Naomi Tarassenko

Professional Practice Evaluative Statement

My interests lie in 2D animation production and pre-production for feature films

and childrens television. In the future, I would like to find work in storyboarding,
character design or hand drawn digital animation.

My goals are to focus on improving these skills by making a short film each year
until graduation. I developed my end of years assignment, a chase sequence, into a
short film. Due to this ambition, I didnt manage to complete some backgrounds and
colouring on time, however I fully intend to finish it by the end of May and share it on
social media. Working on the short film has taught me how to carry a film all the from
the design concept to the storyboard to the animatic to the final animation. I also
learnt how to make camera movements on Adobe After Effects and edit in Premiere
Pro. The most valuable lesson I found was how to successfully storyboard by
maintaining the stage line, line of action and how to use different shot angles to alter
the audiences perception. After showing the unfinished film to the tutors and class, I
was able to perceive what worked or what needed refinement. I find that by making
short films, I can improve my understanding of how to deliver a compelling story and
build my animation skills.

Im currently working on Lisboa em Voo de Peixe, a 20 minute animation about

the fantastical journey of a girl through Lisbon. I was asked to join the project by one
of my course-mates who is directing and producing. I am the character animator for
the fish who guides the girl on her adventure. Ive had to apply what Ive learnt in
action analysis classes and study in depth how fish move and their anatomy. Aside
from animating the fish, everyone on the project has been helping each other and we
meet up regularly to critique each others work. It has been quite challenging juggling
my time between university work and this project. Ive learnt a lot about time
management and how much Im capable of doing within a specific time frame. I will be
working full time from May to July and the film premieres in November.

This June, Im attending Annecy festival with some of peers involved with the
Lisbon project. Im looking forward to attending all the events and meeting animators
from across the globe. Im planning to print several business cards so I can hand them
out to people and show my work. Im especially interested in meeting students from
other animation schools with the intention of potentially working with them in the
future. I plan to continue to attend animation festivals throughout my time at
university and beyond. Im also aiming to submit my graduation film into encounters
festival.

Once Ive graduated, ideally I would prefer to work in a small studio such as
Cartoon Saloon or Sun Creature Studios. I admire the independent films they produce
and their stylistic integrity. For now, I will focus on building a 2D animation and
storyboard portfolio. After graduating, I intend to apply for a master class course at
either Gobelin or The Animation Workshop in order to boost my portfolios. I will then
apply for internships or jobs at various small studios.