Gone with the Wind in Sixty Seconds

This animated short was the single biggest draw to my old site, so it's about time I put it here as well. Gone with the Wind in Sixty Seconds was my final project in the post-graduate Computer Animation year at Sheridan College. The assignment was to create a 30-second short film...I doubled the running time, and was still the only one in my class to actually finish before the big end-of-year screening. (I saved myself some time by designing 2-D backgrounds into the concept...but then again, I also have two characters, both of whom are on screen for nearly the entire running time, so it kind of came out in the wash.) It was accepted for screening at Siggraph 2003, and by all reports got a big audience response (or so I hear...I wasn't actually in attendance.)

My friend Penny Rolinski (then Taylor) provided the voice of Scarlett, driving in to Oakville from Stratford (twice!) for recording sessions that never started on time and always went longer than expected. It took a lot of takes to really nail it. I played Rhett.

I cringe a bit looking at the animation now. After spending months conceptualizing, writing, storyboarding, designing, modelling, texturing, and rigging--all while learning the software--I was left with only two weeks to plow through a full minute of some pretty complicated character animation. It wasn't what it was in my head (it never is...) but I'm still proud of the idea, the writing, and the direction. And people seem to get a kick out of it, so I've put it on YouTube for the world to enjoy.

So, enjoy.