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Midterm Portfolio - Written Content

I haven’t thought a lot about what my own brand should be. I know that this was kind of the point of the class this blog post is for, but it’s hard to come up with something that revolves around me. I had to make the “brand” something both apart and of myself in order to deconstruct it enough to actually want to work on it. My main focus for this class will most likely be my work and creating an effective space to share my art and grow as an artist. However, there is an idea I had that might be a deviation from that original thought. 

My idea for another “brand” will be a horror-based news and archive account that will have a focus on horror featuring people of color; especially Black people. I say that this is a part of me because I have loved horror from a young age and I think it can say so much when it comes to society, perception, and representation. I also just like to get scared and love looking into the behind the scenes of things and how they were made as well as the context behind them. I want to bring horror and my love for horror into the framework of how it can be used to send messages. This wouldn’t be a project that is solely for the purpose of showing Black people in horror, but I would like to make that part of the blueprint for what I want to do in all my art and projects. Representation is very important to me, so I want to incorporate it into everything I do. As a lover of horror, I noticed the way the horror scene has come around to having better representation of Black characters and Black creators. I think that this is a fascinating topic to be explored as it was in Horror Noir, a Shudder exclusive documentary about the relationship Black communities have to horror that people might not notice. My tagline would be something along the lines of: “Horror From Black Eyes”? I don’t know for sure, but I think this is an interesting challenge for myself to launch a site or account for horror and hopefully create a space for people like me to have fun in the horror community that can be very isolating if you’re not the “norm” (hilarious given the fact that horror has a long history of themes of rooting for the underdog outsider who is different from others, but I digress.)

I hope that this class allows me to do something I never thought I’d do and get out of my comfort zone.

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Midterm Portfolio - Social Media

Next is this tweet. It was in response to a clip from a Nightline special. Here is the link to that original tweet:

https://twitter.com/Lintroller10/status/1364083812540555264?s=20

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Midterm Portfolio - Social Media

This isn’t actually my second most popular tweet, but I can’t find the real one so this is the next one. 

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Midterm Portfolio - Social Media

This is my most popular tweet that I can remember. The original poster of the embedded video deactivated, but the clip from the music video for Giants by True Damage (an in-universe League of Legends animated band) is here in this post. 

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Event 1 - Jay Francis Zoom Call

Tuesday March 9, 2021 I attended a Zoom meeting with Jay Francis, the Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion for Disney Television Animation. Francis is based in Glendale, California and has worked at Disney for 14 years ever since 2007. Disney TV Animation is an American animation studio that creates, develops, and produces animated television series, films, specials, and other projects. Francis’s development involves finding the next hit show. He looks for writers and producers at different schools around the nation and non-profit organizations. Francis went over many of the ins and outs of a day on the job at Disney TV Animation especially when it comes to adapting to working conditions under the Covid-19 pandemic. (contuined below)

Internships were usually in person with a traditional studio environment. At the start of the pandemic, internships were put on hold because they believed that it would all be over in a few months. However, once months turned into a year, Disney had to adapt to the new normal. The remote studio took up to seven to ten days to get up and running and everyone at Disney has been gone from the physical studio for almost a year. Production, artists, and show creators have to interact differently and virtually. Francis stated that great episodes mean to interact with many people frequently and at planned times. People used to go over stuff at lunch and other very informal settings, but now they have to schedule phone meetings and zoom calls in order to get things done. Francis explained that people didn’t mind working from home, but they didn’t have an option this time and it was a very tough obstacle to go through.

Francis explains that there are three kinds of animated shows: 2D animation using Toon Boom Harmony, 2D using traditional animation, and CG animation using the program Maya. A lot of the software used are Storyboard Pro, Adobe CC, and Maya. He also went over how it can take up to 54 weeks for one episode of an eleven minute script. There are multiple episodes being worked on at once so everyone’s participation and teamwork is paramount to keep the cycle going. On another hand of the episode creation are writers. Writers are recruited traditionally within California and other art hub cities that have private art schools. However, more recently writers have been recruited throughout the country and territories.

I find all this information very important as someone who is an Animation concentration VCDMA major and someone who wants to get into the animation industry. I think that this meeting with Francis where he explained his job and what they do gave me more insight in this area of the industry. It definitely gave me the courage to apply for internships in animation and to continue to build upon my knowledge in art and creativity. I hope more of these guests can make their way over to Bowie State University and that I get more opportunities to meet with and hear from industry professionals. A position at an industry studio would allow me the opportunity to grow as an artist and as a working professional. A studio setting would allow for my talent and skill to truly shine while also providing me with even more experience in a setting where teamwork and communication are paramount. I hope to get one of these this summer as my internship credit and I will definitely look into Disney’s offerings soon. 

