I have been in the gravitational pull of stop-motion since starting the Animation and Digital Arts program at USC. Taking every class in stop-motion that Musa Brooker has brought to the School of Cinematic Arts, and now putting all my energy into completing my thesis film in stop-motion has only highlighted for me the wide range of skills that I put to work every time I animate: Years of working in woodshops and being a handyman have helped me build sets; Mom teaching me how to sew and Bubbie’s hand-me-down sewing machine have played a huge role in the stylistic design and overall look of my thesis film; taking the time to get my A.A. in Fine Art from SMC before going to USC gave me strong critique ability’s; years of work as a videographer and photographer for weddings, live events, and behind-the-scenes footage for movies not only helped me develop a good eye for composition, but is a skill that can be used at any level of production. Over the years, I’ve learned one bad batch at a time how to work with cold foam, and know the ins and outs of Adobe Photoshop, AfterEffects, Premiere, and use Dragonframe every day. I have taken classes in improv and movement here at USC. And I am even teaching my first workshop in stop-motion this month for Children of the Night, a shelter here in Los Angeles that rescues child prostitutes and gives them a new life. These children will now be getting their first animation workshop, and it’s going to be stop-motion.
Coming to USC and getting to meet stop-motion animators like Musa, Justin Connolly, Melissa Bloom, Lauren Brown, just to name a few, and even Seamus Walsh and Mark Caballero when they came to visit from Screen Novelties, has been a big part of why I want to work with you; not only because stop-motion is a challenging craft inside the already-complex world of animation, or because you literally use your hands to bring life to a character, but first and foremost because of the people.
Below is a copy of my general education, work history, filmography, and affiliations.
Downloadable version here and a posted .jpg to look at.
