animation

It’s a good year for BYU’s Center for Animation: in May BYU animation students won E3’s College Game Competition, and now BYU tops the Animation Career Review’s ranking of animation schools with Bachelor of Science programs. BYU’s animation program is comprised of students in both the animation track (BFA) and the computer science animation emphasis (BS). Before they graduate, students work either on the animated film or the video game that is produced each year. The animation students typically focus on design, while the computer science students focus on special effects. Read the rest of the story on news.byu.edu.

Combine elements from classic video games like Mortal Kombat and Guitar Hero, and you will see the recipe for success behind the new game developed by animation students called “Beat Boxers.” The project, which recently took home the top prize at the E3 College Game Competition, follows on the successes of past projects like Nokbak, Vanguards and Relic Hunter. The competition is held annually and students from the BYU Center for Animation are not strangers to the event. “This project was a massive undertaking,” said Vanessa Palmer, a recently graduated illustration student and art director over the game. “If our team wasn’t so supportive of each other, there is no way I could have balanced working on the game with classwork and graduation.” “Beat Boxers,” was a combined effort from students in the Department of Design, Department of Theater and Media Arts, and Department of Computer Science. Read more about this story on news.byu.edu.

Moonbot Studios has drawn praise for an anti-bully short for The Ad Council’s latest campaign, “I Am a Witness” with three graduates from BYU’s College of Fine Arts and Communications including creative director Jake Wyatt, artist Renee Bates and animator David Wilson. “When The New York Times calls your work 'relevant' and 'adaptive,' you know you're making some savvy career choices,” said Wilson. Already nominated for Best Animated Special Production for the upcoming Annie Awards, the highest award in the animation industry, “I Am a Witness” continues to draw praise. The video, an interactive 2D animated short and the first fully hand-drawn short from the studio, is part of the Ad Council’s new integrated web campaign directed to empower teens. In an article, The New York Times discusses how staying relevant in an overcrowded advertising market is no easy feat for the Ad Council, the first creator of public services announcements in the United States over 70 years ago. The “I Am a Witness” campaign marks a new emphasis to motivate action of significant public issues through digital communication in a social media age. See more at The New York Times

Director of 'Frozen' mentors, Disney/Pixar president praises 'Ram’s Horn' The tradition continued for BYU Center for Animation students, who won their 17th award in 12 years from the College Television Awards, commonly called the “Student Emmys.” This year’s animated short was Ram’s Horn, a comedic piece documenting the ascent of an oblivious, cocky mountaineer on a quest to the peak of a daunting mountain. He faces a few obstacles along the way against an unexpected rival, but in the end meets his goal while learning an important lesson about getting his priorities straight. only called the “Student Emmys.”

This Christmas eve marks 100 years since a Christmas truce took place on Flanders Fields in Belgium during World War I. BYU students collaborated to write, produce, photograph, edit and compose for a video to commemorate the event. The video is hosted by the nondenomenational, interfaith group Faith Counts. 'The story of The Christmas Truce of 1914 has been told and retold over the past century, and deservedly so,' said Faith Counts spokesperson Kerry Troup. 'It is a true story of how faith has the power to bring hope, even in the darkest times. The video that the students of BYU, one of our many faith partners, have produced showcases this story in a beautiful, creative way that we know others will enjoy and hopefully share.' Graphic design and animation students used original photography from that day in 1914, enhancing and adding motion in the video. Film students spent time in Belgium shooting the video from current-day Flanders Fields earlier this month. The BYU Men's Chorus composed and sang a special arrangement of Silent Night, a song that was sung during the Christmas truce. “FaithCounts works with a variety of content creating partners from many faiths,' Troup said. 'We’ve been very impressed with the BYU students’ creativity, professionalism and ability to give voice to stories of faith in profound and innovative ways.” The project was coordinated and organized at BYU through the Laycock Center for Creative Collaboration, with the cooperation of Don Mullan, creator of the Christmas Truce and Flanders Peace Field Project. Download the BYU Men's Chorus Silent Night soundtrack Play the BYU Men's Chorus Silent Night soundtrack See more at BYU News>>>>

Animation is often used to create worlds, people, creatures and places that only exist in an artist’s mind. Animators have also been known to use their vision and technical skills to recreate individuals and places that actually exist. But one recent animation graduate’s senior project took on both roles while restoring a medieval cathedral to its original look. Dennis West, who received his BFA in animation in April 2014, restored the Amiens Cathedral to its former beauty for his senior project. The final product is a video that takes viewers on a tour of the 13th century place of worship. Amiens Cathedral: City of God from Dennis West on Vimeo. West’s education has taken a route that many would consider to be unconventional. Several years ago, he received an associate’s degree in graphic design and worked in that field for years until he was unexpectedly laid off in 2008. After freelancing for a while, he decided to come back to school and get his bachelor’s degree even though he was already more than 40 years old. West says his time spent at BYU the past 3 1/2 years has helped him learn plenty about himself and his capabilities. “If I have enough interest in something, and I learn the technology and skills necessary to do it, I can create whatever I want,” West said. West chose to animate the cathedral even though he wouldn’t be able to visit it in person. The cathedral is well documented and recorded with photos, which allowed him to be accurate in his animation. “It’s the most complete cathedral I could find, and it’s the tallest one still standing that is still in operation,” West said. “But not everything in it is the way it was in the 1300s, so I wanted to create an animated version that made it look like it once did.” Seth Holladay, a BYU professor whose credits include Pixar’s Ratatouille and Up, served as West’s faculty mentor on the project. “Once you get into the industry, it’s more than just being able to do the individual pieces. It’s about how all the different elements work with each other, what order to do them all in, how certain problems are solved and so forth,” Holladay said. “And Dennis’ project helped him to learn a lot of those things.” Holladay noted that West possesses important attributes that will make him successful in his career. “He definitely has a passion for doing 3D animation, and he has a bit of a fascination for historical things,” Holladay said. “I’m glad he was able to bring it to completion. That’s a hard thing to do.” West is grateful for Holladay’s mentoring as well as the resources provided by the CFAC. “A couple of times I hit road blocks,” West said. “But Seth was good at pushing me and steering me in the right direction.”