As the finale of their Daemen studies neared, senior animation students screened their final projects—original short animated films—at the Transit Drive-In in Lockport.
Before the movies played on the big screen, the student-animators fielded questions from an audience of more than 100 in lawn chairs and cars; each film’s conclusion was met with applause and the honking of vehicle horns.
“It was a fantastic night,” said Mike Jones, assistant professor and program director of animation at Daemen. “Each film has a story to tell—and is the complete vision and creation of an individual student.”
Pitching ideas for the films to Jones last spring, the students worked on the projects throughout the 2020-21 academic year—facing challenges particular to the pandemic, including sharing specialized animation facilities with strict limits on occupancy and reduced operating hours.
“They each deserve credit for finding a way to complete their own films,” said Jones, “while ensuring their classmates could, too.”
The animators and their films are:
Jessica Ochs, CG animation, “Memory Lane”
William Doyle, CG Animation, “The King’s Game”
Katherine Leising, CG Animation, “Circulation”
Jarred Lee, 2D Animation, “Dinolards”
Kyle Payne, 2D Animation, “Muscle Beach Party of Awesomeness”
Arden Gudmundsson, 2D Animation, “Báaxal”
Kelsey Mahoney, 2D Animation, “Wild Remedies”
Eileen Hill, 2D Animation, “Fight or Flight”
Next, the films will hit the competition and festival circuits, which includes the Student Academy Awards.