Amanda Mai
What are The Top 3 Skills you're looking to Gain as an Intern at MAKE?
- To really understand more about the animation/film pipeline in a professional environment.
- Character acting for my portfolio!
- To finally reach out and make some lasting connections.
Share One of your Favorite Animations you've Created!
- Below was my “A to B”, an animation exercise assignment at Ringling. The objective was to simply practice going from one emotional pose to another with a break down in between, but for me it was the first time I got to see one of my favorite characters “come to life” in 3D form.
What Initially Sparked your Interest in Animation?
- I think initially it was that old Disney renaissance stuff. Then it was crappy anime comics I found online (I have nothing against anime FYI). Now it's this indie adult sci-fi cartoon named "Monkey Wrench" (by Joshua Palmer). Go support it! It's cool!
Devin Grover
What Initially Sparked your Interest in Animation?
- I've always been a big fan of 2D traditional animation, as I grew up with the classic Looney Tunes shorts and Ren & Stimpy episodes. I've also really loved entertaining people from a very young age, and wanted to go into a career where I could do that as a job. Eventually I was fortunate enough to find a school in my area that taught animation to young children called Animatus Studio, then it wall went uphill from there!
What is Your Specialty?
- My specialty is in storyboarding and 2D traditional animation. I also have a knack for comedy storytelling.
Share One of your Favorite Animations you've Created!
- This was my Fall Semester Junior Film! Like most single semester films, there was a lot to accomplish in such a short period of time. While this isn't my absolute favorite film, it easily has some of my best animation work (so far). This was also drawn in a completely different art style than what I'm used to, which was a self-imposed challenge. That said challenge paid off tremendously, as it made me more well rounded as an artist.
Grey Anderson
Share One of your Favorite Animations you've Created!
- I recently finished a short, Purr-eakfast in Bed which taught me a lot of valuable lessons to bring into my next projects. I did all of the animation this last semester in order to prepare myself for my thesis this upcoming year, And doing this has shown me my limits re: quality vs quantity vs duration. I also learned a lot about when to ask for help, and how to set things up for a team to make it as easy as possible for them.
What Initially Sparked your Interest in Animation?
- When I was younger, I was really inspired by independent animation online, and over time have fallen in love with many many shorts. I was really inspired by how much story and meaning people could fit into only a few minutes.
Share a Random Fun Fact About Yourself!
- I like to crochet, some of my favorite things I've made has been clothes and things for cats.
Jake Chan
What Initially Sparked your Interest in Animation?
- When I was a kid I watched Wall-E and I wanted to be an animator ever since.
What are The Top 3 Skills you're looking to Gain as an Intern at MAKE?
- How to work in a team.
- Communication skills with co workers.
- Network and make friends that have the same passion for animation.
Share One of your Favorite Animations you've Created!
- My thesis animated short called "Galactic Greed," is my favorite animation I made so far. It took a little over a year to make, and the story's central principle depicts how 'greed' eats at your soul.
Jason Heo
What is Your Specialty?
- I love designing and animating in 3D. I’m a big fan of simulations and glass textures.
What Initially Sparked your Interest in Animation?
- When I was in high school, I watched documentaries about the behind-the-scenes of animated films from famous studios around the world. This experience served as a turning point for me to dive into the Animation and Motion Design field.
Share One of your Favorite Animations you've Created!
- Project Title: Melancholia This title sequence was one of my favorite school projects completed in the 2nd year. The goal was to share a personal experience of “depression” with the audience. Abstract fluid shapes with procedural textures represent the idea of “melancholia” which normally comes with depression, dizziness, sadness, and nostalgia. I had so much fun playing around with abstract design and fluid animation using Cinema 4D with Octane Renderer.
Jerilyn Tennison
What are The Top 3 Skills you're looking to Gain as an Intern at MAKE?
- I want to work with a team and collaborate to make things more amazing than any of us could do alone!
- I want to get really into a pipeline.
- I always want to learn new programs! The more I know the cooler I feel.
What is Your Specialty?
I love doing character effects. I love staring at fluffy cg creatures all day and it always blows me away how good stuff looks with that final level of polish.
What Initially Sparked your Interest in Animation?
I grew up loving to hear about how the media I enjoyed was made. The more technical the information given the more special I felt knowing it. I remember watching the Guardians of the Galaxy movie as a kid and the only thing I remembered leaving that theater was staring at how real the fur on Rocket Raccoon felt.
Jethro Tai
Share a Random Fun Fact About Yourself!
