After a long year of production I completed my film on time. It debuted at the 'Frame by Frame KCAI Animation Festival' located at the prestigious Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. I was also privileged to screen 'Frank' at the Linoleum Festival in Russia.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Various DVD Menus and Covers
Throughout my Senior year I had to create several DVD's showcasing different groups of my work. With each of these assignments I created new DVD covers and menus. Here is all of the artwork I made for my senior year DVD's.
The Leave Behind
In the portfolio class we had to come up with a clever leave behind that we could give to potential employers that would remind them of us. I decided to make a miniature portfolio.
Here is the basic design And an image of the execution
Here is the basic design And an image of the execution
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Color
One of the last assignments for the film class was to create a piece that had something to do with color. I used aftereffects to pull this one off.
Figure Drawing
Along with all of this film making and animating and writing, I was also expanding my life drawing skills in a figure drawing class.
There's a City Inside
Another assignment from the film class was to use green screening and super imposition in some way. I combined shots of plants, growing in the city, and replaced the green with video footage of downtown KC.
Herbert's Horrible Hands
Over in the 'Discourse of Love' class I had written a short story about love and illustrated the main character.
Later I had my very talented friend Dahlia Grossman-Heinze edit and polish it. Here is the story as it stands today.
Herbert’s Horrible Hands
Herbert the Cyclops was a misunderstood being. His heart was full of love but his hands
were full of hate. Whenever Herbert’s heart fell in love, his hands would completely destroy
whatever it was that he loved. Herbert couldn’t help but kill all those he loved. After several
failed attempts at self-control, Herbert realized the only way he could go on was if he never
loved again. Herbert barricaded himself inside a deep hole in the earth.. Herbert decided to
harden his heart with loneliness and never destroy anything else. The Cave was dark, damp and
dull but at least here it was impossible for the Cyclops to love.
Everyone slowly began to forget about Herbert and his short-lived reign of terror.
Eventually the only mentions of the Cyclops were in warnings and bedtime stories for
disobedient children. No one knew where he had gone, but everyone in the town suspected he
had disappeared into the dangerous and dark woods. One especially disobedient child earned
this story nearly every night. Her name was Zoe. It seemed as though Zoe misbehaved for the
sole purpose of hearing stories about the horrible Cyclops and his rampages. She constantly
thought about Herbert. She was obsessed. She wanted more than anything to meet this
creature.
Finally, one day Zoe had the chance to slip away from the supervision of her mother.
The girl ran into the forest to search for the Cyclops. After several hours of searching in the
dense woods, she came across a large hole in the earth.
“This must be it! This must be where the Cyclops lives!” she thought.
She began to climb down the jagged rocks until she reached the bottom of the hole.
Three tunnels lay before her. The little girl sat down to think of which way to go. As she sat in
thought, she heard the faint sound of someone, or something, crying. The girl decided to
follow the sound of the sobs. As Zoe kept walking, the tunnel opened up into a great cavern. In
the center of the room lay a huge mound that appeared to be moving. As she approached the
dark mass, she realized that whatever it was, it was breathing. She slid along the edge of the
cavern to get a better look at the beast. Just as she reached the far side of the cavern, the
mound shifted and the beast sat bolt upright. Startled, the girl let out a tiny screech.
“Who’s there?” growled Herbert.
“M-m-my n-name’s Zoe,” the little girl stammered.
“Whad-you want?”
“II-I heard stories about yy-you.”
“Get out of my cave, little girl! Now!”
“W-wait! I just wanted to m-meet you Mr. Cyclops.”
“Name’s Herbert and I don’t take visitors. You should leave.”
The little girl stood still and didn’t make a sound.
“I said go!” Herbert screamed.
“Wait! I have some questions for you Mr. Herbert; can I ask you some questions?”
Herbert waited a moment. It had been so long since he had company. “Well, F-fine, but
you have to stand over there by the entrance and keep your distance. Don’t move,” he said.
They resituated themselves, Herbert moved to the very back of the cave and the girl did
as she was told and stood in the entrance of the cavern.
“Alright girl, what do you want to ask me?”
“Why did you kill all those people? In all of the stories, you always end up killing people
who loved you. Don’t you want to be loved? Don’t you want to love somebody, too?” Zoe said
as she leaned forward.
“They never loved me! I never loved them! They were horrible little people who
deserved it. They had it coming! If I hadn’t of done it, then someone else w-would have!”
Herbert broke off as he stared at the floor. Tears began to gather in the Cyclops eye so
he covered his face in his hands. Zoe moved forward almost as if she were going to give Herbert
a hug but the giant held up one of his large mangled hands in protest.
“Little girl, let me tell you something about love,” Herbert said through tears. He was
quiet a moment. “Your heart knows love and it knows it very easily, but the heart has a hell of
a time trying to convince the rest of your body. My hands have a particularly stubborn outlook
on love. I truly loved all of them with my entire heart but my hands would have none of it. My
heart is weak compared to the strength of my hands. Every time I begin to feel the warmth of
love swelling in my body, my hands make sure to crush it. I am a cursed and I will never feel the
fire of love. I am broken.”
Herbert put his head in his hands and wept. Completely forgetting all of Herbert’s
warnings, Zoe rushed forward and threw her arms around the Cyclops’ leg.
“Oh, Herbert! Surely a creature of your intelligence and beauty can learn to accept love
and control his own actions. What is the body but a mass of flesh and bone? You can control it,
Herbert! I’ll love you!”
