3 SVA Students Share Their Amazing Creative Journeys Outside Of The Classroom

Breaks between academic semesters are valuable opportunities for growth and personal productivity for students at the School of Visual Arts (SVA).

In the three animation departments (BFA Animation, BFA 3D Animation and Visual Effects, and MFA Computer Arts), students are encouraged to take advantage of opportunities that enhance their education beyond the classroom and allow them to apply the skills they’ve acquired through their SVA studies. Upon their return, Cartoon Brew caught up with some of the school’s ambitious students to see how they made the most of their time off.

BFA Animation senior student Schantelle Alonzo had the amazing opportunity to travel abroad and participate in Creative Talent Network’s International Creative Exchange Program in South Korea. We got a chance to hear about Alonzo’s exciting experience abroad and how she was able to bring her own unique flair to the program using the skills she gained within the BFA Animation Program at SVA.

She explains in her own words:

I had the amazing opportunity to fly out to South Korea to study under animator Mike Nguyen (Beauty and the Beast, The Iron Giant, The Road to El Dorado) after receiving a full-ride scholarship to attend CTN’s inaugural Cultural Exchange Program. I spent a month at Chungkang College of Cultural Industries developing our classical animation techniques along with sharpening our eyes and artistic tastes.

The experience reminded me a lot of the energy when I first entered SVA – the nervous enthusiasm of animation lovers meeting for the first time and discovering how amazing our peers’ work was. It brought me back to the lectures in Story Structure from freshman year at SVA – media presentations and animation to sharpen our eyes and minds combined with our instructors’ knowledge and experience. By the end, I gave a presentation about myself and shared my 3rd-year film, Ariba’s Delivery. I was even able to use what I learned in SVA class to give my peers an introduction to After Effects!

As Alonzo makes her way through her thesis year this year, we’re excited to see how her experiences from this wonderful trip can give her a leg up on her thesis project and beyond in her career.

Lucie Lee, current BFA 3D Animation and Visual Effects student, had the opportunity to take part in the Pixar Undergraduate Program (PUP). As one of nine students selected for the program, they experienced the Pixar pipeline in the first half and were taught by various instructors in their dedicated fields, followed by a three-week group project, and concluding with an independent project from each intern.

Said Lee:

Before coming to SVA, I had the dream to one day work at Pixar. Having Christina Faraj, a former Pixar intern and employee, as my professor was pivotal in my journey toward the PUP program. Not only did Christina provide invaluable guidance, she always filled me up with encouragement and confidence.

I wouldn’t have made it without the resources and opportunities SVA provided. My professors often brought industry professionals to our classes. One of the highlights was getting to speak with a Disney lookdev artist. She gave invaluable feedback on my demo reel.

Thanks to the experience (at Pixar), I discovered the true power and artistry of collaboration. The sense of creativity and constant drive for improvement, innovation, and genuine community I found at Pixar truly left a mark on my heart.

My favorite part of the internship was our independent project. I created a physical marionette, modeled and textured a 3D environment, printed everything out on paper, cut out the images, attached wires to the back, and then gathered a group of people to hold the wired images for a live puppeteering shoot. To my surprise, many amazing Pixar artists came to support my shoot and help bring my vision to life. It was such a wonderful experience!

MFA Computer Arts student James Hoolan had the unique opportunity to spend his summer participating in a scholar exchange program with The Animationsinstitut, a school of the Filmakademie Baden-Wüerttemberg near Stuttgart, Germany. Animationinstitut offers a project-based approach to learning, giving students a role in an active animation pipeline. Hoolan told us a little about the learning curve at Animationsinstitut:

Students who wanted to direct a film would become the lead project manager, those who wanted to help manage the project schedule would go through the producer pipeline, and others who wished to work on other roles for projects would individually pick their speciality and funnel in through the project pipeline as their respective practice. This is juxtaposed to SVA where everyone presents their own film they worked on, taking on leadership and directorial responsibilities in addition to honing their own specialties.

While James was getting used to a curriculum that differed from SVA’s, he was also acclimating to being abroad for the first time. But in a community as global as animation, it wasn’t all culture shock. “A similarity between SVA and Animationsinstitut was the inclusion of people from everywhere,” he said. “We’re all there to do one thing and everyone is on the same page. There is also a sense of community like SVA has, students helping others who need help with their project or a quick fix, and everyone knows pretty much everyone, so nobody is ever excluded.”

Spending an entire summer halfway across the world is no easy task, but Hoolan left us with this: “It truly opened my eyes to the possibilities outside of the States, and helped me get a better grasp of the tools and motifs used around the world; I will definitely be traveling again soon.”

The School of Visual Arts is always looking for creative, adventurous, and minds like Alonzo, Lee, and Hoolan to join its growing communities. Do you have what it takes to work alongside the pioneers of the future? Apply to SVA today!