Online Presence Link

www.behance.net/jcolemancreations

Career Fair Review

The career fair went really well this year. I actually enjoyed the experience of being interviewed as it challenged me to think on my feet and provide adequate responses to questions. There was one interview from this children's foundation that I found particularly fun. The representative asked if I worked with video games because their company was trying to make an educational game. I told her that I did not but the skills that I have as an animator would definitely be of great use. I then went on to discuss the interactive relationship between the child and animation that provides a greater platform for education. All the people who saw my portfolio liked what they saw. I even got good critique from one individual on my demo and the potential I have in the work force. Overall, the career fair was a much better experience for the digital media department this year.

Behavioral Interview Question

Give me an example of a time where you failed to meet a goal. What did you fail to do? What were the

consequences? What was the outcome?

During my sophomore year in college, my Animation instructor assigned us the task of producing a 3-act story of our own creation. This meant creating a concept, script, storyboard, and the actual animation. By the end of the semester we were to have a completely animated film. 

Much of the pre-production was completed without great difficulty. Having grown impatient from the pre-production process, I jumped right into animating. I was focused on producing an animation that not only showcased my talents, but solidified the credibility of my major in a predominantly fine art school. This would, however, prove to be a huge mistake. I allowed my actions to be dictated purely by ambition and not proper procedure. 

I never correctly planned for this project. With as much progress as I was making, I never factored in the possibility that anything damaging can happen to my work. When one is high on gullibility, fate delivers a very sobering dose of reality. After completely roughing out my animation I started the process of cleaning my drawings. During this time, 1/3 of my animation was randomly deleted. I had failed to save multiple copies of the footage that was lost. Despite the bulk of my project still being intact, it was the numbest feeling I had ever experienced. 

After the incident I made great strides to redraw everything that I lost with success. Unfortunately, the time that was lost in doing so resulted in me failing to have a complete animation by the end of the semester. 

This was a harsh experience that molded me into a much more responsible artist. Two years after the fact, I have developed a stronger sense of organization and appreciation of sophisticated planning. 

Grant Research

Since I am going to grad school I need to start looking at grants that can be of help for me, especially since I am going out of state. I have found many scholarships but unfortunately most, if not all, had deadlines that have long passed. I will still post my findings for future references as I continue my search for grants. Here are some of my findings, many of which are can be found on the links I posted.

Links:

http://www.artscholarships.us/art-scholarships/visual-arts-scholarships-and-grants/117/

http://oedb.org/scholarship/art

Here are  specific scholarships that can be of great interest to present or future students.

Women in Animation, Inc.

• Women in Animation, Inc. offers the Phyllis Craig Scholarship for animation students. Phyllis Craig was a pioneer in the area of animation education and provided many students with internships, career development opportunities and first jobs in the industry. The $1,000 scholarship helps to fund the education of one student who shows both the talent and the drive to succeed as an animator. Eligible applicants include full- or part-time students matriculated in animation school. The successful student must demonstrate financial need and be legally able to work in the United States. Completed applications include a portfolio or film reel, an essay, a recommendation letter and proof that the applicant is an animation student.

  Women In Animation, Inc.

  P.O. Box 17706

  Encino, California 91416

  818-759-9596

  wia.animationblogspot.com

Deadline: April 19

Frameline

• The Frameline Completion Fund offers funding to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) filmmakers for projects including animated films. The available grants range from $5,000 to $7,500 and are intended for projects that accurately represent life in a LGBT context. Eligible applicants are those who have both creative and financial control over their projects and whose projects are at least 90 percent finished, including student applicants. Projects should be in the post-production phase or ready to begin that phase upon receipt of funding. Complete applications must include a cover sheet, synopsis, budget, formal request for funding, distribution and exhibition plan, sample DVD with description, cast and crew list including director's biography and completed producer's warranty form.

  Frameline Completion Fund

  145 Ninth St., #300

  San Francisco, CA 94103

  415-703-8650

  frameline.org

Fred Rogers Memorial Scholarship

Provided By:

Academy of Television Arts and Sciences

Type of Award:

Scholarship

Amount:

$10000

Description:

The Fred Rogers Memorial Scholarship is available to undergraduate and graduate students at accredited colleges and universities who demonstrate a commitment, through coursework or experience, to any combination of at least two of the following fields: early childhood education, child development/child psychology, film/television production, music, or animation. You must have the ultimate goal of working in the field of children's media to be considered for this award. This award will support research on the relationship between children's use of media and learning, development of program concepts or extended development, and a professional internship in an organization that is relevant to your goal. Two letters of recommendation are required.

Deadline: PASSED

Self-Critique

The Sacred Task, 2011

A lone warrior must confront and destroy an evil creature.

I intend the audience to be immersed in an experience that is as visually engaging as it is emotional encompassing. One should feel suspense, fear, and adrenaline flow as he or she watches my film.

My original idea truly came from viewing both Tarzan and Last of the Mohicans. I wanted to create a film that dealt much closer to nature's intimate connection with man. Both films dealt with this idea with success, as well as providing intense action and an engaging story. This, and my interest in both mythology and Native American culture guided me towards my finished product. This was important to me as a personal project because it allowed me to create a story that personified the way I look at life.

Theme:
Conquer your demons, lest you be conquered by them.

The strengths of my project are:
Dynamic animation
Production quality
Engrossing atmosphere throughout
Nice color palette

Problems areas I had particularly dealt with not preparing myself of the worst case scenarios. This project was two-years in the making. Since then I have suffered major loss of work, system crash, corrupted files, etc. I think that what I should learn to do and am making great strides to improve is organizing myself better.

I had the pleasure of learning a lot during the production of this film. By studying various styles of animation, I was able to improve my animation skills and produce more fluid actions in my movie. Also, I have learned a great deal about Toon Boom. A program that I thought to be so limiting is actually very compelling and diverse.

My BFA Project Done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Joseph Coleman ‘11_Animation

The Sacred Task

For my senior project, I want to portray the inner struggle with one's own dark nature in an animated short. The story involves a young warrior that finds himself at war with an evil entity of his own inadvertent creation. The creature is the manifestation of the protagonist's malice. With his demon growing ever stronger, the weary warrior must make a last stand on the battlefield of his crumbling conscience.

The story will serve as an allegory for the ordeal that we must all face in life. There are personal trials that we must go through in order to become better individuals. I drew upon Native American mythology as inspiration for my story.  I chose this culture because, though tales vary from differing tribes, the common belief is of the universal harmony between man, spirit, and nature. In the film, a mysterious owl appears before the shaman with unknown intentions. The owl is an amalgamation of the beliefs of Pawnee tribe, who view the animals as protection; the Pueblo, who associates them with death; and the Sioux, who believed that possession of the owl’s feather or “essence” will bless them on the battle field.  Under the shamanic system, the owl acts as the totem of the young protagonist. Though not physically active in the fight between the two opposing figures, what the owl symbolizes holds great spiritual significance.

Owls see the truth through the darkness that shrouds one’s path. When an individual is lost, the spirit of the owl will guide him. Death often awaits those who follow the creature. The owl knows that death is the key to rebirth. Life is renewed when one clears away all unwanted burdens. Only when the shaman conquers his inner demon will he truly be free.

Major Update

Its been about three weeks since my lasy update. I am happy to say that I have made great strides since then. All of my backgrounds are completely done, along the the clean drawings of all my frames. At the moment I have my first act complete. This weekend  I am going to color my third act and put the background into it. Over the next two weeks I will try and focus on the timing of my piece and the sounds. With those two elements set in stone I will have time to polish my animation up with the remainder of my time.