- I used to be undecided between pursuing Physics and Animation in college but Zootopia sold me on the latter!
What Initially Sparked your Interest in Animation?
- I grew up watching Doraemon which many people in Asia probably also did. It's one of the best examples of animation's limitless possibilities.
What are The Top 3 Skills you're looking to Gain as an Intern at MAKE?
- Creating professional-level work in CG.
- Collaborating in a studio environment.
- Making new friends!
Jun Liu
What Initially Sparked your Interest in Animation?
- My parents bought me a set of Ghibli movie DVDs as birthday present. I remember being really obsessed with Kiki's Delivery Service because I wanted to be a witch like her. After attempting to fly and falling from the second floor, I realized the only way to make my childhood dream come true is through creating an imaginary world with animation.
Share One of your Favorite Animations you've Created!
- With All My Heart is my college thesis film which I spent a little over a year working on. It tells the story of a protective mom who have to part ways with her son attending college, but her overbearing love materializes into a heavy burden for him. It is a film about finding the right balance between holding on and letting go.
What is Your Specialty?
- I'm a modeling and look development artist and I especially love creating environment! It feels like building a highly customizable Lego set to me, seeing a world comes together from nothing.
Maya Bayewitch
What are The Top 3 Skills you're looking to Gain as an Intern at MAKE?
- Working on more versatile shots and pushing myself out of my animation comfort zone.
- Learning the workflow of 3DS Max Animation.
- Working with clients and being able to quickly tackle feedback.
Share One of your Favorite Animations you've Created!
- I really enjoyed my second semester Junior year animation assignment, which was to do a 20 second lip sync project. I modeled, rigged, and animated an 8 year old version of myself as a ballerina, as I did ballet for most of my childhood. The lip sync involves me pretentiously talking about how ballet is elaborate and artistic practice. Then, I get my casting call and quickly twirl into my costume - a giant rat costume with a giant rat head, tail, and buck teeth - before I crawl off the screen.
Share a Random Fun Fact About Yourself!
- I really enjoy watching bad movies on purpose, my favorite of which is “The Extra Man.”
Oliva Lee
What Initially Sparked your Interest in Animation?
- I feel like my passion for animation is something that has kept building gradually overtime - there wasn't really an 'aha moment' where I realized that animation was what I wanted to pursue in life. As I grew up, I always felt most at home when drawing and immersing myself in animation so whether I knew it or not, creating animation has always felt like the right path for me.
What is Your Specialty?
- I love 3D Modeling and Look Development for animation, and I'm consistently trying to improve my Visual Development skills through digital painting.
Share a Random Fun Fact About Yourself!
- I grew up in Sydney, Australia!
Pei Yang
What is Your Specialty?
- I'm all about visual development and character design. I love this journey of creating and transforming concepts into captivating visuals. To become a Visdev artist one day!
What Initially Sparked your Interest in Animation?
- Without a doubt, it was the incredible movie "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse"! The moment I saw the concept art from the movie, I was absolutely captivated. The vibrant colors, the unique style, and the seamless blending of different animation techniques… it was nothing short of magical! It inspired me deeply and set me on this exciting path of animation. Here's to the journey ahead!
Share a Random Fun Fact About Yourself!
- I used to be a drummer in a band. 👀
Qinye Xiang
What Initially Sparked your Interest in Animation?
- When I was in high school, I started to play League of Legends. I really like the art design in it, and the promotional animations are pretty cool.
What is Your Specialty?
- I'm a 3D generalist and I love working in Nuke - I'd love to one day become a compositor!
What are The Top 3 Skills you're looking to Gain as an Intern at MAKE?
- Learn the industrial standard working pipeline.
- Develop more tangible skills in compositing.
- Meet new friends and expand my network in the animation industry.
Skylar Levine
Share One of your Favorite Animations you've Created!
- One of my favorite animations that I’ve created was from this past semester at college. It’s a 20 second 3D animation about a chess queen who encounters a pawn. I enjoy playing chess and thought it would be fun to do an animation around the game with an arrogant, villainous character. I am responsible for all aspects of this piece.
What are The Top 3 Skills you're looking to Gain as an Intern at MAKE?
- Improve my skills in character animation.
- Meeting and learning from other artists.
- Become more experienced working in the animation industry.
What Initially Sparked your Interest in Animation?
- Watching animated shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender, Adventure Time, and Steven Universe inspired me to learn how to animate and create my own stories.