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Disney's new featurette Kelly's production Diaries features Raya and the Last Dragon star Kelly Marie Tran as she documents what it was like to record from home during the Covid-19 pandemic. In the featurette we follow Tran as she gives her behind-the-scenes sccount of how she recorded her part as the titular Raya from her home. Cast and filmmakers also join to comment on their experiences working on Disney's latest film from various rooms in their houses (and even their closets, apparently!)

I chose this article because I thought it was an interesting look into a different kind of production that has had to be adopted with the pandemic. I thought that this would be the case for a lot of animated works and I was right! It's interesting to see people adapt to challenges thrown at as and I'm glad there was a safe way founded to continue working on animated works. 

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The first thing that jumped out about this list is how diverse it is not only in background and content, but animation style and stories. I think that this list is a great start for anyone wanting to get into animation or wants a refresher when it comes to the animated content they consume. There are certainly movies that I feel were excluded from this list that should be there based on animation alone, but I understand that a lot goes into choosing these "Best of All Time" lists and it's not just animation that account for their placement. I highly agree with Into the Spider-Verse as the number one spot with its innovation, originality, and mastering of technique incorporating both 3D and 2D animation and giving off the desired comic book feel. Can't wait for the sequel next year!

My Top 10!

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Kung Fu Panda

Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

Finding Nemo

Monsters Inc.

The Lego Batman Movie

The Iron Giant

The Fantastic Mr. Fox

Shrek

Akira

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Sonya Carey: Producer, Animator, and Mentor

Sonya Carey is the Head of Studio Operations at Portfolio Entertainment. Before this, she worked her way up the industry ranks, beginning at MetroLight Studios, with her first credits being on Ren and Stimpy. She would go on to run her own studio called Make a Scene. She was in charge of the ink-and-paint department on The Princess and the Frog, Winnie the Pooh and The Proud Family Movie.

“Though not as bad as it was just a few years ago, it still could be more diverse. It shouldn't be this way and I'm not sure why it is. When I go to visit schools, I see very diverse faces. Where they go after, I'm not sure.”

With the diverse attendance rates at art schools and animation programs it is a question of where all those people go after they graduate. I want to be one of those diverse faces and people who make it into the industry and inspire others like Sonya Carey has with her work. 

Words by Carey to live by:

Make sure your skills are really diverse. Also, really embrace technology and stay current. Find out as much as you can about the technical side of how things are made. Think outside the box and don't give up.

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Character design tips that I can apply to my current and future work in character design are don't be afraid to make changes, make your character design flexible, remembering it's not all about the face, build up a backstory, give your character goals, keep it simple, make it personal, develop a line of action, exaggerate, don't lose sight of the original idea, look elsewhere, research other character, and step away from the reference material. I believe that these tips will help me with character designs. I hope that I can become more creative and flexible when it comes to working on this class and the rest of my work as an artist. I want to be able to watch something, do some reading, listen to music, or just daydream and have some ideas for a character. I think that this article will help others such as myself work on their designs. I will definitely use this as a way to work on designs and other articles like it.

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This article features two stories in one, but I will mainly focus on the second: Nickelodeon launching Avatar Studios in and producing animated content in the near future. The studio announced the launch of Avatar Studios which is a newly-formed division designed to create original content set in the universe of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. The studio will be helmed by the original creators of the series Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko as co-chief creative officers. The studio will have their content on different platforms, one being confirmed to be Paramount+, theaters, and Nickelodeon's own platforms. The studio's first project is slated to be an animated theatrical film that will begin production this year (2021). 

I chose this article because hearing the news surprised me when it first dropped. I wasn't expecting this to happen especially with the Netflix live action adaption of the original Avatar series on their own platform. I guess that this is a way for DiMartino and Koniettzko to retain more control over where their creative property is headed since they left the production of Netflix's adaptation fairly early in its inception due to what was said to be creative differences. This will be the second time that the 2005 show will be adapted in live action. I've always thought that the show and its characters had their stories told and didn't need the constant rehashing and rephrasing of an adaptation. With Avatar's sequel series Legend of Korra and the many comics set after the events of the original show, I thought that if an Avatar story was going to be told it should be different characters' stories that haven't been explored yet. The worldbuilding in Avatar was great and so many stories can be (and has been) born from its inception. I personally think that this is more finance driven than a desire to create stories for the sake of it, but I will be keeping an eye out on the studio and see what they have in store. As a fan of the series and as someone aspiring to work in the animation industry, this new studio may be a place where I can find my footing and experience professional Animation if they open internships and job opportunities for undergraduates or graduates in its first years of operation. 

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video game art

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solange

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wip

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wip

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food painting study - bakery edition 🥐

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elric practice

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jester attacks your heart! 💙

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