Animation & Motion Design
Jessica McDowell
SIGIS
Surviving Ireland -A Guide for International Students
Going to college can be quite intimidating, let alone travelling to a whole other country to study. My animation takes a fun twist on an informational video for students studying abroad. Using a lighthearted approach I wanted to create a story that could be shown to future students coming to Ireland to help them feel a little more prepared. This story is created to be relatable and fun. This animation is also close to my heart because I am an International student, studying at LIT while I was creating this animation.
My animation follows the main character SIGIS through various situations he finds himself in. These events are loosely based on actual stories from International students who have studied at or are still studying at LIT. We will see everything from missing a flight, to language barriers and even a note on traveling too much while at school.
The way I chose to approach this project at first was to style it like an interview you would see on TV. However it became clear that that wasn’t going to register with the audience I was aiming for. So I decided to change the style a bit to make it more appealing to watch and create a more relaxed inviting atmosphere.
I had originally planned to make this animation in a 2-D style. This later changed when it was suggested to me by my teacher that I should use my previous knowledge of animation from studying in Canada at Loyalist College. My animation became a hybrid of techniques, combining my skills in 2D and 3D animation.