SCHOOL GUIDE 2014 SCHOOL GUIDE “We have unbelievable tools to use in animation today, but they are no different from using pencil on a piece of paper... I mean, no one goes to Milt Kahl–or Marc Davis or Ollie Johnston or Frank Thomas: ‘Wow, what pencil did you use?’ We have amazing tools, but it’s what the filmmakers do with them.” — Disney/Pixar CCO John Lasseter Clockwork from top: Character design sketches for Woody from Pixar’s Toy Story (1995) and Disney’s Bambi (1942); Vancouver Film School’s animation class; students at the Columbus College of Art and Design in Ohio get prepared for the marketplace using Toon Boom technologies; an image from Dia de Los Muertos, the Student Oscar-winning short by Ringling students Ashley Graham and Lindsey St. Pierre. An Educational Supplement february 14 www.animationmagazine.net 1 SCHOOL GUIDE Women on Top How many of today’s animation and vfx schools are preparing women students for top positions in to- day’s competitive film and TV industry. by Ellen Wolff he buzz about animation’s girl power has Places Other People been especially strong this season, fueled Have Lived T by writer/director Jennifer Lee’s Disney hit Frozen. Not to take anything away from the legacy of Disney’s Nine Old Men, but a generation of women is writing some new chapters. Brenda Chapman rightfully picked up an Oscar for her leadership on Pixar’s Brave, while Jennifer Yuh has been at the helm for two installments of DreamWorks’ Kung Fu Panda franchise. One of this year’s most acclaimed animated shorts, the innovative 3-D Get a Horse!, is also both directed and produced by women—Lauren MacMullan and Dorothy McKim respectively. That trend is occurring in television too, notes Brooke Keesling, who manages animation talent CalArts has a long tradition of producing In recent years, Ringling College of Art and development at Cartoon Network. “We have award-winning animators who make their marks Design has also seen several female grads Rebecca Sugar, who directs the network’s as pros, and since the number of its female launch promising careers. After winning the Steven Universe.” she notes. “At Cartoon students has exceeded males in recent years, 2011 Animation Gold Medal, Jenna Bors be- Network there is no shortage of women.” we’re seeing more women get their professional came an animator on commercials and on So- Keesling is uniquely positioned to see talent- shots. Nicole Mitchell, Student Oscar Gold ny’s Arthur Christmas, while 2007 Bronze Med- ed young women come into their own. Because Medalist in 2008, earned an Annie nomination alist Bevin Carnes worked on Green Lantern in addition to her day job and Ice Age: Dawn of recruiting for the Cartoon “Young women don’t think they can’t succeed, because they the Dinosaurs. In 2011, Network, Keesling teaches Stevie Lewis earned a a Film Production Work- were never told they couldn’t. You don’t have to tell little girls Bronze Medal and be- shop at CalArts. “I basically that they can do anything. They already know that!” came a visual develop- mentor students through ment artist at PDI/ — Brooke Keesling, Cartoon Network’s Manager of Animation Talent Development, the making of their films,” DreamWorks. And this she explains. She knows past year, Lindsey St. what that takes, since Keesling earned her MFA for her work on Disney’s Winnie the Pooh, while Pierre, Ashley Graham and Kate Reynolds at CalArts, and her filmBoobie Girl won the 2002 Silver Medalist Jen Sachs is now directing shared the Gold Medal for Dia de los Muertos, Gold Medal at the Student Academy Awards in an animated documentary called The Fantastic which they helped finance by mounting a savvy 2001. Flights of Sophie Blanchard. Kickstarter campaign. “They were so focused and dedicated that Undone sometimes I forgot how young they were,” says Ringling teacher Heather Thomson about her student medalists. Thomson, who’s a ’96 Ringling alumna and has taught there for 13 years, says, “We have a lot of female students, and I think the number is increasing.” Perhaps as a result, the message young women are hearing today is different. “They’re not being told that they need to be twice as good to be considered ‘good.’ They come with expectations of success.” New Paths to Success Young women animators are taking advan- tage of the growth of adult-themed animation to gain footholds in the industry. Careen Ingle, who february 14 www.animationmagazine.net 3 SCHOOL GUIDE among animators with an independent bent, ob- serves Agnieszka Woznicka, who teaches in the Film/ Animation/Video program at the Rhode Is- land School of Design (RISD). “I feel like there are two different paths: there is the Hollywood industry, which has not been very hospitable to women, and the world of independent anima- tion, which has been very nurturing.” Woznicka’s particular expertise is in stop- motion, and she has seen several of her stu- dents embrace that form of animation and build a career doing it. By way of example, she cites Hayley Morris, whose poignant RISD film Undone used stop-motion animation to ex- plore her grandfather’s descent into Alzheim- The Fantastic Flights of er’s disease. Morris has since become a suc- Sophie Blanchard cessful independent animator in N.Y.C., and a film festival favorite. graduated from USC’s School of Cinematic feeling that they have permission to break “A number of our graduates move to New Arts, has created animation for Conan, while her through in a man’s world—and not just in anima- York and do a lot of freelance work and music fellow alumna Laura Yilmaz recently worked on tion and the arts.” videos,” says Woznicka. “They’re still working shorts for Comedy Central’s new series Trip- “In one class I teach, one of the first assign- with their classmates, and really helping each Tank. And Yilmaz’s personal film, Places Other ments is to create an artist statement,” Selwood other. I find that encouraging to see.” People Have Lived, is a festival standout. adds. “I was surprised at how personal and CalArts’ Keesling agrees. “I always tell my stu- The explosion of animation on the web has open they were. Ten years ago you would never dents; ‘Look around you. These are the people also created opportunities for female artists with have seen that kind of openness in sharing per- you’ll be with for years to come. So play nice and distinctive voices. Anima- help each other out. This tion producer Carolyn is your core network that Bates from the Shut Up! will help you get jobs out Cartoons series recalls “I feel like there are two different paths: there is the Hollywood in the world.’” seeing the animation of industry, which has not been very hospitable to women, and the world How strong—and how Emily Brundige when of independent animation, which has been very nurturing.” soon—a network of Brundige was still at Ca- young female animators lArts. Bates recalls, — Agnieszka Woznicka, Rhode Island School of Design builds its industry clout “When were looking for is an open question. someone for a ‘tween’ Maureen Selwood ex- girls project, I remembered Emily.” The resulting sonal stories. We talked about whether it was pects, “It may take another three or four years web series, Pubertina, features animation, voic- wise to reveal so much, and the women in the to really see the growth of women who are es and even music by Brundige. class were ferocious in saying, ‘Absolutely!’” keen to become directors.” “Emily Brundige was my student,” says Mau- It’s likely that the rise of social media, and reen Selwood, a veteran teacher in CalArts’ Ex- Hear Them Roar sites like Kickstarter, Vimeo and Tumblr may help perimental Animation program. “She was in a Deeply personal films are especially evident accelerate the pace. Even the TED Talks site has class that had 19 women and one man. Emily was very passionate about storytelling, and once Dia de los Muertos she began to realize her potential as a writer, she knew who she wanted to be in a very public fo- rum. For a lot of young people, the web is where they have to begin.” And the web has also become a platform for introducing female animators from an ever-grow- ing range of countries and cultures. As exam- ples, Selwood points to Momo Wang from Chi- na, Asavari Kumar from India and Sara Gunnars- dóttir from Iceland. “A lot of extraordinary talent is coming from Asia,” says Selwood, who regu- larly curates shows around the world. “I teach a class that has a woman from Lebanon and one from Palestine. I’m seeing women who are not used to feeling empowered, because of the countries they come from. But more women are 4 www.animationmagazine.net february 14 SCHOOL GUIDE february 14 www.animationmagazine.net 5 SCHOOL GUIDE Pubertina To view animation by these artists, visit: Jenna Bors - jrbors.blogspot.com Emily Brundige - emilybrundige.tumblr.com Bevin Carnes – bevincarnes.com Sara Gunnarsdóttir – saragunnarsdottir.com Careen Ingle - careeningle.com Asavari Kumar - asavarikumar.com Stevie Lewis - chocosweete.blogspot.com shone a spotlight writer Jennifer Miwa Matreyek - on artists like Lee’s lines in semihemisphere.com Miwa Matreyek, Wreck-It Ralph) Hayley Morris - who combines Keesling asserts: hayleymorris.net animation and live “You don’t have to Jen Sachs - jensachs.com performance to tell little girls that Lindsey St. Pierre, Ashley Graham, extraordinary ef- they can do any- Kate Reynolds - fect.