Check out my film below!
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A young musician is locked in the same routine as he practices piano each day. When he discovers the beauty and color of his own imagination through an original piece, can he give himself the courage to express his creativity beyond just fantasy?
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Credits
Written, Animated, and Directed by:
Alyssa Garoogian
Original Score & Additional Piano Playing by:
Dane Bryant Frazier
UCF Faculty Advisors:
Jo Anne Adams (Chair)
Dr. Stella Sung
Darlene Hadrika
Cheryl Briggs (Program Advisor)
Dr. Stella Sung
Darlene Hadrika
Cheryl Briggs (Program Advisor)
Awards
Stills
About the Film:
Alexander is a drama about a pivotal period of a creative’s life. Alexander robotically practices piano each day, ready for change but unwilling to admit it. The discovery of his own colorful imagination through an original piece guides him toward a new path, with his “Muse” leading the way. In the face of a creatively-barren environment, Alex must either find his inner courage, or remain playing scales in the background.
The story started out as a simple want to animate a character that I created at 15 who is, though I identify as female, my male alter-ego in many ways. Over time, the film's goals evolved. During development I realized a passion to assert and celebrate the methods of animation and character development I want to bring to industry. Through my film I hope to champion writing a male character from a female perspective, writing queerness from a creative lens and beyond, and animating the subtlety found in the slice of life genre into any character's movements; male, female, or otherwise.
A main drive for me, as well, was my own teenage story. When I was Alexander's age, Japanese animation was just barely peeking into the U.S. animation industry, and I personally was on a journey of allowing that influence to flourish instead of causing me to dislike my artwork. Now, I'm excited to recognize this influence in my work and join the many in industry who are inspired by a variety of methods and genre.
The story started out as a simple want to animate a character that I created at 15 who is, though I identify as female, my male alter-ego in many ways. Over time, the film's goals evolved. During development I realized a passion to assert and celebrate the methods of animation and character development I want to bring to industry. Through my film I hope to champion writing a male character from a female perspective, writing queerness from a creative lens and beyond, and animating the subtlety found in the slice of life genre into any character's movements; male, female, or otherwise.
A main drive for me, as well, was my own teenage story. When I was Alexander's age, Japanese animation was just barely peeking into the U.S. animation industry, and I personally was on a journey of allowing that influence to flourish instead of causing me to dislike my artwork. Now, I'm excited to recognize this influence in my work and join the many in industry who are inspired by a variety of methods and genre.
Accompanying thesis paper:
Pre-Production Images
About the Director
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Alyssa Garoogian is a writer, storyboard artist, and animator from West Palm Beach, Florida. She is currently a graduate student at the University of Central Florida working towards an Emerging Media M.F.A. Degree with a concentration in animation. She has a B.A. in Multimedia Studies from Florida Atlantic University, and focused on animation and studio art while there. She is a very driven individual who stands up for being unique. After seeing The Spongebob Squarepants Movie in 2004, she never looked back in pursuit of her goal toward making people feel the same joy and inspiration she felt in that theater.
Throughout her time at UCF, Alyssa realized the importance of asserting and celebrating not only her own, but everyone’s unique point of view. She hopes for continued change in industry regarding new ideas, and wants to see what both newcomers and experienced individuals alike can bring to the table when given full creative freedom. |
Download promo materials here
Embrace your creative self
