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Alone and longing for warmth in a cold, underwater city, a young girl catches a glimpse of a brighter world above when a bloom of jellyfish lights up her surroundings.

Beneath the Night Sea was selected to the Columbia Gorge International Film Festival and Blue Plum Animation festival. It also won Best Animation at the DAFNE digital arts festival.

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Graduate Animator Discusses Award-Winning Student Film

Process Gallery

  • Presentation Slide labeled, "Style Guide for Beneath the Night Sea, a film by Matt Cangelosi"
  • Presentation Slide labeled, "Style Guide for Beneath the Night Sea, a film by Matt Cangelosi"
  • Presentation slide depicting the design influences of Beneath the Night Sea, including Kiki's Delivery Service and Metropolis
  • Presentation slide depicting various post-modern architectural influences in the design of Beneath the Night Sea
  • Model sheet depicting 2D drawings of the young protagonist of Beneath the Night Sea in various lighting schemes
  • Various outline sketches of a human form in several poses for the film Beneath the Night Sea
  • Various outline sketches of the facial expressions of a young girl for the film Beneath the Night Sea
  • Black-and-white sketches of a moon jellyfish and lanternfish in various poses for the film Beneath the Night Sea
  • Design slide depicting the process for creating interesting shapes of buildings in the film Beneath the Night Sea
  • Design slide depicting sample buildings in the architectural style found in the film Beneath the Night Sea
  • Color Script for the film Beneath the Night Sea, starting in darker blue hues and moving to much brighter scenes
  • Color storyboard depicting the story of the film Beneath the Night Sea, from beginning to end
  • Presentation slide depicting the Beauty Shot of the film Beneath the Night Sea, a girl swimming in a deepwater environment

Awards and Recognition

  • 2014 DAFNE (formerly Digital Arts Festival)

    Best Animation

Official Selections and Screenings

  • 2014 Blue Plum Animation Festival
  • 2014 Columbia Gorge International Film Festival

The Team

  • Matt Cangelosi

    BFA in Digital Art and Animation

    Role: Director, Producer, Animator

  • Peter Gani

    BFA in Digital Art and Animation

    Role: Additional Ink & Paint

  • Cela Janiec

    BFA in Digital Art and Animation

    Role: Additional Ink & Paint

  • James McWhirter

    BFA in Digital Art and Animation

    Role: Additional Ink & Paint

  • Mitchell Ozanne

    BFA in Digital Art and Animation

    Role: Additional Ink & Paint

  • Jesse Phillips

    BFA in Digital Art and Animation

    Role: Additional Ink & Paint

  • Lawrence Schwedler

    Associate Music Professor

    Role: Composer

Animation Stills

  • A human figure is seen swimming underwater through a canyon of dark blue shapes, some displaying glowing panels of light
  • Closeup up a young girl with green eyes swimming underwater between a canyon of glowing, dark-blue shapes
  • A girl swims underwater deep into a dark area surrounded by faintly visible corals and seaweed
  • A girl sits on top of a flat coral seat underwater. She looks up into the dark sea.
  • A girl with green eyes is deep underwater in the dark, her black hair floating around her as she looks up
  • A kneeling girl with black hair stares in awe at a brilliant flash of pink and white light coming from the foreground
  • A hand reaches out to touch a brilliant, glowing pink jellyfish
  • A girl with black hair and green eyes holds a yellow jellyfish in her hands, surrounded by pink, purple, and orange jellyfish