Shoah Foundation Student Film Contest Entry

This was actually completed in the beginning of February, but I had to delay posting it for reasons relating to competition eligibility. The learning curve on this project was immense, and I learned a lot about using Toon Boom more efficiently and effectively. Will did such an amazing job on the sound editing--I'm still noticing new things he did to make the music work with the clips so successfully, and I was there when he did this.

Thanks again to Radical Face, one of my very favorite bands, for giving us permission to use their song "Strangest Things! It added so much to our video. I hope Ben Cooper would enjoy what we've made with his song if he gets the chance to see it.

We titled our entry "Strange Inheritance," because I think "strange" is how I feel about the holocaust--it didn't make sense, it doesn't make sense, it is unnatural, and I don't think I, or anyone else, will ever understand it. I tried to reflect my impression of warped reality in my art, and I think "Strangest Things," in addition to using our title adjective, has that same feeling. What sealed the deal on the title was when I realized survivor Evan Gershon said strikingly, "It was the strangest thing," in the first interview segment of the film when he talks about the plaster mask. These words really stuck in my mind upon hearing them because it was shortly after Will and I'd gained permission to use "Strangest Things" in our entry. "Inheritance" was a keyword from the film prompt: Inheriting the Holocaust.

Will and I are currently promoting our film online and on Facebook in order to compete for the Viewer's Choice Award. If you'd like to help support our film, please rate it here. If you REALLY want to help us, please share the link on Facebook! Voting is open until March 15th. The winners of the Shoah Student Film Contest will be announced in early April.

USC Science Film Freshman Victory

Andy Su (Scientific Consultant), Maria Raykova (Director), Mara Guevarra, Kayla Carlisle, Jabril Mack

So the freshmen animators have made another conquest! We've been awarded second place, and the prize of $1,500, for our 10 minute cartoon about the atomical composition of life, the universe, and everything in it, which we entered in the school-wide Science Film Contest. (We were the only freshman team.) The competition was meant to unite those of us at USC studying media with the members of USC's science and math departments, in the hopes of encouraging aspiring filmmakers to help these guys educate the masses. Andy (a fellow freshman studying aeronautical engineering) was our scientific consultant, and we were directed by the talented and determined Maria Raykova.

Some of us came over-dressed.

Shoah Foundation Film Progress

I'm working on an entry into USC's Shoah Foundation student film competition. The Shoah Foundation was founded by Steven Spielberg after making Schindler's List. During the filming of the movie, Spielberg was approached by many Holocaust survivors who needed to share their stories. He realized that if these stories were not recorded soon, they would be lost forever. The Shoah Foundation is based on the USC campus.

I'm collaborating with my friend Will Merrick on an entry for the annual film competition. I'll be animating, and he'll be editing. Right now all we have is big plans and the beginning art pieces I'll turn into the final animated scenes. The film will be a combination of animated sequences illustrating the stories of the Holocaust survivors, and clips of these survivors telling their stories.

Here is what we have so far:

A demo of an interview segment concerning the transportation of the Jewish people from the ghetto to Auschwitz.

I'm thinking on reusing this assignment from last semester to conclude.

 A segment will be based off this photograph relating to one of the survivor's stories.

Only the eyes will move for this scene, and there will be shown the air coming from the nostrils.

So that's all for now! I'll update more as I get farther along. I'm hoping to use the song "Strangest Things" from Radical Face's album Ghost, which, for the record, is one of the most unique and imaginative albums of all time. Of course I need to write Ben Cooper first, and ask for his permission. It would be unbelievable if he said yes!

USC Alphie Results: Animators Win Grand Prix

Yes, the USC animators, collaborating on just one entry (Aha Moments under the direction of Jabril Mack), conquered the USC Freshman Short Film Competition, beating the dozens of other live action entries submitted by the rest of the cinema school. That said, all the other entries were amazing--most incredibly funny, and some surprisingly thoughtful and emotional. It was a great competition.