Portfolio

For my senior year of the SJSU Animation/Illustration program, I wanted to push myself to explore more of the 3D Medium by pitching a 3D Animated short film. At the time, I had solidified the technical aspects of what I wanted to explore, but I hadn't decided on a story for the project I wanted to develop.

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I hesitated to make the story of the film something too personal to me, but I had the knawing feeling that I had to do it. I knew I had a story I wanted to tell, even if it would be difficult to be vulnerable about my experiences.

 

A Trace tells the story of a young girl with an absent father. This short film was heavily inspired by my personal experiences growing up with an absent father. Throughout much of my childhood and adolescence, I was burdened with conflicting feelings relating to my absent parent. I felt sad, self-concious, and guilty for my father's absence. I deeply longed for my father to be in my life. I missed my father, but at the same time, I was very angry towards him for leaving. I saw many depictions of child and parent relationships in the films I watched growing up, but seldom felt represented as a child with an absent parent. 

I created this film with the hopes of representing children with absent parents in media, and in hopes of sending a message of self-love, healing, and letting go.

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