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"The Amulet" – Animated Short
Role
Animation Director · Project Manager · Character Designer · Storyboard Artist · 2D Animator · Video Editor · Visual Development Artist · Writer
Project type
2D Animated Thesis Short Film
Context
College Senior Thesis Animation Project - BFA
Date
2018
Tools & Software
• Adobe Photoshop (animation, background design, compositing)
• Adobe Premiere (video and audio editing)
• Microsoft Word (script writing)
• Pencil (storyboards & rainforest backgrounds)
• Ink artist markers (rainforest backgrounds)
• Oil paint on glass (desert sequence)
Deliverables
• Final animated short film
• One Minute Film Trailer
• Storyboard & animatic
• Character designs & visual development assets
• Full Script & Story Outline
Watch
Watch
Wrote, directed, designed, and animated a mixed-media 2D thesis short exploring magical world-building — following a young archaeologist and a mischievous lightbulb-headed creature — through stylized environments and jazz-driven storytelling.
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This thesis project was a fully written, directed, and animated 2D short film developed for my BFA graduation. The story follows a young archaeologist whose prized crystal amulet is stolen by a mischievous lightbulb-headed creature — triggering a magical journey across multiple visually distinct worlds.
The production began with outlining the narrative and drafting a script through several revisions, followed by thumbnail storyboard sketches, fully developed storyboard panels, and an animatic to refine pacing and structure.
Extensive visual development guided the film’s stylistic cohesion, including character size charts, turnaround sheets, expression studies, a multi-location character lookbook, and exploratory color tests. Each environment was designed with its own distinct artistic language:
• A grounded Arizona home setting (living room, kitchen, backyard)
• A watercolor-inspired mystical rainforest with inked analog linework
• A retro comic-book styled underwater sequence
• A desert environment animated through oil paint on glass
• An earth-toned cave rendered with chalk pastel textures
The project merged digital and traditional processes, combining frame-by-frame 2D animation in Adobe Photoshop with analog ink, watercolor simulation, and oil paint techniques. The soundtrack — a jazz-forward score featuring expressive saxophone — was composed by Sam Ludwig, enhancing the film’s playful, exploratory tone.
The film was also supported by a scholarship from ASIFA-Hollywood’s Animation Educators Forum, recognizing its artistic ambition and educational merit.
The final piece blends narrative playfulness with refined visual experimentation, reflecting my interest in expressive world-building and cross-medium storytelling.
✦
This film was produced with the financial assistance of the ASIFA-Hollywood's Animation Educators Forum 2017 Scholarship.
