Digging though some old miniDV tapes I discovered my first 2d animation, an animated logo for my little production company Ammonite Films. No surprise, but in a very classic “sterling” mistake I misspelled “Ammonite”.
I was introduced to animation while attending CSSSA- California State Summer School for the Arts by none other than Corny Cole! I was submitted as a live action film student but was unhappy with my place and after the first week desperately tried to switch over to animation. Sadly I was denied by the heads of that program on the grounds that it was simply too late to switch departments. A kind old man pulled me aside after this and told me to ignore the bureaucracy and just animate on my own. He went out of his way to show me how to sneak in to the department, and on his own time introduced me to how a peg bars worked, taught me how to punch peg holes, introduced me to the video down-shooter and set me on my way. My summer at CalArts was saved!
Years later after a figure drawing class I had also snuck into, this time at USC,I was retelling this little story to Corney Cole who after hearing it brightened up “That was you!?”. Apparently he was the kind old man! Ever more strange he went on to explain that the heads of the department that had denied me all those years ago were Christine Panushka and Vibeke Sorensen, my current professors and heads of the animation program there at USC!!
Corny said he had never forgotten that moment years ago cause, as far as he knew, no one had ever tried to switch programs like that before and he thought it was ridiculous that they wouldn’t let me into animation.
Years later he was still letting me sneak in to his classes. Thanks for fanning the flames Corny your the best!!