Student-created animated film premiering at SCAD AnimationFest 2021

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - SCAD students just returned to class this week, but a group of students are just wrapping up a year-long project. They will premiere the second animated short release from SCAD Animation Studios next week.

WTOC caught up with the director of the film and head of the department to see what to expect.

“You get goosebumps when you watch it for the first time. It’s so exciting,” said Jordan Fleming, SCAD senior, Director of Hex Limit.

Fleming has poured the last year into the digital, cyberpunk world of Hex Limit. This high-speed race through a fantasy world is the culmination of months of work by dozens of students.

“So, incredible to see that process from very beginning to end. You see some scribbles on a page, and it’s like, that looks good, we like how that looks into ‘Oh my gosh this character looks incredible,’” Fleming said.

Fleming knew she wanted to be an artist, even at a young age growing up in Texas. And she found a home in the SCAD animation department.

“Getting to do two films on Scanimation studios, where it’s like, we’re simulating a career, like being in a studio itself, and it feels incredible to be able to be a part of that,” said Fleming.

SCAD Animation Studios is the only one of its kind, housed on a college campus where students write, create and animate their own films.

“We like to put 100% ownership in the students hands. We are just there as the guides and mentors, and providing the infrastructure for them to do these projects,” said Professor Christopher Gallagher, Chair of SCAD Animation.

Gallagher is also a graduate of the program, with career credits on Oscar-winning films at Disney.

“Disney has 500 people working on a film, we can’t do 500 people working on a film here because that’s five or seven years. For a short, those are small crews that worked on it for about nine or 10 months, which is very similar to mimicking of the way that students work here, both in Capstone films, and a SCAD animation studios,” Gallagher explained. “We actually had 83 people join the project. It was a huge production which I could not have been more happy with. I’m so happy we’re able to include everyone’s perspectives and really get their idea on things.”

Now it’s about to premiere in front of industry leaders.

“For us to be premiering Hex Limit at AnimationFest is an honor to say the very very least,” Gallagher said.

For more information about SCAD AnimationFest 2021, click here.

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