UT Dallas students in the Animation & Games and Visual and Performing Arts programs produced ten original animations with original student-composed scores as part of a first-of-its-kind multidisciplinary project.
Dr. Christine Veras, Dr. Katrina Rushing, and Associate Professor Hal Gupta-Fitzgerald – three Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology faculty members – created a seven-week project to encourage cross-disciplinary and collaborative creativity.
Each student in Dr. Veras’ upper-level experimental animation course paired up with a student in Dr. Rushing’s music theory course to produce a short around the theme of Sweater Weather. The animators provided a preliminary version of their film to their partners to help them envision the critical moments of the composition in connection with the animation.
“This collaboration not only showcases the immense creative potential of our students and faculty but also unfolds the creative possibilities when interdisciplinary talents converge,” said Dr. Veras, who also directs the UT Dallas experimenta.l. Animation Lab. “It was also rewarding to see our facilities in full use, in service of our creative endeavors. In this exchange, the animation students explored the intricacies of their field, sharing their creative process while gaining insights into the field of music. By engaging in this collaboration, students expanded their horizons and learned to cultivate a deeper understanding of the subtleties and challenges involved in collaborative creative projects. In summary, we all learned a lot and have started planning for future collaborations.”
The musicians composed and rehearsed the accompanying track while the animators were working on their film. Professor Gupta-Fitzgerald, who teaches sound design and production courses, and ATEC senior Maikhanh Ho, the sound engineer, worked with the music students to record their final pieces in the Bass School sound studio.
“The Bass School brings together a wide variety of creative and technical possibilities,” Dr. Rushing said. “I wanted my advanced music theory students to have the opportunity to compose music for a specific purpose and develop collaborative skills. After discussing the mood, theme, and color scheme with the animators, the musicians composed a short piece of music to accompany the experimental animation project. Furthermore, the musicians had the opportunity to produce a live recording of their pieces in UTD’s audio engineering studio. The students gained an appreciation for the challenges of experimental animation and discovered the thrill of recording their music in a professional studio.“
The project culminated with a screening of the final projects at the Jonsson Performance Hall in October 20. The animations and interviews of the animation and music students are available to the public on YouTube.
Der Verruckted
Animated by Christian Vongkaseum
Music composed by Jonathan Rigby
Boogie Boos
Animated by Mischa Jordan
Music composed by Hannah Bursley
Purposal
Animated by Mariana Rodriguez
Music composed by Varun Thavanampalli
Waltz of the Leaves
Animated by Idris Johnson
Music composed by Hunter Mauer
Willow
Animated by Katie Richard
Music composed by Rafael Melendez
Untitled
Animated by Luis Erives
Music composed by Arsen Yang
Journey Home
Animated by Sydney Tate
Music composed by Andrew Clarke
Trees Should Wear Sweaters
Animated by Muhab Ahmed
Music composed by Henry Jones
Sweater Weather
Animated by Paul Koroma
Music composed by Marlon Mendoza
Forest Ghost
Film by Eliana Nark
Music composed by Aaron Hu
All music recorded and mixed by Maikhanh Ho.
See more details and photos of the behind-the-scenes here: https://labs.utdallas.edu/experimental/sweater-weather/