca at sfo two years later because we were on the same flight (he got off at the layover) (did not say hi)

- only still occasionally talking to one person from that summer, 4 years later

[gabbythecartoonist]

When you don't know if your teachers have finished their letter of recommendation for you to apply to csssa, and now your scared your not gonna get in because they didn't at all do the recommendation for you but you won't know until may

[t-e-a-t-a-c-u-lar]

does anyone have any recommendations on how to save money/get scholarships for CSSSA? i’m out of state and total costs would be like nine grand...

[austempered]

WHO ARE YOU  ? tag followers you want to get to know better !

NAME! Soda STAR SIGN! Taurus HEIGHT! 5′ 2′’ WHAT’S YOUR MIDDLE NAME! I kinda don’t have one cuz that’s not how Korean names work

PUT YOUR SPOTIFY ON SHUFFLE. WHAT ARE THE FIRST 6 SONGS THAT POPPED UP!

I just did my Picarto playlist cuz dayum I have a a lot of music

Sunburst by Tobu & Itro

Stronger by The Score

Hide by Juice WRLD

Heroes by Brian the Sun

Crazy Dancer by 夜の本気ダンス

Scrum Debate by Masafumi Takada

EVER HAD A POEM OR SONG WRITTEN ABOUT YOU!  Back when I attended CSSSA, yeah. The entire creative writing class was like... married

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU PLAYED AIR GUITAR! Like, yesterday, LOL

WHO IS YOUR CELEBRITY CRUSH!  Zico from Block B

WHAT’S A SOUND YOU HATE ; SOUND YOU LOVE!

Kids screaming...

Monchichi making that PRRT! noise when she notices I’m paying attention to her~

DO YOU BELIEVE IN GHOSTS? Yeah, I hate them

HOW ABOUT ALIENS? Yeah but I don’t think we can comprehend life that’s not humanoid

DO YOU DRIVE?  Yeah

IF SO, HAVE YOU EVER CRASHED?  Last month, got t-boned so hard the driver’s side door got punched into the car

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? Art of Into the Spiderverse

DO YOU LIKE THE SMELL OF GASOLINE?  I hate it actually

WHAT WAS THE LAST MOVIE YOU SAW? SHAZAM!

WHAT’S THE WORST INJURY YOU’VE EVER HAD? Fracturing my tailbone

DO YOU HAVE ANY OBSESSIONS RIGHT NOW!  BNHA...

DO YOU TEND TO HOLD GRUDGES AGAINST PEOPLE WHO HAVE DONE YOU WRONG?  Yeah, I hold onto shit pretty hard if you betray my values. But if you’ve done something that DOESN’T entirely get up my ass and make me hate you initially, then apologizing helps.

IN A RELATIONSHIP? Single and ready to never get married 

Tagged by: @theabandonedones Tagging: @unsuccesscr, @aemulo, @bakvhatsv, @hero-hopeful, @disinfectxd

[frederator-studios]

Bryan Caselli: The Frederator Interview

Bryan Caselli is a Storyboard Artist, Writer and Renaissance Faire enthusiast. Following tenure on top-notch cartoons including Star vs. the Forces of Evil and Sanjay and Craig, ‘twas our good fortune when he set sail to Costume Quest as co-Executive Producer, with a treasure trove of story skillz in tow. Here, Bryan provides his advice to young artists, fav things about Costume Quest, and remarkably realistic take on a 17th century Swashbuckler and his Mer-Lassy.

When did you know that you wanted a career in animation?

My friends and family were alway super supportive of my drawing when I was little, but I got really focused on art in high school. I had an amazing teacher named Kevin McGovern who encouraged me to apply to the California State Summer School for the Arts. CSSSA was a four week residency arts summer program on CalArts’ campus featuring many different disciplines. I studied in the animation department, and it was like I finally found my people. After those four weeks, I knew I wanted to work in animation, and I wanted to go to school at CalArts. There was no turning back.

(Every day is Halloween for the CQ crew! But this day was actually Halloween.)

Where are you from, and how did you chart your path to CalArts?

