RTF Animation Celebration

“It's kind of fun to do the impossible.”
—Walt Disney

The world of animation has never been more wild and wonderful. From classic stop motion to Pixar wizardry, killer CGI to surrealistic anime—the limits to this visual artform seem endless. Join UT RTF faculty, alumni, and students, as well as special guest speakers, for this two-day event in which we will both celebrate and demystify the art of cinematic illusion. We’ll watch animation, discuss animation, play animated games, and host animated panels about craft and careers. Refreshments provided.

SCHEDULE

THURSDAY, FEB 15    

Arcade (throughout day) 
11:00 am–4:00 pm • CMB 4.126 Studio 4D

Animation from the Writer’s Perspective with Cindy McCreery
2:00 pm • CMB 4.122 Studio 4C 

Conversation with Lalitha Gopalan & Ben Bays
3:30 pm • CMB 4.122 Studio 4C 

Food and Networking Event
5:00 pm • CMB 4.126 Studio 4D

Behind the Scenes of an Animated Short with Lance Myers
6:00 pm • CMB 4.122 Studio 4C

Cartoon Cavalcade
6:30 pm • CMB 4.122 Studio 4C
Watch selected animation examples and shorts with commentary by RTF faculty and friends

FRIDAY, FEB 16       

Stop Motion Animation with Rohitash Rao
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm • DMC 5.102 - Dean's Presentation Room

Media Industries Conversation (MIC) panel: Animation in Austin
4:00 pm – 5:30 pm • DMC 5.208
Moderators: Alisa Perren & Jordan Levin
Panelists will include:

• Brad Graeber – CEO of Powerhouse
• Carrye Glazar – Executive Producer of ACC TV; former Producer & Head of Original Content for Mighty Coconut
• Austin Harper – Supervising Producer, 2D Animation at Rooster Teeth
• Evan Narcisse – Senior Writer, Brass Lion Entertainment & Writer for Gen: Lock for Rooster Teeth
• Craig Staggs – CEO & Director of Minnow Mountain

Food and Networking 
5:15 pm – 7:00 pm • DMC 2nd floor atrium

Student Choice Feature Screening (Film TBA)
7 pm – 9 pm • DMC 2.106 Auditorium

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UT FACULTY CONTRIBUTORS

Ben Bays grew up in Texas, worked as an animator & video game artist, now as an educator. He joined the faculty of the Department of Radio-Television-Film in 2008.

Deepak Chetty is a Director, Cinematographer, VFX specialist and XR explorer based out of Austin, Texas. He received his BFA in Film Production from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY, and his MFA in Film & Media Production from UT Austin.

Marina Fontolan is a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Department of Radio-Television-Film, Moody College of Communication - The University of Texas at Austin. They teach History of Video Games, Video Game Industry, and Video Game Culture + Criticism.

Lalitha Gopalan is an associate professor in the Department of Radio-Television-Film and affiliate faculty in the Department of Asian Studies and South Asia Institute. Her research and teaching interests are in the areas of Film Theory, Feminist Film Theory, Contemporary World Cinemas, Indian Cinemas, Genre Films, and Experimental Film and Video.

Jordan Levin is the General Manager of Rooster Teeth, a dynamic media and entertainment company based in Austin, Texas, with offices in Los Angeles. He has been instrumental in launching numerous entertainment franchises that have left a lasting impact on popular culture over the past three decades as an enterprising network and studio executive, producer, director, and digital entrepreneur. He is a professor of practice in the RTF department.

Cindy McCreery has been teaching screenwriting and television writing since 2004 at UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, and is currently a Professor and Interim Department Chair at The University of Texas at Austin in the Department of Radio-Television-Film.

Lance Myers has been a professional animator for over twenty years. His work can be seen in the feature films Space Jam, Anastasia, Quest for Camelot, Prince of Egypt, and Richard Linklater's A Scanner Darkly; as well as in over twenty-five successful video game titles, including Turok Evolution, NBA Jam, and Star Wars: The Old Republic. Myers has written and directed twelve animated shorts, many of which have aired on HBO, MTV, Adult Swim, PBS, and Canada's Movieola. He lives in Austin with his wife and three kids.

Alisa Perren is a professor in the Department of Radio-Television-Film and Director of the Center for Entertainment and Media Industries at The University of Texas at Austin. Her research and teaching interests include media industry studies, television studies, streaming media, and US film and television history.

Rohitash Rao (Ro) is a writer/animator/director/illustrator/fine artist and an advertising creative. He has worked as an Art Director at over 40 agencies around the country. He was also a creative director at the SyFy channel.