SoDak Animation Festival Recap

My alma mater South Dakota State University had their 4th annual animation festival about a week ago. It was something that I helped with when I was still a student and it is something that I try to get back to each year and see how it grows and progresses.

This year I was able to attend a couple of the speakers and a night of screenings. The festival that started with just 1 night and day when I was a student has now expanded to 3 nights of speakers and screenings in just a matter of a few years. It continues to grow and impress.

The speakers that I had the opportunity to see were Ryan Woodward and JJ Sedelmaier. Ryan Woodward is a storyboard artist for Hollywood and a professor at BYU, but the main reason I wanted to see his presentation was his comic app called “Bottom of the Ninth”. If you haven’t checked it out, I urge you to do so.

That is now 2 conferences I have been to this summer alone and it seems that the lines between gaming, animation and comics/manga seem to be continually disappearing. Bottom of the Ninth will have more chapters so I look froward to seeing how the story and artwork/ interface continue to grow.

JJ Sadelmaier owns a production company in NY and has worked with various big name clients, MTV, Beavis and Butthead, Harvey Birdman and more. He had a very great presentation about the current market and tips for animators in general in the current economic climate.

The screenings always provide a great time. Its a good time to see what is being done in various countries and what ways artists and animators are using software. Are there new techniques they are using?

I also had a great time catching up with professors and even some former co-workers. Be sure to check out the site and maybe give it a visit next year!