Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - May/June 2011 - (Page 14)

Media arts and technology Seth Boyden conceived of his animated m ov i e , C e r t aint y , while studying the anatomy of ancient flight birds. “I made drawings of these pterodactyl-like creatures, and I wanted to develop a stor y around them. I always try to create a centralized message for my stories. In Certainty, this small, grounddwelling creature lives a very reserved, fearful life, but once he’s up in the air, he realizes that perhaps going out of the box—so to speak—really isn’t so bad.” In selecting coloration for the movie, Boyden studied sunsets. “If you look at a sunset, sometimes at The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards by Amy Entwisle Every year, students in grades 7 through 12 submit entries in 30 categories of art and writing for the chance to earn scholarships and have their work exhibited or published through the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Showcased below are three awardwinning works from this year’s competition in the categories of Film & Animation, Digital Art, and—new this year—Video Games. you see bright colors,” he says, “but often you see muted colors, like browns.” Color is often used to express emotion in art, Boyden says, and, except for a few frames in Certainty, there isn’t much emotion on display. “It’s more of an internal development,” he explains. “There’s a German term, Bildungsroman, meaning that a character undergoes enlightenment during a story: in the beginning he doesn’t know much, but develops as the story progresses. By the end of the story, he becomes a different character. So the colors reflect that.” These days, computer animation programs provide a quick method of animation, but Boyden used stop-motion animation, a process that took about three weeks—and yielded two minutes of footage. “Having a tangible camera and character models allowed me to create more subtle emotional reactions that might appear cartoony in a different animation style,” he says. Seth Boyden is a senior at Bishop Dwenger high school in fort wayne, IN. he will attend calarts school of film/video in the fall. to watch Certainty in its entirety, go to www.sethboyden.blogspot.com. 14 imagine May/Jun 2011 http://www.sethboyden.blogspot.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - May/June 2011

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - May/June 2011
Contents
Big Picture
In My Own Words
App Quest
Become a Citizen Scientist with Your Cell Phone
Media Arts and Technology at the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
The Accidental Animator
The New Media Explorers
Learning by Design
A Generation of Criminals
Digital Storytelling
Drama and Duct Tape
Selected Opportunities & Resources
Off the Shelf
Word Wise
Exploring Career Options
One Step Ahead
Planning Ahead for College
Students Review
Creative Minds Imagine
Mark Your Calendar
Knossos Games

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - May/June 2011