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Students Create Epic "Eclipse" Animation for Global Contest
Story Contributor: Rebecca Fullerman, CHS '24 / Content Development Specialist
February 6, 2024 — When CHS senior Marisa Breznay — now a CHS ‘23 alum — pitched the idea to CHS art teacher Erik Hauber last spring to enter Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon 50th Anniversary Animated Video Competition, he jumped at the opportunity this would create for his Art of Animation students.
THE OVERVIEW
The competition was open to student and professional animators worldwide through last December, with the requisite that entries incorporate any of the 10 songs from the band’s iconic 1973 album.
Mr. Hauber shared — during the CHS Principal's Podcast that aired on Jan. 3 — that after he researched the competition last spring, it was essentially a “no-brainer” as a class-wide animation project is already part of the one-semester course’s curriculum.
He added, "I really absolutely love and celebrate all formats of animation from all over the world, and to me, this was just a really, really awesome opportunity that I could not say no to."
Furthermore, according to Mr. Hauber, “some pretty heavy hitters” (*see full list below) are judging the contest, making this all the more a unique opportunity for Hilltopper animators to work towards a significant goal.
HILLTOPPER CONTRIBUTORS & THE ROTOSCOPING PROCESS
With Mr. Hauber’s leadership, 16 students took on the challenge of creating 721 detailed images using the rotoscope illustration method.
Rotoscoping, a technique from the early 1900s, requires live action video footage and drawing over those frames. According to Mr. Hauber, rotoscoping is used in popular Disney movies - to name just one example.
To begin, talented bass guitarist Phoenix Dellaria — a CHS senior at the time and now a CHS ‘23 alum — played Pink Floyd’s piece “Eclipse” from Pink Floyd’s album “The Dark Side of the Moon" while Mr. Hauber video-recorded Dellaria’s instrumental performance.
Mr. Hauber then printed off each frame from the video-recording, numbered each frame, and distributed the frames to the 16 student artists. He ensured that none of the minor details got overlooked as keeping every sketch in order was equally as important as physically drawing the images.
Student animators progressed to the heart of the project, drawing / tracing over the frames one-by-one in a process that spanned four weeks of class time.
Artists — both animators and the guitarist — included (photo collage below l to r, from top row) Anthony Baioni, Kristen Bettac, Marisa Breznay, Hannah Brown, Gavin Bunker, Zarielle Casper, Jordan Cutler, Phoenix Dellaria (guitarist), Jacob Housholder, Evelyn Kennedy, Jessica Kitchen, Ava McGlashan (photo n/a), Savannah Murray, Adrianna Perciful, Blake Reese, Chris Simpson (photo n/a) and Samara Ward.
While each student contributed their own artistic experience, they had a shared goal of preserving an old-school animation style while aligning with a visual theme that complements the essence of the song. In true Hilltopper style, the students were committed and collaborated for an impressive final product.
THE COMPILATION
WHAT’S NEXT
At the time of this writing, the Hilltoppers' "Eclipse" animated video has been accepted into the competition and posted to the contest website.
The winning entries have yet to be announced and, according to the contest site, entrants will be contacted in due course. Cash awards include a grand prize of £100,000 (pounds sterling), as well as significant second and third monetary prizes, plus a best video of each song award of £10,000 (pounds sterling).
WHAT MATTERS MOST
Mr. Hauber stated in the Jan. 3 podcast, “I'm really proud of the class — the students for sticking through this, seeing the vision and keeping that goal in mind...In my mind, I want this to be a good teaching moment that great things do come. It takes time and hard work, and it'll pay off…Really, what it is, is a celebration of art.”
CONTEST JUDGES
*Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon 50th Anniversary Animated Video Competition judges include: Dutch photographer, film director and music video editor Anton Corbijn, retired British television executive and presenter Alan Yentob; English cartoonist, illustrator and animator Gerald Scarfe; English film director, broadcaster, screenwriter and animator Sarah Smith; Pink Floyd drummer and producer, song writer and book writer Nick Mason; American features film director and animator Kyle Balda; English animator, director and writer Daisy Jacobs; and Harry Pearce, the current United Kingdom chairman, creative director and partner in global graphic design company Pentagram. [source: pinkfloyd.com/tdsotm50/competition]
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