Hello! I am Amanda Jernigan and welcome to my showcase web page. Here you will find a video where I discuss one of the best works that I’ve done while at Freestyle: My Zenith Project. As the term “Zenith” suggests, this project comes at the end of our Freestyle career when we have reached the summit of our current abilities. For my Zenith, I decided to tap back into a childhood passion of mine: Stop-motion animation.
After I exit Mountain View High School and Freestyle Academy, I plan to transfer to California College of the Arts after a year at West Valley College. It has taken me a long time to decide what I want to major in and possibly pursue as a career, but ever since I started my Zenith project, and became extremely dedicated to it, I realized how in love I am with Animation. I can’t wait to start college and continue working on my knowledge and abilities in the Animation world. However, something important that Freestyle has taught me is that I should be open to experiencing things that I might not have considered before. This is another reason why I’m excited to go to college and/or the career world, because I will have so many more opportunities to explore!
Here is a short film reel focusing on my cinematography skills.
Over the past two years I have grown an exponential amount and this reel is proof of that. This time, a year ago I was taking a break from school and attending a Partial Hospitalization Program, due to my lack of skills to combat my depression and anxiety. Thankfully, I was able to remain in Freestyle after the school year was over, but when I came back at the start of this school year, I was very nervous about what I thought I could accomplish, thinking that the previous year would repeat itself. Fortunately, I underestimated myself. I was able to make a video essay about a topic I was very sensitive about and had trouble admitting before this year (see my Reflections web page.) And my film partner, Aya Iwata, and I were able to successfully produce an 8 minute narrative film that we were both proud of, all while maintaining our own deadlines.
All of my progress boils down to one of the most important things I’ve learned at Freestyle: Speaking up for myself. Freestyle is the reason I was finally able to advocate for myself when I knew I needed to temporarily leave school to focus on my mental health. If I hadn’t done that and hadn’t been given the space and the supportive environment (which I did receive from Freestyle) to do so, then I would have never been able to produce these projects. My confidence, tenacity, and fortitude has skyrocketed since joining Freestyle and I will constantly aim to apply the lessons I’ve learned here in the professional world.
Thank you Freestyle, I will forever be indebted to you.