In this moment Herbert saw the true beauty in Zoe’s innocence and with every ounce
of his heart, he loved her. Their gazes locked as an overwhelming understanding filled up their
eyes. Zoe smiled up at Herbert.
“I love you, Herbert,” she said.
Suddenly, Herbert’s hands shot out and smashed Zoe’s frail body into the floor of the
rocky cavern. Herbert slowly lifted his hands to his face and stared at them. As Zoe’s innards
oozed down Herbert’s fingers, he fell to the ground too grief stricken to stand.
Later I had my very talented friend Dahlia Grossman-Heinze edit and polish it. Here is the story as it stands today.
Herbert’s Horrible Hands
Herbert the Cyclops was a misunderstood being. His heart was full of love but his hands
were full of hate. Whenever Herbert’s heart fell in love, his hands would completely destroy
whatever it was that he loved. Herbert couldn’t help but kill all those he loved. After several
failed attempts at self-control, Herbert realized the only way he could go on was if he never
loved again. Herbert barricaded himself inside a deep hole in the earth.. Herbert decided to
harden his heart with loneliness and never destroy anything else. The Cave was dark, damp and
dull but at least here it was impossible for the Cyclops to love.
Everyone slowly began to forget about Herbert and his short-lived reign of terror.
Eventually the only mentions of the Cyclops were in warnings and bedtime stories for
disobedient children. No one knew where he had gone, but everyone in the town suspected he
had disappeared into the dangerous and dark woods. One especially disobedient child earned
this story nearly every night. Her name was Zoe. It seemed as though Zoe misbehaved for the
sole purpose of hearing stories about the horrible Cyclops and his rampages. She constantly
thought about Herbert. She was obsessed. She wanted more than anything to meet this
creature.
Finally, one day Zoe had the chance to slip away from the supervision of her mother.
The girl ran into the forest to search for the Cyclops. After several hours of searching in the
dense woods, she came across a large hole in the earth.
“This must be it! This must be where the Cyclops lives!” she thought.
She began to climb down the jagged rocks until she reached the bottom of the hole.
Three tunnels lay before her. The little girl sat down to think of which way to go. As she sat in
thought, she heard the faint sound of someone, or something, crying. The girl decided to
follow the sound of the sobs. As Zoe kept walking, the tunnel opened up into a great cavern. In
the center of the room lay a huge mound that appeared to be moving. As she approached the
dark mass, she realized that whatever it was, it was breathing. She slid along the edge of the
cavern to get a better look at the beast. Just as she reached the far side of the cavern, the
mound shifted and the beast sat bolt upright. Startled, the girl let out a tiny screech.
“Who’s there?” growled Herbert.
“M-m-my n-name’s Zoe,” the little girl stammered.
“Whad-you want?”
“II-I heard stories about yy-you.”
“Get out of my cave, little girl! Now!”
“W-wait! I just wanted to m-meet you Mr. Cyclops.”
“Name’s Herbert and I don’t take visitors. You should leave.”
The little girl stood still and didn’t make a sound.
“I said go!” Herbert screamed.
“Wait! I have some questions for you Mr. Herbert; can I ask you some questions?”
Herbert waited a moment. It had been so long since he had company. “Well, F-fine, but
you have to stand over there by the entrance and keep your distance. Don’t move,” he said.
They resituated themselves, Herbert moved to the very back of the cave and the girl did
as she was told and stood in the entrance of the cavern.
“Alright girl, what do you want to ask me?”
“Why did you kill all those people? In all of the stories, you always end up killing people
who loved you. Don’t you want to be loved? Don’t you want to love somebody, too?” Zoe said
as she leaned forward.
“They never loved me! I never loved them! They were horrible little people who
deserved it. They had it coming! If I hadn’t of done it, then someone else w-would have!”
Herbert broke off as he stared at the floor. Tears began to gather in the Cyclops eye so
he covered his face in his hands. Zoe moved forward almost as if she were going to give Herbert
a hug but the giant held up one of his large mangled hands in protest.
“Little girl, let me tell you something about love,” Herbert said through tears. He was
quiet a moment. “Your heart knows love and it knows it very easily, but the heart has a hell of
a time trying to convince the rest of your body. My hands have a particularly stubborn outlook
on love. I truly loved all of them with my entire heart but my hands would have none of it. My
heart is weak compared to the strength of my hands. Every time I begin to feel the warmth of
love swelling in my body, my hands make sure to crush it. I am a cursed and I will never feel the
fire of love. I am broken.”
Herbert put his head in his hands and wept. Completely forgetting all of Herbert’s
warnings, Zoe rushed forward and threw her arms around the Cyclops’ leg.
“Oh, Herbert! Surely a creature of your intelligence and beauty can learn to accept love
and control his own actions. What is the body but a mass of flesh and bone? You can control it,
Herbert! I’ll love you!”
In this moment Herbert saw the true beauty in Zoe’s innocence and with every ounce
of his heart, he loved her. Their gazes locked as an overwhelming understanding filled up their
eyes. Zoe smiled up at Herbert.
“I love you, Herbert,” she said.
Suddenly, Herbert’s hands shot out and smashed Zoe’s frail body into the floor of the
rocky cavern. Herbert slowly lifted his hands to his face and stared at them. As Zoe’s innards
oozed down Herbert’s fingers, he fell to the ground too grief stricken to stand.
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