Emily Ellis Directs The BYU Center For Animation’s Award-Winning Video Game
Recent Design Department graduate Emily Ellis (BFA ‘23) was featured in the College of Fine Arts and Communications’ annual campaign “Arts & Comms: Behind the Stories” which has just launched its third season. The aim of this video campaign is to highlight mentored, student-led projects and share the life changing experiences students are enjoying in and out of the classroom.
Each year, BYU’s Center for Animation, under the direction of Kelly Loosli, produces one film and one video game. In 2021, Ellis pitched her idea for a video game that features an updated Grim Reaper who shepherds souls into the afterlife. Thus the award-winning “Liminus” was born.
“‘Liminus’ is Latin for ‘in between,’ and our game takes place in between life and death,” Ellis said. “The big idea is that you can come with your light into this world and chase away the darkness, saving something that is innocent and helpless.”
Ellis took on the role of director for the video game and worked closely with Gabriel Reed, computer science major and producer of “Liminus,” along with a large team of designers, coders, animators and composers. “Liminus” won a “Highly Commended” award from the 2022 Rookies Awards and earned the Center for Animation a place amongst the top 5 gaming programs internationally.
Ellis said, “This is the first video game I’ve ever directed. The mentored learning in [the Center for Animation] has been impactful because of the real life studio experience we get while making these video games. I grew as a leader through this experiential learning opportunity.”
Working on “Liminus” combined Ellis’ love for technology, storytelling and art. She continues to pursue these passions post-graduation through her work with Trapdoor Creative. Her future goals include becoming a content creator, getting her Master of Fine Arts degree and teaching at the Center of Animation.
Visit http://bit.ly/ArtsandComms-Season3 to learn more about Ellis, “Liminus” and the 2023 Arts & Comms: Behind the Stories campaign.
