Film Synopsis
An exploration of self-discovery through mindfulness.
In the beginning, a girl's meditation efforts are continually derailed by distractions. By exploring her inner world, she begins to see her obstacles in a new light.
Production Notes
"Awake" was producted using two-dimensional, digital animation techniques. After storyboarding, animation was done frame-by-frame in Flash, using a Wacom tablet. Once the rough animation was done, shots were rendered out and brought into Photoshop. I cleaned up each shot using specific textured brushtrokes in order to convey a more hand-drawn, painterly feel. I colored shots with different brushes in Photoshop, and my sister assisted me with coloring and backgrounds. T. W. Cory composed the soundtrack and SFX for "Awake." Preliminary animation of several shots was done in 3D space in Maya, for choreography reference. Finished shots were composited with backgrounds in Aftereffects, and then brought into Premiere for final editing.
Festival Screenings & Awards
Director's Bio - Karen Ross
While earning a BFA in animation from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, Karen assisted Professor Brad Pattullo with both animation and coloring in his film, "Of Frogs and Gods" (2010). After graduating in 2010, she moved to New York and worked as a freelance artist, as well as interning at Dreamkind Studios. In 2016, she completed her MFA studies at the Ohio State University’s Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design (ACCAD), after which she hopes to work in the animated film and/or television industry.
Contact Karen at karen.c.ross42@gmail.com