I'm originally from Sacramento, California. It's a legitimately sized city, but it still has a small town vibe that's warm and welcoming. I applied to CalArts straight out of high school, but didn't get in on my first try. I actually didn't apply to any other schools. My plan was to just apply again the next year, but my mom secretly applied for me to CSU Sacramento as a somewhat, "What if he doesn't get into CalArts for ten years?" worst case scenario backup plan. After swallowing the tough pill of not getting into my dream school, I took a collection of figure drawing, portrait drawing, painting, and art history classes at both Sac State and Sac City college. I didn't stay long enough to earn a degree. Luckily, I was accepted into CalArts the following year.

How did you decide you wanted to storyboard and write?

I got into animation thinking I wanted to be a character designer. It seemed to be the most glamorous position at the time, but I found out quickly that you have to be an exceptional draftsman to do that job, which I'm not. I fell in love with the story department in my 3rd and 4th years at CalArts. I had some awesome teachers who really set me on the path that I'm on now.

What do you love most about the job?

I can't get enough of stuff like mythic structure, archetypal symbolism, and fable storytelling. I really get excited by just how universal storytelling is. It can connect you with anyone. That's easily my favorite part of my work.

What was your first job in animation or art, and how’d you land it?

I interned on Regular Show. I actually went in to interview for a different show, but on my way out, I ran into Ben Adams, the Regular Show character designer and my former classmate. He told me to blow those other guys off and come work with him. He introduced me to Regular Show's Producer, Janet Dimon, and we really hit it off. She offered me the position soon after that. At the end of my internship, I pitched the storyboards for my student film, Scout Wars. After the pitch, someone from development came up to me and said, "You need to pitch this upstairs." That's how I got my second gig.

The show was never produced, but getting paid to develop my original concept that early in my career really set in stone my desire to run a show of my own some day. I even got to work with our future Costume Quest Art Director, Ricky Cometa, on the development poster.  After that, I did about a year and a half of full-time freelance, which eventually lead me to work with the creators of Sanjay and Craig on some of their punk side projects. I really liked working with those guys, so when they asked me to come on Sanjay, it was an easy choice.

That’s awesome. Was Sanjay the first show you wrote and boarded for? How is it to work on a board driven show?

Yep, Sanjay was the first TV show that I got to write and storyboard on. Both writing and storyboarding is really demanding, but it's also really rewarding. Nick Bachman (Costume Quest's previously interviewed Supervising Producer) was my Storyboard Director on Sanjay, and we really clicked as a team. Sanjay and Craig was a perfect show to be board driven because it was super cartoony and there were very few rules. It was a great opportunity for board teams to have their specific voices heard. When you watch an episode of Sanjay and Craig you can pretty much spot which teams did which episodes from a mile away.

How was writing on Star vs the Forces of Evil - is it board driven too?

Writing on Star was an awesome change of pace coming off of Sanjay. Daron Nefcy was a great leader to work for, and I became really close with my fellow writers. It was board driven, which made the transition from storyboarding to outline writing a lot more of a doable task for me. I was comfortable in that kind of production pipeline and pretty much knew what would be expected of me as a writer. The coolest part about working on Star was that it was a seasonally arcing, somewhat mythic story. It was so cool to get to craft a large story over multiple episodes. I took a lot of lessons learned writing on Star and brought them with me to the writers' room on Costume Quest.

Is it odd being a bit of a ~star~ yourself, considering you have a whole fan page and everything?!

Oh boy, having a fan wiki page is a strange feeling. It's really cool to be apart of a show that has such a passionate fanbase, but honestly I don't want to be a star. Star Butterfly is the star of Star.  

You’re Costume Quest’s co-Executive Producer. What does the job entail? 

Being the co-EP on Costume Quest means I, along with the rest of our leadership team, am responsible to supervise just about every stage of production. From writing to storyboarding, animatics to art, voice acting and voice casting, logo design, score, sound effects, the list goes on and on. I got to script a handful of episodes. Nick and I storyboarded the first episode. Occasionally I do some (very rough) first pass character designs. I also draw story board punch-ups and animation redline revisions on the episodes I direct. I direct the first story of each of Costume Quest's two part episodes, and Nick directs the second story. Beyond that I mainly keep my eye on the larger narrative of the show, making sure everything is tonally consistent and the story threads line up. If every person that works on this show is making one tree, I try to make sure the forest is working as a whole. I do my best not to force any artist to execute their assignments exactly as I would have, but instead, encourage them to showcase their personal artistic voices.

