Animation

By Emma Pennington

Greetings, my name is Emma Pennington and I am an Animation senior. I love telling stories and, for me, animation is the perfect medium to communicate those stories.

Since I was small, I've adored cartoons. I also really love drawing-—ever since I could hold a crayon. A pivotal moment in my childhood was realizing that there was a team behind my favorite animations, and I knew that I wanted to be on one of those teams someday. I'm one of the few who knew what I wanted to do before going to college.

Recent Animation alumna Sarah Schmidt's animated short Space Puppy (In Space) was one of 10 submissions selected for the Midsummer Night Toons VI animation event and screening in New York City on June 20.

When Illustration alumnus and former Disney animator Tracy Mark Lee (CCAD 1990) was a student, he won an illustration contest sponsored by Columbus Monthly magazine. Fourteen years later, Lee wanted to give current students the same type of real-world experience so he offered to lead a semester-long project in the form of a design competition.

Sketches by alumnus Chris Campbell (Animation 2013) and Animation Professor and alumna Charlotte Belland (Advertising & Graphic Design 1997) are featured in Urban Sketching: The Complete Guide to Techniques by Thomas Thorspecken.

Animation alumna Barbara Benas (CCAD 2010) was the lead animator on the Beatles' Words of Love, a new music video produced by international animation studio Passion.

Associate Professor Thomas Richner and Animation alumna Kartika Mediani (CCAD 2010) will have their work featured in the graphic novel One Drop.

The novel revolves around the theme of "here comes the rain" and includes the work of more than 15 animators and illustrators. Work ranges from digital media to traditional watercolor.

The group hopes to publish the book in October, and they are raising support and money through the online fundraising site kickstarter.

Animation alumna Kartika Mediani (CCAD 2010) showed her film The Box at the 2012 Comic-Con's San Diego International Children's Film Festival in California on July 15.

The short animated film, which was written, directed, and illustrated by Mediana, follows a young boy and the lengths to which he will go to protect a precious box.

The San Diego International Children's Film Festival presents creative, exciting, and imaginative short films from around the world.

In an email titled ’Culmination of 1.5 years of my life!,’ Media Studies alumnus and Dreamworks effects animator Nick Burkard (CCAD 2007) shared with us the work he did on the upcoming Dreamworks film, Puss in Boots.

Animation alumna Kartika Mediani (CCAD 2010) is one of 40 students across the country to receive a summer internship with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation.

The program is designed to provide college students with in-depth exposure to professional television production during an eight-week summer period in Los Angeles. It is considered to be one of the top 10 internships in the country.