SHORT FILMS & NARRATIVE ANIMATION — Visual Worldbuilding & Independent Storytelling
Directing, art directing, and animating narrative short films defined by rich atmospheres, distinct visual styles, and character-driven storytelling.
Role: Director, Art Director, Animator & Illustrator
Featured Projects: Umbrella Girl, The Night Witch, Mojo Thunder
Scope: Storyboarding, Visual Development, Character Design, Animation, Color Scripting, Compositing
Tools: After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator, Animate, Premiere Pro
OVERVIEW
Independent narrative filmmaking is where art direction meets pure emotional resonance. While commercial work solves business challenges, my short film work explores the mechanics of visual storytelling—pacing, atmospheric lighting, character performance, and color theory.
Directing and animating these personal projects allows me to experiment with custom visual techniques, bringing a deeper level of narrative craftsmanship and creative leadership back to client pitch decks and commercial campaigns.
UMBRELLA GIRL
MFA Thesis Film — Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)
Exploring Acting Methodologies & Character Performance in Animation
Created as my Master of Fine Arts thesis at SCAD, Umbrella Girl serves as a master-level study in visual storytelling and non-verbal character performance. The thesis investigated a core question: Why shouldn't animators approach character performance with the same methodology as a live-action actor? By applying theatrical acting principles—focusing on objective, motivation, and physical weight—I developed the character animation to convey complex internal emotion entirely without dialogue.
Character Study & Acting Approach: Applied live-action acting frameworks—focusing on objective, motivation, physical weight, and micro-expressions—to drive the protagonist's body language without relying on dialogue.
Subtext & Secondary Motion: Mapped subtle physical beats (sighs, hesitations, eye darts) and organic secondary movement (fabric, weather dynamics) to convey complex internal emotion.
Visual Development & Color Theory: Designed atmospheric lighting and a rich color script that shifts dynamically to mirror the character's internal psychological arc.
Global Festival Success: The film resonated with international audiences, securing 23+ global film festival selections across 8 countries, including Telluride Mountain Film Festival, Animation Day in Cannes, and Montreal International Animation Film Festival (ANIMAZE).
THE NIGHT WITCH
New York Times Op-Doc (2013)
Production: Studio Dusty | Directors: Dustin Grella
Fresh out of SCAD’s MFA program and stepping into the New York City animation scene, I contributed as a freelance animator on The Night Witch, an animated documentary short featured as a New York Times Op-Doc. The film details the dramatic history of the all-female Soviet bomber regiment during World War II.
Studio Pipeline Integration: Collaborated within an established documentary workflow, adapting quickly to the lead director’s visual vision and styleframes.
Targeted Animation Execution: Focused strictly on executing clean, expressive 2D animation passes to bring historical oral audio tracks and dramatic WWII aerial narratives to life.
Tonal Alignment: Matched the film’s stark, moody aesthetic and historical gravity, ensuring seamless shot transitions alongside archival audio.
MOJO THUNDER
The Peach Kings — Animated Music Video (2014)
Production: Ataboy Studios | Directors: Kris Merc & Benjy Brooke
Working in NYC early in my career, I served as a freelance 2D animator on the official music video for The Peach Kings' "Mojo Thunder", produced at Ataboy Studios. The project was a high-energy, graphic noir piece driven by raw textural animation.
Textural Photoshop Animation: Animated frame-by-frame 2D sequences directly in Adobe Photoshop, executing hand-crafted, tactile line work and heavy graphic shadows.
Executing Established Art Direction: Worked within the aggressive, black-and-white noir visual universe designed by co-directors Kris Merc and Benjy Brooke.
Rhythmic Timing & Energy: Delivered fluid character motion and dynamic visual beats timed to the track's driving blues-rock tempo under tight studio deadlines.
NARRATIVE CRAFT IN COMMERCIAL ART DIRECTION
Character & Performance: Building believable emotion through secondary motion, eye-darts, and timing.
Color Scripting: Using deliberate color shifts to guide viewer focus and establish tonal shifts across scenes.
Pacing & Edit Structure: Understanding when to let a visual moment breathe and when to drive kinetic energy.