Amazing Storytellers! Ringling College students are passionate about digital animation
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Back in the 1980s, Stephen Spielberg launched “Amazing Stories,” a science fiction/fantasy anthology series in the “Twilight Zone” tradition. The show’s intro featured a Neolithic storyteller mesmerizing other cave dwellers around a fire. That morphed into a montage of scrolls, knights and rocket ships — and, ultimately, a modern family watching the ancient storyteller on a modern color TV set.
Nostalgia aside, the intro was one of the first uses of 3-D computer animation on American prime time television. Its quality was pretty good for 1985, but primitive by today’s standards. The medium has evolved since then. Many of the talents who sparked that evolution are graduates of Ringling College of Art and Design’s animation department.
Thanks to Jim McCampbell’s guidance, the college’s animation majors have been pushing the boundaries of digital media for the last three decades. The work of these student filmmakers has impressed me since I first saw their senior thesis projects in the late 1990s. Every year, Ringling College’s animation majors take it to the next level. In 2023, they’ve done it again.
We recently spoke with three of those amazing storytellers. Prepare to be amazed.
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Emma Ream
A Seattle native animator with storytelling in her blood. Ream grew up in a book-obsessed family that used banisters as bookends. She recalls: “When asked to pare down his collection, my grandfather used to say, ’Books are my friends. And I don’t get rid of my friends.’ That's how I see stories. They aren’t just books and movies. Whatever form they take, stories are living, breathing, and always evolving with their audience. They don’t just reflect who we are; they shape our future.”
Senior Thesis Project: “Bonbon Voyage.” (Bronze Juror’s Award.) Ream’s short animated film unfolds on a cruise in the Eisenhower era. Her heroine sees a poster touting a “Swimsuit Contest for Bathing Beauties!” She’s determined to win and runs a gantlet of bonbons, cupcakes and other treats. Her wordless struggles with temptation hold a comic mirror to pop culture’s unrealistic female body imagery and fat-shaming.
Animation heroes: “Hayao Miyazaki is a huge reason why I wanted to get into animation. He’s the director of ‘Spirited Away,’ ‘Princess Mononoke’ and so may other beautifully visualized dreams. He has such amazing range as a storyteller. Miyazaki’s stories go from lighthearted to really dark, but it’s always his voice. He’s the kind of storyteller I’d like to be! I also love Domee Shee – the director of ‘Bao’ and ‘Turning Red.’ She’s a big name at Pixar. I think the work she’s been doing is so exciting.”
Where’d You Get the Idea? “When I was brainstorming ideas for my senior thesis, I landed on a story inspired by my sister’s hospitalization for an eating disorder. I’d also been toying around with the idea of a beauty queen on a 1950s cruise ship – I really love mid-century aesthetics. The look and the concept organically came together.”
Storytelling 101: “We take a lot of storytelling and storyboarding classes at Ringling. It always boils down to: Whose story are you going to tell? What is this character thinking? Everything we learned about narrative is driven by character.”
To see more of Emma Ream’s art, visit: emmareamart.com
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Allison Fraidenburg
A South Florida storyteller, artist and animator. She loves to draw and really loves seeing her drawings come to life. “Animation is one of the most powerful tools artists have to create compelling characters and tell unique, creative stories. These stories have universal appeal across cultures and languages, and they can inspire and connect people around the world! I hope to do the same through my art and animation.”
Senior Thesis Project: “Beyond the Farm.” (Silver Juror’s Award.) Like many classic cartoons, Fraidenburg’s animated short goes back to classic times. We’re talking ancient Greece. The protagonists are a father-son duo like the characters in “Aesop and Son,” – well, aside from the fact that they’re goats. The kid wants to leap the fence and see the big wide world. Dad wants to play it safe and stay put. The story takes several left turns after that. Is there a happy ending? (Let’s just say this isn’t a tragedy.)
Animation heroes: “I really look up to Glen Keane, who did such awesome, beautiful, creative work on films like ‘Tangled’ and ‘The Little Mermaid.’ I’d have to say that all the animators on ‘Hercules’ qualify as heroes. The whole film was a big inspiration for me, as you can probably guess from ‘Beyond the Farm.’”
Where’d You Get the Idea? “From everywhere, really. My sources of inspiration were really random. To start with, I’m a big fan of singing and dancing in Disney musicals, and I’m definitely riffing on the upbeat tone of Dwayne Johnson’s ‘You’re Welcome’ song in ‘Moana.’ I’m hugely influenced by Greek mythology, the Percy Jackson novels, and ‘Hercules,’ as I mentioned. I’m also inspired by ‘Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.’ That video game is set in ancient Greece, and I really love that setting. Goats stuck in mind because of a 3-D model of a goat I saw on somebody’s random post. And goats were pretty prominent in ancient Greece, so I mashed all these ideas and influences together and just went there.”
Storytelling 101: “Ringling gave us so many great lessons in the art of storytelling. For me, the big ones were keep the audience interested and entertained and keep them guessing!”
To see more of Allison Fraidenburg’s art, visit: allisonfraidenburg.myportfolio.com
Hailey Bair
A highly animated native of Pittsburgh. “I’m enamored with the power of animation to breathe life into fictional characters and tell heartfelt stories that remain with you for a lifetime. I adore the art of animation, and I’ve known for a long time that it’s my passion and purpose in life. Learning to follow my passion for the rest of my life is truly a dream come true!”
Senior Thesis Project: “Dog Days.” Bair’s animated short film explores a day in the life of a boy and his balloon dog animal. It’s beautifully visualized in terms of character design and backgrounds. Good looks aside, Bair’s film is a witty, funny, touching, animated parable with a hint of magical realism. If you’re a dog person, you’ll love it. Heck, if you’re a garden-variety person with a good heart, you’ll love it. The surprise ending is pure poetry.
Animation Heroes: “When it comes to old-school animation, I’ve always looked up to Walt Disney’s ‘Nine Old Men.’ My favorites are Frank Thomas and Marc Davis. I love Marc Davis’ art style, and have three of his art books. In terms of contemporary digital animation, Ringling’s alums have been really inspirational to me. I don’t want to name anybody in particular, but finding out about the awesome work put out by Ringling’s computer animation graduates has been deeply inspirational to me.”
Where’d You Get the Idea? “‘Dog Days’ began with the idea of a balloon dog character. At Ringling, we actually have to take an acting class for our animation degree. (When you’re creating a character, you’re basically acting as that character is the concept behind the class.) On the last day, our professor taught us how to make balloon dogs. I looked at that and thought, ‘This would be a really fun character to animate someday.’ The story just grew from there.”
Storytelling 101: We spend a lot of time learning the elements of storytelling and how to visually tell a relatable, funny or touching story. Ringling professors don’t give us story ideas; they teach us how to get our own ideas across. So, ‘Dog Days,’ didn’t start as an assignment, “Do a story about a balloon animal.” The concept just followed me home!”
To see more of Hailey Bair’s art, visit: haileybair.portfoliobox.net
Where to see their work
“2023 Senior Thesis Exhibition” and “2023 Best of Ringling: Student Juried Exhibition” run through May 5 at the galleries of Ringling College of Art and Design, 2700 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Short films by this year’s Computer Animation graduates will be screened at 7 p.m. April 30, at Manatee High School Auditorium, 902 33rd St., Court West, Bradenton. (941) 359-7563; ringling.edu/galleries
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Ringling College students display growth in digital animation films
