Introduction
Hello! I am glad you are taking the time to look at my showcase. This page depicts my growth as an animator throughout two years at Freestyle. Animation has been a passion of mine since middle school when I became obsessed with anime and films like Spiderman into the Spider verse. This excitement has led me to explore many artistic mediums, from realistic drawing and scratch boarding to sound production and digital design. Next year, I am going to study Film & Television Production at Loyola Marymount University. I intend to incorporate animation into my films and to continue growing my skills.
Showcase Video
For my Showcase, I am presenting my narrative animation: Knock Out. I made this for my Senior Zenith Project, and it is a culmination of everything I have learned at Freestyle. During planning and production, my primary focus was lighting. I wanted to explore the use of different types of lights in Autodesk Maya and how I could utilize these to create cinematic shots. In previous projects, I had been limited to using the basic Sky Dome lighting, which leaves little room for creativity. However, for this project I wanted a lot of contrast to fit the dark theme I was going for. I used camera choices and lighting arrangements to create as much emotion in my work as I could.
While working on this project it has become my favorite and most satisfying Freestyle project. I combined many skills I learned in my time here, including video editing with Adobe AfterEffects and sound production in Pro Tools. I wanted to make sure I left nothing behind, and I put everything I learned into this work. Ultimately, it was a joy to make an animation like this, and I am really proud of what I accomplished.
The full video is on youtube if you would like to watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySd_fk_3UAY
Showcase Reel
This reel shows some of my best animations from my two years in animation at Freestyle. Most of my animations I chose to include have been made in 3D using Maya, but there are also a few 2D works from a variety of mediums. Looking back on these, I can see how much I have progressed, not only as an animator but as an artist and storyteller.
Reflection
I think that if my ten year old self saw my work today, he would be in awe. I think my Junior-year self would have the same reaction. Honestly, even my one-month-ago self would be surprised at what I have created since then. I am really proud of myself, and more so I am grateful for everyone who has taught, helped, and enabled me along the way.
Freestyle Academy has been an incredible experience. I came into the program with zero technological literacy or ability to create any type of digital art. I could make drawings on paper and that was about it. Now, less than two years later, I have the digital experience and knowledge far beyond what I hoped to gain. I remember my first day at Freestyle, when Mr. Florendo told us that by the end of our time here we would be limitless. That anything we could imagine we would be able to create. Looking back, I believe he was right.