How have you enjoyed working on Costume Quest, and what do you like most about the show?

Working on Costume Quest has been my favorite gig yet. I am really grateful to Will (McRobb), Kevin (Kolde), and Eric (Homan) for bringing me onboard. I'm super proud of how much the show grows across the first season. The scale, the emotional stakes, and the world building just get bigger and bigger with every episode. Beyond that, having the chance to lead a team has been incredibly rewarding. Our whole crew is so talented, and they are all so supportive of the show. It has really meant a lot to me to learn that these people, who I respect tremendously, are happy to come in to work every day and are proud to help tell this story. I can't overstate how good it feels to know I have a creatively and professionally satisfied crew.

Do you have a favorite character on CQ?

I love all four of the main kids, but my favorite character really is Norm. I always say that he's a cross between Fred Flintstone and Santa Clause. He's such an emotionally vulnerable character, and he's got some great reveals attached to his backstory. Fred Tatasciore also does some incredible voice acting as Norm, so if this show only gets one award ever, it should go to Fred's performance.

Since developing Scout Wars, have you gone out pitching other original ideas?

I’ve pitched Scout Wars and a handful of other show ideas around to the big studios, but when Costume Quest came about, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to learn everything I needed to about the responsibilities of a show runner—without the added emotional pressure of having the show be about my childhood, or my relationship with my father, or whatever. I have a handful of ideas in my back pocket that I'm eager to start pitching again whenever Costume Quest comes to a close.

What are your favorite cartoons?

Not including the shows I've worked on: original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Batman the Animated Series, Justice League/Justice League Unlimited, Doug, Hey Arnold!, SpongeBob, Simpsons, Bob's Burgers, Archer, Flintstones, the Peanuts specials, and the original Power Rangers gets a non-cartoon honorable mention because the the influence that show had on me and Costume Quest is pretty undeniable.

What is your advice to people who want to write and/or storyboard for animation? 

Study the craft as hard as you can. It's not about networking, or Internet likes, or whatever. If you get as good as you possibly can at the craft, you'll be golden. Take any job that will hire you. Once you get any position anywhere, if you show everyone you work with just how dedicated you are, people will take notice, and they'll want to help you.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I really love hosting backyard BBQ's and parties at my place. My friends tease me that I'd rather they come to me than I go anywhere else pretty much 100% of the time. You can find me most Sunday mornings at any of the LA flea markets with my girlfriend, Madison, looking for more knick knacks to put up in our place. Also, I take my Renaissance Faire costuming pretty seriously. Yearly upgrades are planned months in advance. My mom always sewed my Halloween costumes growing up, so costumes somehow became a thing I really like to do. I guess it's fitting that Costume Quest came my way.

Have anything to say to future fans of Costume Quest?

Watch it again! We did our best to set up, pay off, and foreshadow as much as possible in the season so it would be fun to rewatch. There are a lot of little easter eggs in there. I hope fans enjoy it. ☆

No doubt, they will. Thank you for the interview Bryan, and for your fantastic work on Costume Quest!  Follow Bryan on Instagram.

- Cooper ☆

[zoloxolo]

Project Thoughts: Thesis Film - Acquainting Painting [Sep 19 2024]

Starting today, I'm going to be journaling my thoughts on every personal project I'm actively working on. Not only does this help me keep on track on long-term projects that last more than a month, but I tend to regret not keeping up with a life journal when I was younger. I'll probably make multiple series for future entries on different topics, but for now, my current goal for the next few months is to make a film that can help me break into the industry... or maybe transfer to an art college before getting a job. Whichever comes first.

I would also like to add that this doesn't include projects that break NDA contracts for future jobs I may have in the industry.

Aight so I've been kinda losing sleep thinking about this project, only to soon realize the things I'm trippin out about isn't a big deal.

This is a schedule I created for myself so that i can finish my film on time. Tuesday was the last day in the storyboard phase, and I only have half of it done. I thought I was going to keep the majority of the boards I worked on in CSSSA, but as I was fleshing out the characters in my film's backstory, the more ambitious the film became. When I last worked on the storyboard, I ended up re-imagining the ending and trying figure out how i was going to board the middle part. And with the song im using only being a minute long, it can be challenging to fit a lot of important scenes in a few seconds.

