The course I would like to apply to is the Character Animation (CA) Program. This is my second time applying, my last application was in 2015.
Portfolio: http://coramck9.wix.com/portfolio
I could say that I started animating when I was 11 years old. I had somehow figured out that by pressing the pause and play button while recording a video, I could make inanimate objects move. I had subconsciously discovered the concept of stop motion animation and used it to create (veeerrry dramatic) stories involving my toy horses (the only things important enough to me at the time). Recently I also discovered animation that I had created around the same time, but on paper. It was a cartoon horse in 7 frames, jumping. At first, it seemed crude and laughable, but I realized that it was this innate sense of movement in drawings that have led to me writing this letter. It also made me realize I do the exact same things in my spare time now as I did when I was 11, maybe less of picking my nose though.
But I never really knew I could have animation as a career until the first time I met with Tomm Moore and Paul Young of the Cartoon Saloon. I was lucky enough to have them look over my work when I was 14. It was during work experience at the Saloon that I learned to animate (under the guidance of Fabian Erlinghäuser), and over the course of several weeks my passion grew. I was suddenly immersed in the workplace of an animation studio and I loved it! I was thrilled to see their newest film Song of the Sea take shape from the storyboards to final animation. It was this immersion over the past number of years that got my creative juices flowing and soon enough animation was the only thing I had on my mind. Before long I was searching for a place to study it. Tomm Moore and Paul Young suggested TAW. Seeing the amazing short films that are produced by students in TAW and learning about the amazing tutors (including Fabian!) that taught there had me hooked. Little did I know I would be sitting in Open Workshop writing this letter a few years later.
One of my favorite films from childhood till now is Spirit Stallion of the Cimarron by DreamWorks in 2002; unlike the ever-popular Disney animal films, the horses do not speak, but communicate by using body language. At only 6 years old I became obsessed with horses and how they communicate. I liked to think that I could imitate a horse perfectly! I still find that I could mindlessly doodle horses all day. Another film that inspires me is The Secret of Nimh (Don Bluth1982) because of its darker tones. It really reached right into the corners of my imagination as a child, treading unusual territory, which is why I still find it as a standout in my mind today. Creating the same experience as those animators gave to me as a kid, for future and existing generations is my goal. An artist that inspires me is David O'Reilly, his films are unique, intense and his ideas are always a step ahead of everyone else. We also come from the same town!
It was the films that featured animals as their protagonists that developed my interest in how multiple joints move at once. I find that I enjoy drawing animals because of their complex movement and communicative body language. I enjoy studying their skeletons and learning how their structure moves. Until 2013, drawing the human form didn’t excite me. It was only when I started taking some life drawing classes in the Sol Art Gallery, Dublin that I found a love for gesture drawing and the nude figure. I subsequently decided to focus on drawing the human figure in life drawing classes for a year in Ballyfermot College of Animation. But somehow that wasn't enough. Observational drawing still didn't appeal to me very much, but I wanted my drawings to be inspired by everything around me and not just what's in my head. So I decided to take The Drawing Academy's fall semester, and surely enough after a few months I had challenged everything I thought I knew about drawing, and saw a huge change in my style and observational skills. I’m ready for the next challenge!
TDA has been by far, the most enjoyable course I have experienced in my life. For the first time I adored getting up in the morning! and missing a day was more painful than what kept me at home sick. The fact that we could choose our own teacher showed me how progressive TAW is in putting the students first. I picked Artem as my teacher and I was so happy I did. His classes helped me progress not only as an artist but as a person too. I even managed to teach him a thing or two about drawing horses! ( hey, there I am graduating with the man himself on the left!).
As far as videogames are concerned, I REALLY enjoy playing Minecraft (too much to be honest), building houses, castles, towns and cities. I adore games where players are free to interact however they wish, do you create a community and what are the rules? Or do you betray it for your own good? The shifting and changing elements of communities made up of complete strangers really fascinates me.
As for what I dislike, most anime series like FullMetal Alchemist and Sailor Moon. The anime style faces and acting are far too girly (for me); to have huge eyes, slim noses, and small mouths, even if they're surrounded by mechs, guns, and other bad-ass looking things. The shows never left me engaged emotionally and I've always found that the body language/acting was poor and relied heavily on the script to engage the viewer. I also dislike comics in the default Marvel/DC house style. The over use of black for shading doesn't appeal to me, and like anime, many of the characters are 'beautified' which I find less interesting.
I am very grateful that my family loves to travel. I have been to many cities around the world; Paris, Berlin, Cairo, London, Barcelona . One of my most memorable experiences abroad was the 10 days I spent in Egypt. Seeing the Pyramids, Sphinx, and ancient tombs were breathtaking, but also the atmosphere of busy multicoloured markets was incredibly inspiring and the polar opposite of quiet rural Ireland. Experiences like these have broadened my perspective on the world around me. The exciting thing about TAW is how many nationalities make up the student body. I've already bonded with so many people from around the globe thanks to TDA and Open Workshop and I believe that this course offers an amazing chance to gain lasting international network of colleagues and friends, whom I can support and be supported by, in the future.
After graduating I would be interested in both working internationally or returning back to Ireland; I think Ireland’s animation industry has great promise at the moment. I just hope that the market for more indie/abstract short films will grow in the future. Ireland has already seen the likes of The Cartoon Saloon, Giant and Brown Bag Films emerge from colleges like Ballyfermot College, where I spent a year studying Animation Drawing Studies in 2014. In terms of what area in animation I am interested in, I am open to experiencing as much as possible. But I would love to specialize in creature animation, but I've also been told I would make a good designer, so that's a possibility too. Over the course of my studies I look forward to the challenge of learning new skills everywhere I can.
I plan to finance my stay with personal savings as well as help from my parents. I also plan on applying for a grant from Irelands Art Council and an Irish Artlinks Bursary, if I am awarded a place at TAW.
Thanks for taking the time to read by letter!
:^)