PSA: Invisible Toxic Paint

Personal Project

PSA

creative direction & production, design & motion, sculpt & build, illustration

-warning: language-

With so much talk of “flattening the curve” but seemingly so little understanding of why, or even what that actually meant, I decided to make an explanation video PSA of my own. My mom suffers with athsma so it was/is particularly personal. It was also a welcomed distraction as the world around me shut down and fear ramped up, not to mention very important information for everyone to understand.

2020

LifeEnergy

LifeEnergy.guide

Explanation Videos

creative direction & production, design & motion, illustration

LifeEnergy.guide is dedicated to educating, tracking, and enhancing well-being. The creator, who I had worked for in her role at another company, wanted engaging videos explaining the research on well-being as well as how to use her site. The client wanted a floral, upbeat, and new-age feel. I illustrated icons for the 7 domains of wellbeing, around which the site was based, inspired by a tree illustration provided by the client.

For the videos on the landing page, I focused on giving enough information to intrigue the viewer to learn more about the research as well as offer a glimpse of what the site offered for them personally. With an upbeat and soothing VO, color palette, and illustrations, the simple steps to a happier life the site offers are illuminated.

2015

 

Digital Promise

Digital Promise

Motivation & Self-Determination Theory Educational Video

creative direction & production, design & motion

 

Digital Promise is a non-profit dedicated to accelerating technology in education and using it to further education for all. This project aimed to educate their audience about the latest research on the different motivations for learning as well as give some tips to better engage students.

Employing a semi-narrative story about students learning, we were able to incorporate a lot of information into an entertaining animation. The client wanted a simple style so with a short schedule and a tight budget, I focused largely on visualizing all of the facts and theories in situations both students and educators would recognize while moving the viewer through the information visually.

The client was “very happy” with the final video and it is still currently one of the most viewed videos on their Youtube channel.

2016

House Special, Cedar Fair

Lead Lighter
House Special 2015
Rugarou

Lighting for entire spot, along with this one and another that was pulled in post. Supervision for lighting of this one.

This project was one of my favorite lighting challenges to date. The dark and edgy feeling, coupled with a willingness (perhaps eagerness even!) to stray from light’s real-world limitations in order to set the mood and tone, allowed for a truly creative collaboration between the director, the art department, the compositor, and myself.

Lead Lighter
House Special, 2015
Wonderland

Lighting and layout revisions.

House Special, M&Ms, Eating in Bed

 

Lead Lighter, Compositor
House Special, 2015

Lighting and compositing, also including this spot for the Eating In Bed campaign.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDoFxtNOi0E

Lead Lighter, Compositor
House Special, 2015

Lighting and compositing, also including this spot for the Eating In Bed campaign.

StartupPhenomenon Women 2013

Van Heyst Group

Poster for the Startup Phenomenon Women portion of Startup Phenomenon 2013.

creative direction & production, design & motion

Startup Phenomenon 2013 flyer

Startup Phenomenon 2013 flyer

 

The Van Heyst Group is a public relations and communications company in Boulder, CO. They hosted a special conference for entrepreneurial women and needed a poster for marketing purposes that embodied female empowerment. Further, they wanted a poster reminiscent of revolution, while still obviously feminine, to distinguish this event from their separate but related co-ed Startup Phenomenon conference happening the following weekend. Turnout exceeded expectation.

Project Enye

The Just Media Fund

Project Enye Explanation Video

creative direction & production, design & motion

 

The Just Media Fund is an organization using media to support social justice and education. To launch Project Enye, they needed to educate the audience about the project, including defining the word enye for those unfamiliar. They wanted a looping video to feature prominently on the site.

Taking advantage of the circle in their logo I was able to use it as a graphical theme linking the globe, the project, and the idea of interpersonal connection so important to the project.

2014

This Too Shall Pass

SyynLabs

Music Video, “This Too Shall Pass” by OK GO

sculpt & build, creative direction & production (co-management)

 

 

Creativity in Los Angeles is all about having the talent- and knowing the right people. I know some of the right people. While at Dreamworks, I had the pleasure of spending my nights in a 80,000 square foot warehouse making random and super cool stuff do even more amazing things when combined.

 

kabuki puppets OK GO

Originally I was hired to make kabuki dancing puppets of the band members, but it was soon clear how much work needed to be done and we all decided puppets with less than 3 seconds of fly by screen time didn’t need to be dancing.

Damian & Tim Puppets

Damian & Tim Puppets

Dan & Andy puppets

Dan & Andy puppets

OK go puppet making of process shot

I welded, built, tinkered, co-managed the top floor. I did anything and everything that needed to be done that I could do (and perhaps a couple things I didn’t know I could). The mad genius of the guys and gals at Syynlabs, the palpable creative energy of the band, and the focused yet childlike joy and excitement of everyone involved made any sleep loss well worth it… though I had marble nightmares for weeks afterwards.

Me, welding

Me, welding

Zelora

Personal Project

Short film, “Zelora”

creative direction & production, sculpt & build, digital enhancement & compositing, photography & video

 

A short film about ending the fights we have with ourselves and finding peace.

digital character in physical set

“Zelora” is composed with a physical set and a digital character.

books in drawer

Digital animation using Maya is combined with stop motion.

2004

Logo Animations

Client: Dailyworth.com

Project: Money Clarity logo animation, supplemental animation and design, and video editing.

creative direction & production, design & motion, digital enhancement & compositing

Money Clarity is an online class offered by Dailyworth.com for women, to gain control of their finances and confidence in their financial future.

