Are you a full-time missionary who needs art and animation training to help your team reach their target people group? Or are you an artist who loves God and wants to use your talent to help fulfill his global purpose? AniMissions might be your next step…
What is AniMissions?
AniMissions is a training program that equips artists, missionaries and teams to use digital animation creation tools to create media that communicates the gospel cross-culturally.
Subjects
We’ll be covering a number of different subject matters in the AniMissions school, which will get you started in creating your own animated shorts in no time!
Scriptwriting and Storyboarding
Pre-production is key in creating a quality animated piece, and scriptwriting alongside storyboarding lies at the heart of these efforts.
Culture & Contextualization
In order for the Gospel to be spread effectively, we need to communicate effectively with those that have very different world-views, here we learn how to grapple with that.
3D Modeling
Time to get stuck into the nitty-gritty! You’ll be introduced to Blender in order to get familiar with the program, as well learning the basics of 3D modelling.
Grease Pencil
Grease Pencil is the ultimate integration between the 2D illustration world, and the power of the 3D world. Learning this powerful tool will be a key element in getting your ideas out into the world in a powerful and effective way.
Animation
We’ll spend a good amount of time in Animation, as this is where you’re going to be expressing emotion, solving conflict, and expressing emotion with your audience.
... and so much more!
During the course, you’re also going to be covering sound design and scoring, video editing, project management, and distribution. There’s a lot in here, and we can’t wait to go through the journey with you!
The AniMissions Seminar is a 8-week course that focuses on training individuals and teams to produce animated short film projects. An optional internship will be offered following the course, where students can join our team in the production of an animated short film.
Meet the Instructors
Dave graduated from California State University, Fullerton, with a BA in Art, and has been a professional illustrator for over 35 years. He and his wife, Wendy, joined Create International in 2008, and pioneered the School of Cartooning and Animation for Missions (SoCAM) in Thailand, in 2010. Since 2002, Dave has taught computer graphics in YWAM schools all over the globe, including the School of Illustration, School of Design, and the School of Digital Communications. His style runs the gamut between realistic technical drawing and whimsical cartoons, in both traditional media and digital art. He has also directed eight animated productions for unreached people groups in Asia.
Dave Hudson
Director, Create Taiwan AniMissions School Leader
Matthew was raised in a military family moving every three to four years, and earned a bachelor’s degree in Studio Art from the University of South Carolina with a concentration in graphic design. After graduating from college, he discovered the Joy of Painting with Bob Ross. For many years he honed his painting skills and also received training in computer science. It all came together when he enrolled at Full Sail University in Florida where he continued his education in the field of Computer Animation. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Computer Animation, he is presently working on independent projects and tutoring art students. Matthew is also now an official Bob Ross Instructor who considers himself a “tradigital” artist. He teaches both 3D animation and Bob Ross oil painting (but not at the same time).
Matthew Ullrey
3D Graphics and Animation
Tod Polson received both his BFA and MFA from The California Institute of the Arts (Cal/Arts) under scholarship from the Walt Disney Co. His student film, Al Tudi Tuhak, won many awards including the Student Oscar. Between degrees, Tod apprenticed under the Oscar winning team of Chuck Jones, and Maurice Noble. Tod has worked extensively as a director, designer, and teacher, helping develop a variety of projects all over the world. Some of these projects include the Emmy award-winning El Tigre for Nickelodeon, the Oscar-nominated feature The Secret of Kells, and the Golden Globe-nominated, The Book Of Life. His animation design book, The Noble Approach, Maurice Noble and the Zen of Animation was published by Chronicle Books LLC. Currently, Tod is developing projects big and small from Thailand.
Tod Polson
Animation Design
Hans has had a distinguished 32-year career as a research engineer with the Johns Hopkins University, specializing in underwater acoustics. He and his wife, Shaina, have extensive cross-cultural experience through having adopted ten children from around the world. Recently retired, Hans is looking to apply his professional skills and life experience to missions, in particular to producing evangelistic films and animations for cross-cultural audiences. Hans and Shaina joined YWAM in 2019, and became part of Create Taiwan staff that same year. Hans participated in the Frontier Film-Making Seminar in which the film, “The Book” was produced for the Inner Mongolians.
Hans Widmer
Sound Design
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