Ellie Hodgson

When I first became a student at Dundee University I really didn’t have a clue what I wanted to study. And then I tried animation for the first time, and just knew that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

I love storyboarding, considering camera movement and composition, and how those can combine together to convey the themes and tones I’m exploring. I enjoy how it lets me dip my toes into so many of the different specialisms that make up the animation pipeline. I enjoy 2D animation for similar reasons. Nothing really measures up to that joy of seeing all those individual images all linking up into a single video!

This year has really given me a chance to explore these specialisms, first through my main project ‘Starcrossing’ where I’ve been working primarily as an animator, alongside a group of my peers to create an animated short featuring an LGBT romance. Of the main projects this year, I was also able to work on a shot for ‘Fridge’, which was such a different style from everything else I’ve been working on, it was very fun to work on. One of the other main projects I worked on this year was exploring storyboarding options alongside Shay Commander for an animated exploration of the AFAb experience, called ‘Chipper’, as pitched and directed by Jo Helly. I’ve really enjoyed working on all these different projects this year, both the group ones and my own individual personal projects, and I’m looking forward on working on even more post-graduation!