The logo animation needed to match the Dailyworth.com brand: accessible, hip, somewhat edgy, yet professional and respectable. After all, though done in a casual and personable matter, the goal is to teach women from all backgrounds to take control of their financial lives and in doing so, their futures.

Though the class remained somewhat basic, it did tackle some complex ideas that had to be explained to an audience with a wide variety of educational, financial, and technological backgrounds. In each of the 10 videos, supplemental animation and graphics were added to visually explain what owner and CEO Amanda Steinberg was talking about. The class also came with various supplementals such as checklists, schedules, and handouts.

sustainSpendChart_475x501 Business_checking_infographic_475x501

 

Project: Dailyworth Logo Animation

CREATIVE DIRECTION & PRODUCTION, DESIGN & MOTION

 

The client wanted a very quick 3 second animated logo to introduce her video content online. It needed to be hopeful, simple, sleek, and ‘hip.’

The lines exemplify what life is to so many of us who wish we had both a clearer picture and more control of our finances- chaos coming at us from all angles. With Dailyworth’s tools, tricks, and communal support the fear is alleviated and the chaos is tamed.

Music Video: “Bloody Bells”

Personal Project, Eastern Conference Champions

Music video “Bloody Bells” by Eastern Conference Champions (ECC)

creative direction & production, sculpt & build, digital enhancement & compositing, photography & video

Listening to ECC’s album Speak-aaah, it was obvious to me that they had to be made into puppets. I had never made marionettes before but that was irrelevant. The project was a lot of fun to make and the band loved it. It became the song’s official video.

fun fact: You might recognize the lead singer, Josh Ostrander. He is now MondoCozmo.

2009

Avedon Study

Personal project

Sculpture

sculpt & build

Avedon sculpture Avedon_6587_1000_web

Sculpted in Sculpee. 2006

Originally based on this photograph by Richard Avedon of his father, the scultpure evolved to be less about getting it to look exactly like the photograph and more of a study on skin texture.

Richard Avedon Photograph

 

Hugger

Personal project

Motorized Hugging Machine

sculpt & build

For my fine arts senior thesis at Columbia University, I made a hugging machine. It had to be adjustable so everyone could receive a hug at optimal height. I sewed a fleece padded body with belly and water balloon breasts, because, let’s face it, they make a hug great.

hugging machine

 

Americas Latino Eco-Festival

Americas For Conservation + The Arts

Promotional Video for Americas Latino Eco-Festival

creative direction & production, design & motion

Americas for Conservation + the Arts (AFC+A) is a non-profit started by Guggenheim fellow Irene Vilar which “advances a healthy environment through arts, advocacy, education, and engagement of culturally diverse communities.” By 2050, it is projected that 30% of the population of the US will be Latinx. For the inaugural Americas Latino Festival in Colorado in 2013 they needed a video to promote the festival, explain its purpose, and share statistical facts.

Inspired by the sublime beat of the generously donated music of Rodrigo y Gabriela, using striking movement, shapes, and colors, I was able to visually convey the dynamism of the Latino culture while presenting the myriad of information including necessary facts, statistics, and scheduled participants. By having the themes of the festival emanate from the word environment, the update for the second year’s shift of focus to eco concerns is highlighted. Attendance surpassed expectations both years.

2013, 2014

 

 

CG Feature Reel

CG Lighting & Compositing for Feature Films reel

lighting & compositing, details below

CG lighting and compositing reel, feature films

Shots from the following studios and films included:

Pixar   Cars2   lighting with proprietary software, compositing with Shake
Dreamworks     Bee Movie, Monsters Vs. Aliens,Kung Fu Panda, Shrek: Forever After   lighting and compositing with proprietary software
Digital Domain   Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End   lighting with Maya, preliminary compositing with Nuke
Sony Pictures Imageworks   Monster House   lighting with Maya, compositing with proprietary software
Blue Sky Studios   Robots, Ice Age: The Meltdown   lighting with proprietary software, compositing with Shake

Reel Breakdown

Shrek: 4ever After (Dreamworks) : shot lighting & compositing

Cars 2 (Pixar) : shot lighting & compositing

Monsters V Aliens [2 shots] (Dreamworks) : shot lighting & compositing

Shrek: 4ever After (Dreamworks) : shot lighting & compositing

Monsters V Aliens (Dreamworks) : shot lighting & compositing

Robots (Blue Sky Studios) : shot lighting & compositing

Pirates of the Caribbean (Digital Domain) : shot lighting

Shrek: 4ever After (Dreamworks) : shot lighting & compositing

Cars 2 (Pixar) : shot lighting & compositing

Kung Fu Panda (Dreamworks) : shot lighting & compositing

Shrek: 4ever After (Dreamworks) : look development of ball, sub-sequence lead for Donkey and Puss’n’Boots on ball

Cars 2 [2 shots] (Pixar) : shot lighting & compositing

Monsters V Aliens (Dreamworks) : fx look development, shot lighting & compositing

Shrek: 4ever After (Dreamworks) : shot lighting & compositing

The Bee Movie (Dreamworks) : shot lighting & compositing

Kung Fu Panda [6 shot] (Dreamworks) : fx look development, shot lighting & compositing

Monsters V Aliens [2 shots] (Dreamworks) : shot lighting & compositing

Pirates of the Caribbean [2 shots] (Digital Domain) : shot lighting, material augmentation