{"id":7004,"date":"2021-10-08T10:11:23","date_gmt":"2021-10-08T15:11:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=7004"},"modified":"2021-10-08T10:11:23","modified_gmt":"2021-10-08T15:11:23","slug":"uw-stout-animation-students-help-make-a-star-wars-wish-come-true","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/uw-stout-animation-students-help-make-a-star-wars-wish-come-true\/","title":{"rendered":"UW-Stout animation students help make a \u2018Star Wars\u2019 wish come true"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo
A storm trooper being filmed during \u201cThe Legend of Lex Zander,\u201d a Make-A-Wish Foundation of Minnesota film that includes animation made by UW-Stout students. Photo courtesy Kari Jo Skogquist<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Group creates Make-A-Wish film segment for Minnesota teen<\/h3>\n

Ten University of Wisconsin-Stout students, as part of their field experiences last summer, are helping make a Minnesota teen\u2019s wish come true.<\/p>\n

The students helped animate a portion of a \u201cStar Wars\u201d fan film \u201cThe Legend of Lex Zander\u201d starring Alexander Knutson, 14, and his family.<\/p>\n

Knutson, of Lino Lakes, was diagnosed with leukemia at age eight and was granted a wish through the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Minnesota. His wish was to play a character of a Star Wars fan film. The Star Wars fan also helped write the film with producer and scriptwriter Troy LaFaye of West St. Paul.<\/p>\n

Sami Reid, who graduated in August with a degree in entertainment design animation, was the director of animation for the project and is still working to finish up some of the animation for the short film, which is expected to premiere in January. The cooperative internship through Career Services ran from June through the end of August.<\/p>\n

The animation is part of a flashback during the short film.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
A ship during the film animation created by UW-Stout student Zachary Johnson. \/ Photo courtesy Make-A-Wish Foundation Minnesota<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt is 2D animation,\u201d said Reid, of Waunakee. \u201cIt\u2019s drawn and not computer-generated. It was a new experience. I have never directed animation before. It was our job to take the script and interpret it into pictures.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 12- to 15-minute film will have about 3\u00bd minutes of animation. The exact details of the storyline are being kept a secret until the premiere.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is kind of about who Alexander\u2019s character is in the Star Wars universe,\u201d LaFaye said. \u201cThe story is about what version of his origin story is true.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Reid, being a part of the animation team has been a learning experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to learn how to manage a group of people and how to work with each person\u2019s schedule and break down the work to accommodate people\u2019s strengths,\u201d Reid said. \u201cWe had a lot of freedom. I loved being able to make the project and interpret it. You know you are working together, and you can ask each other for help. It\u2019s fun seeing the storyboards and then the characters move, and the animation scenes come together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most of the animation was done by team members remotely. Reid, however, was able to meet Knutson and his family.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
Alexander Knutson, at center, made the wish to be part of a Star Wars-themed movie. \/ Photo courtesy Kari Jo Skogquist<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Making a wish come true made members of the animation team work harder because they wanted to make a great film for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Knutson, Reid said.<\/p>\n

Reid decided to study animation because she loves television and movies. \u201cI\u2019ve always loved animation because things can be magical and whimsical,\u201d she said. \u201cCharacters can fly, and they can squash.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eventually, Reid wants to make children\u2019s entertainment. \u201cI\u2019ve always loved children\u2019s shows,\u201d she said. \u201cThey have this quality about them. It\u2019s fun and light but they can have deep, serious topics that are brought up in a child-friendly way. You can make a TV show that is good for children to watch but also engaging for those watching with the children.\u201d<\/p>\n

Based on Star Wars animated film from the 1970s<\/h3>\n

UW-Stout Assistant Professor in the design department Michael Heagle, who is the program director of B.S. in video production, said the film\u2019s plot is about a new Imperial recruit who is hazed mercilessly by his more experienced stormtrooper co-workers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat they wanted was something that looked and felt like the animated section of the Star Wars Holiday Special from 1978,\u201d Heagle said. \u201cIt was very much in the spirit of TV specials from that time period. Sami Reid created a style guide to help capture the look. The backgrounds look cool and have a quality that looks and feels groovy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Photo
Animation characters for the film designed by recent UW-Stout graduate Sami Reid. \/ Photo courtesy Make-A-Wish Foundation Minnesota<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The experience provided an opportunity for entertainment design students to diversify and work in animation, Heagle said.<\/p>\n

Kimberly Loken, associate professor of design, said the field experiences provided an excellent opportunity for students to collaborate with industry professionals.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey and their supervisors reported enthusiastic application and growth of both hard and soft skills,\u201d Loken said. \u201cIt\u2019s an affirmation of our curriculum and a distinct addition to students\u2019 portfolios and resumes. We\u2019re also pleased that it is setting a precedent for community service \u2013 helping students understand when and why creative freelance work should be compensated or pro bono.\u201d<\/p>\n

Field experiences are offered through UW-Stout Career Services\u2019 Co-op and Internship Program.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
Erin Hiller \/ Photo courtesy of Erin Hiller<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dreams coming true<\/h3>\n

UW-Stout senior Erin Hiller, an entertainment design animation major, said she learned a lot during the field experience. Her Animation Production class gave her a great foundation for the project.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy favorite part was seeing what everyone else was working on and over time to see the project come together,\u201d said Hiller, of Inver Grove Heights, Minn. \u201cIt definitely pulled me out of my comfort zone. It helped build up my skills. Based on the character designs I\u2019ve seen and the backgrounds, it\u2019s going to be pretty cool. I think it is going to be something to behold at the end of it all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being part of a wish made the project even more special, Hiller said. \u201cThis was his dream. We wanted to put our best foot forward,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was really heartwarming to be a part of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other entertainment design animation students who participated included Patrick Brunker of Sun Prairie; Alice O\u2019Brien of Isanti, Minn.; Carly Sutton of Burnsville, Minn.; Charlie Peavey of St. Paul; Justin Barnharst of Franklin; Samantha Behl of Mukwonago; Sam Agard of Green Bay; and Zachary Johnson of Spooner.<\/p>\n

Being a part of the film has been amazing, LaFaye said. \u201cIt was the hardest project I have ever done in terms of the scope of the project versus the resources we had.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Photo
One of the logos for the film. \/ Image courtesy of Maxwell KIlsdonk<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Making Knutson\u2019s dream come true has been a dream for crew members to work on a Star Wars-themed film, LaFaye said, particularly those who are of the first Star Wars generation of fans.<\/p>\n

\u201cI probably won\u2019t get the opportunity to work on a Star Wars movie, so this is the closest I will get,\u201d LaFaye said.<\/p>\n

LaFaye said area cosplay groups helped provide costumes for the project, making the film more authentic to the Star Wars fandom.<\/p>\n

He was impressed working with the UW-Stout students.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey did a great job; it was professional and funny. I really enjoyed what they did. I would watch the show if it was on TV. We had the opportunity to give students a lot of creativity with what they wanted to come up with.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

BY PAM POWERS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Group creates Make-A-Wish film segment for Minnesota teen Ten University of Wisconsin-Stout students, as part of their field experiences last summer, are helping make a Minnesota teen\u2019s wish come true. The students helped animate a portion of a \u201cStar Wars\u201d fan film \u201cThe Legend of Lex Zander\u201d starring Alexander Knutson, 14, and his family. Knutson, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":7005,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[90],"story_category":[],"class_list":["post-7004","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-stout"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/7004","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7004"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=7004"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=7004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}