To take my mind off of it, I tried working on one of the backgrounds this morning. It took about an hour just to get the perspective right on the rough draft after much u doing and redrawing. and I think that's when it hit me;

I dont need to have these backgrounds super duper perfect, or make this production feel super high quality. The thing that i need to focus on the most is the frame by frame animation, my dream job. After all, I'm the only person working on it. Maybe it'd be nice directing a short film in the future, but I can't afford to burn out this early in the production.

Other things that are keeping me from working on the film are class assignments that are due every other week, and life... i think it's funny that the most important year of my life ended up being my most traveled year ever, (against my will of course.) There are so many obstacles in my way from getting to where i need to be atm but It'll be so worth it by tye time I look back at this first entry.

[cottont33th]

CSSSA 2023 Visual Arts Assignment A: TAXIDERMY

CW// discussion of extreme gender dysphoria, disturbing imagery, gore, and depression.

Poem transcript:

I think there was once a time where nature didn’t hurt

Dysphoria.

I want to ask myself if this struggle, this tightening rope around my neck would be there if all the eyes would stop staring

If all the mouths would stop gaping

If the words would stop

The ants under my skin hurt as you hold a sugar cube just above the surface

my weak limbs tying me down. And I’ll explain myself

and tell you the ants are there

But you laugh and call me dramatic

Because you have no ants

So I’ll skin myself

I’ll start with an incision across my horrid chest

and down my too-thin waste

and over the large bones of my hips

And no one will help me

They want to see me skin myself as proof that I suffer

It’s not enough to tell them about the ants

And I’ll plead and cry and grovel like a child on the cold hardwood floors but nothing changes

My skin is still too tight, and my bones are still misshapen

I can’t reshape my skin

Not yet no matter how hard I plead and pray and cry

So I’ll wear another

The skin of a dog so that I may be a dog instead

and take comfort in that illusion as I once did long ago

And the pain may become less

and the ants will go back to sleep. 

I think I’ve been a dog for a long time

Because the ants only woke up the day I decided

to stop playing pretend and join what my parents called

The Real World

And suddenly I was no longer a dog

And the little boy had to look at himself in the mirror

And see a stranger

So I put the skin back on

And pray to be a dog again

So I can ignore the ant bites

But I’ve outgrown the old skin

And am stuck to my own again

Curled up and shivering next to the old beloved taxidermy

I become rabid

And begin to chew through my palms

I suppose even a dog can’t ignore pests for long

And maybe even a dog could hate himself

For the fleas he carries on his back

And maybe even a dog will trick himself

Into thinking the rest of the pack hates him too

 

So maybe then I’m a stray

And like a stray

I’ll do what it takes to survive for as long as I can stand on my own

And if my ants don’t get removed soon enough

Then I hope there will be someone there in time

To help me limp the rest of the way

Like the starved animal that I am.

[astroeden]

CSSSA 2018 Animation Application Out of State (accepted!)

Hi everyone!! sO I applied for the animation program again, and I got accepted!!! I’m SO excited to attend this year oh my goshhh!!! Still haven’t quite gotten over it :,) I’m from out of state (New Zealand!!!) and because I looked for ages both times I applied to find out of state applicants who posted their applications, I thought I should post my own to help others! To state why I think mine got accepted this year and the other one didn’t in a few sentences: The fact all my pieces were traditional, the fact my animation was more experimental and the fact I focused on showing my style rather than how pretty I could make something look. Without further ado, here it is!

Assignment A -  One drawing or painting that shows what you feel is unique about yourself.

Assignment B -  One drawing or painting of any subject that interests you. You might consider an emotion, memory, song, place or thing. Upload an explanation of the work. Include the poem, or lyrics if appropriate.

Explanation: For this watercolor piece I was inspired by the characters from books that influenced my childhood, typically anthropomorphic animals with human-like societies. The part of this topic that interested me is the fact authors use animals to represent the ‘innocent’ parts of human society, the positive parts that are suitable for children to see. In this piece, I wanted to explore how the two worlds would meet - the harsh reality of the animal world (the dead deer) and the fabrication (the clothed animals).

Assignment C -  One drawing or painting that you feel demonstrates your technical skills.

Assignment D - Short Animation

If you have any questions, feel free to dm me!!

[peachpoem]

WHEN YOU FIND OUT CSSSA LETTERS ARE MAILED TODAY