SCADanimates the Trustees Theatre
On Saturday the Trustees Theatre served up the finest buffet of animations that students had to offer. SCADanimate 2012 featured short films from both the Savannah and Atlanta campuses.
The eighth annual showing for the event included works from various sources. Some were senior projects or graduate thesis films, while others were a collaborative effort of students outside of class. This included any animation from 3D to 2D and stop-motion. The animations themselves were also varied, though the majority seemed to be thought-provoking.
Some were more humorous than introspective, such as “Madcow,” a film by Dan Augsburger. His was among the more memorable films, with its over-the-top takedown of cheesy ‘80s action films. The titular character, an anthropomorphic cow, defeats his chicken nemesis in a fashion reminiscent of Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone. The result is a hilarious short that stood out from the 19 other entries.
Among the light-hearted fare was also “Super Awesome Squad” by Mike Bedsole and Robby White. This short was a peek into the imagination of children playing. The film continually cuts from both the outside world where the children pretend to be superheroes to what they envision as they play. It is a nostalgic and adorable short.
Of the more serious and most effective films was “Vow” by Bridget Underwood. When a girl’s mother is killed by a lion, she swears revenge, and in her later years hunts the creature down only to realize that she has made a mistake. The film contains breathtaking imagery and stays with the viewer long after its three-minute runtime is up.
“Legacy” by Adam Floeck was another short that pulled at the heartstrings. In it, characters take flight through the use of mechanical wings. The overall theme is about passing on responsibility, as we see a flight helmet representative of this passed down through three generations. The main character faces fear and loss and eventually fulfills his duty and saves a young boy from death. Ultimately he sacrifices himself in doing so and passes on the helmet to the child he saved.
After all the films were viewed, the audience was given the chance to vote for a winner via text message. The winner was “East and West” by Caitlin Elise Willis, a 2D short featuring two dragon-like creatures battling. One was Eastern inspired, the other Western. As their fight progressed, the appearance of the objects around them shifted to match their respective art styles.
Overall, SCADanimate showed off the talent that the university has cultivated across its multiple campuses. Though some were more memorable than others, it is always impressive to see the hard work of many students on the big screen.
