An Animation Major’s Self-Indulgence

For as long as I can remember, I have always been an art kid. Any unimportant paper to come near me would most likely be snatched for future doodling. At some point, however, I wanted to do more with my art. I wanted to tell stories. I do occasionally work on comics, but those lack something else I wanted to incorporate — movement, and that is where my interest in animation started. 

While I am not much of a writer in terms of experience or skill, I still want to create narratives for exploring whatever ideas come to mind and as an excuse to experiment with visual conveyance. When watching shows and movies, I love to pick apart scenes, seeing how the colors, camera angles, set design, etc., either tell the story without dialogue, emphasize the themes and events of the moment, or hint at another meaning. I can think of several shots that, if given the chance, I could rant about for ages, and they inspire me to use those same strategies in my own work. 

Another thing that motivates me to pursue animation is music. Admittedly, I am a not-so-secret fan of musicals, and I think that interest managed to infect the way I listen to music in general. I just can’t help but play out the movements, colors, and personality that songs evoke in my head. Those mental performances are usually messy and incomplete, though, so I plan to eventually animate them into something concrete. 

What I mainly want to specialize in is character animation. People are by far my favorite things to draw, mainly because I love to explore different kinds of personalities and dynamics. Hopefully this does not come off as pretentious, but I have a bit of an interest in psychology which feeds into my fascination with characters. Then there is the matter of how a character’s color palette, posture, silhouette, movement, expression, etc., portray their emotional state, personal growth, relationship with their surroundings, and so on. When it comes to the stories I love, my attention mainly revolves around the people crafted within the narrative. Whether it be the ridiculous interactions in Sam & Max, the personal struggles delt with in Infinity Train, or the manifestations of inner demons in Silent Hill 2, they inspire me to experiment with similar concepts. 

I have been rambling for long enough. One last thing, however: Huntington University offers a degree in animation. Check out huntington.edu/Animation to learn more.