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A young woman walking home from studying for a stable career passes by a ballet studio, where she sees a young girl dancing. The encounter reawakens a forgotten passion in the young woman, who remembers the dreams she thought she’d left behind.

To properly portray the movement and feeling of the film’s dance sequence, the student team did extensive figure and gesture drawings of ballerinas.

Process Gallery

  • Student animation team Ripple Studio's logo card, featuring purple and blue rain drops.
  • The title card for Etude.
  • A drawing of Ripple Studio's team members, including Victoryia Disko, Kean De Reuck, Sara Amburgey, Paige Summers, and Laura Urbano.
  • A summary of the film's plot from the production phase of the film's development.
  • A slide labeled "Armature" with the phrase "Don't let the fear of failing stop you from being the person you want to be."
  • A "Look and Feel" slide, featuring a drawing for the film's two main characters passing each other on the sidewalk.
  • A "Look and Feel" slide for the film's dream world segment, showing the main character dancing in a hazy purple interior.
  • A "color script" for the film, showing the color palette over the course of the film's major scenes.
  • An "Environment Inspiration" slide, showing real world photos of urban locales that inspired the film's environments.
  • An "Environment Inspiration" slide, showing real world photos of urban locales that inspired the film's environments.
  • An "Environment Studies" slide, showing development stage drawings of background elements in the film.
  • An "Environment Process" slide, showing the pipeline the team settled on for developing the film's backgrounds.
  • An "Environment Style Guide," showing rules the team followed to achieve a unified look for the film's background visuals.
  • A slide titled "Tristesse Inspiration," showing photos of popular film characters the team referenced in designing the protagonist of Etude's look and feel.
  • A "Character Style Inspiration" slide, showing character drawings from various well known artists the team referenced when drawing the film's characters.
  • A "Character Turn" sheet for the film's main character Tristesse, showing her from a front, back, and side profile.
  • A "Character Pose" sheet, showing the film's main character Tristesse sitting, standing, and dancing.
  • A "Character Expression" sheet showing the film's main character Tristesse making various facial expressions.
  • An animation guide for the film's main character Tristesse, showing proper proportions, as well as hair, face, and eye shapes.
  • An inspiration board for the look and feel of the film's young girl character "Petite."
  • A "Character Turn" sheet for the film's character "Petite," showing her from a front, back, and side profile.
  • A "Character Expression" sheet showing the film's character Petite making various facial expressions.
  • A "Petite Pose" sheet, showing the film's character Petite dancing, clapping, and holding her backpack straps.
  • An animation guide for the film's character Petite, showing proper proportions, as well as hair, face, and eye shapes.
  • A concept illustration of the film's "Water Dancer" characters.
  • A character turn sheet for the turquoise child version of the film's main character Tristesse.
  • A guide to the team's approach for the film's complex animated dance sequence.
  • A slide showing the drawing practice the team did on the film's water effects.
  • An "Effects Look and Feel" slide showing a scene where water transforms into a child version of the film's main character.
  • A "3D Layout Process" slide, showing the way the team incorporated 3D camera movement into their 2D animated film.

Awards and Recognition

  • 2019 The Global Youth Film Festival

    Best of the Fest

  • 2019 Florida Animation Festival

    Best 2D Animation

  • 2018 Pollino International Film Fest

    Best Animation Short Film

  • 2018 Anim8 Student Film Festival

    Award of Excellence

  • 2018 Overmountain (fka Blue Plum) Animation Festival

    Best of Student Award

  • 2019 Kansas International Film Festival

    Jury Nominee, Animation

  • 2019 Oregon Short Film Festival

    Finalist, Best Animated Film

  • 2019 Carmarthen Bay Film Festival

    Finalist, Animation

  • 2019 Columbus International Film Festival

    Finalist, Student Competition

Official Selections and Screenings

  • 2020 Children’s Film Festival Seattle
  • 2019 Lady Filmmakers Festival
  • 2019 ZERO PLUS International Film Festival
  • 2019 LIFF - Lebanese Independent Film Festival
  • 2019 Animaze - Montreal International Animation Film Festival
  • 2019 jellyFEST
  • 2019 ENFOQUE International Film Festival
  • 2019 FAD Festival: Film-Art-Dance on Screen
  • 2019 Kino Film Festival
  • 2019 FIAFest International Festival
  • 2019 International Choreographic Festival of Blois
  • 2019 Imagination Lunchbox International Children’s Film Festival
  • 2019 Athens Animfest
  • 2018 InShort Film Festival
  • 2018 Capitol Dance & Cinema Festival
  • 2018 Celtic Animation Film Competition
  • 2018 Greensboro Dance Film Festival
  • 2018 Hyperfest International Student Film Festival
  • 2018 Palm Springs International Animation Festival
  • 2018 Universal Kids Film Festival

The Team

  • Sarah Amburgey

    BFA in Digital Art and Animation

    Role: Story, Art Director

  • Brittany Aubert

    BS in Computer Science in Real-Time Interactive Simulation

    Role: Choreography

  • Kean De Reuck

    BFA in Digital Art and Animation

    Role: Editor, Lead Animator

  • Victoriya Disko

    BFA in Digital Art and Animation

    Role: Clean Up, Effects

  • Greg Dixon

    Faculty

    Role: Music Mixing and Editing

  • Sakina Minnis

    BFA in Digital Art and Animation

    Role: Layout Assistant

  • Thomas Parrish

    BA in Music and Sound Design

    Role: Sound Designer and Composer

  • Paige Summers

    BFA in Digital Art and Animation

    Role: 3D Animation, Producer

  • Laura Urbano

    BFA in Digital Art and Animation

    Role: Character Designer, Animator

Animation Stills

  • An overhead shot of a purple and pink city in the rain.
  • A young woman in glasses stands in the rain in front of a white brick wall with ivy growing on it.
  • A turquoise ballerina dances as a purple wave crests towards her.
  • Shadows of judgmental, scowling figures superimposed over large deformed windows surround the colorless form of a cowering young woman.
  • A ballerina, bathed in pink stage light, dances in front of a packed audience in a large, ornate theater.
  • A young girl with a small umbrella over her shoulder smiles in a rainy pink and purple cityscape.