Grad issue 2013

Graduation 2013

What to Expect When You’re Expecting (to Get a Job)

An SVA alum’s account of life after graduationp. 14

Guilt Free VeggieBecause pigs are delicious, but also cutep. 18

TablE oF conTEnTs

Letter from the Editor 3VASA Update 4Exit the Hashtags 6Meet the New Regime 8Trouble in Oz 12What to Expect When… 14Guilt Free Veggies 18Green Screen Blues 20This and That 24

Editor-in-Chief

Jake Shillan Lead Designer

Katie NarduzzoAssistant Editor

Jennifer KeyesDesigners

Laura NgSalman KhanChris MillerStaff Advisor

Nicole Miele

Untitled is written by students of SVA and edited and designed by the Untitled staff. The content of each issue is not necessar-ily a reflection of the ideas or beliefs of the Untitled staff or the School of Visual Arts.

Submit comments, questions, and content to [email protected]

Cover photo by Chris Miller

3SVA Untitled grAdUAtion 2013

Thanks for all the laughs,

Jake Shillan; Resigning Editor-in-Chief

lET TE r F rom ThE E diTorHello sleep deprived masses!

A few years ago when I was strapped for cash and unemployable, I took up a friend’s offer to build his backyard storage shed. I’ve never built any shed of any kind before, but—it being a pre-made, DIY storage shed—I decided to just do it; I jumped in hammer first, as it were…

This will be my last issue of SVA Untitled as a staff writer and its Editor-in-Chief. Being at the end of anything will always stir up memories of its beginning. Just as the shed was not mine, I did not create SVA Untitled; I simply built it.

That storage shed was a mess. I followed the instructions as well as one with my level of experience could have, but it was unstable to say the least. I was at an impasse, but I didn’t want to give in just yet; elbow grease, blood, sweat…I did not want the fruits of my labor to lay rotten. So I investigated the bones of the shed and set out to the home improvement store to find it some muscle.

We had no structure, no deadlines, no writers, and no fan base; for all intents and purposes, we were making this paper for ourselves. Every day was another set of unseen obstacles that would surprise us out of thin air and make us question what we were doing and if it was worth it. But we kept pressing on; we wanted this newspaper to happen. We realized that we were amateurs, fighting to find our professionalism.

I would love to write here that the shed I built is still standing, but it is not. I had come back from the home improvement store with a number of wood planks, washers, and other materials that I used to Frankenstein my monster to life, but bugs, floods, and time whittled

away at the structure’s hard-plastic exterior until it was worse off that when I had finished building it. There’s a new storage shed there now, built by professionals (or so I was told).

My last semester and my last issue with SVA Untitled. Plenty of flubs and mistakes have occurred, but they were all steps that led to a better product. Every successive issue was better than the last. We paved over the pot holes and replaced the broken windows. The work put into this by countless others, many out of the goodness of their hearts, makes me and the rest of the team endlessly proud.

I know that next year’s staff has the knowledge, wit, and know-how to pull off a more amazing publication than the founders of Untitled could have ever imagined. Already hard at work, they have established an online presence, networked the student body, and involved the school in a way I could not. I pass this baton off to far better runners than I with very little worry.

I hope that you, the reader, have and will continue to enjoy SVA Untitled. It’s still young, but so are we.

Tuesday, April 30th: Sleep No More (entry time: 7-8pm)

Wednesday, May 1st: “Surviving & Thriving in

the Freelance World”*: 3pm, Happy Hour at Bar 13: 5pm

Thursday, May 2nd: Bar Night at the Delancey: 9pm

Friday, May 3rd: Yankees vs. A’s, 7pm,

For more information and to purchase tickets visit: http://vasasva.eventbrite.com/

ONLY SVA STUDENTS PERMITTED

*FREE drink tickets to Happy Hour at Bar 13 will only be awarded to “Surviving and Thriving in the Freelance World” attendees.

Artwork by Chris Kwon4

Va sa U pdaTEA word from your student governmentby JUSTIN MELILLO

Greetings SVA Students!

All of us at VASA hope that you’ve had a productive and exciting year with us here at SVA. As we finish up the last few weeks of the semester, there are just a few things we’d like to update you on:

• The VASA Department Surveys are live, and so far we have received an overwhelming response. We would like to thank all students who took a few minutes to make your voices heard!

• Our spring event, the futuristic sci-fi themed 2080s dance, was a huge success. Students decked out with glow sticks were grooving all night long to the biggest hits of the ’80s, and everyone who went had a fantastic time.

• We are excited to finally announce our line-up for Senior Week this year. Senior Week is going to be held the week after the last day of classes, beginning Tuesday, April 30th. The events are listed on the following page.

It was an honor and a pleasure serving as your VASA Officers this year. We would like to congratulate the graduating seniors and wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

Sincerely,

sVa UnTiTlEd sprinG 2013

Tuesday, April 30th: Sleep No More (entry time: 7-8pm)

Wednesday, May 1st: “Surviving & Thriving in

the Freelance World”*: 3pm, Happy Hour at Bar 13: 5pm

Thursday, May 2nd: Bar Night at the Delancey: 9pm

Friday, May 3rd: Yankees vs. A’s, 7pm,

For more information and to purchase tickets visit: http://vasasva.eventbrite.com/

ONLY SVA STUDENTS PERMITTED

*FREE drink tickets to Happy Hour at Bar 13 will only be awarded to “Surviving and Thriving in the Freelance World” attendees.

6 SVA Untitled grAdUAtion 2013 Photograph by Jamie Keesling

Last year it was a masquerade ball, this year it was a look at the past from a view in

the future. Though the attendance was small, the party was big; from the mass of glowing apparel to the rolling montages of ’80s televi-sion spots, the patrons danced the night away to Flock of Seagulls and Duran Duran. SVA’s “Spring Formal,” now for the second year in a row, has been the frosting and cherry on the cake that is the VASA Officer’s tenure; a culmination (and celebration) of their year’s work.

Objectively, two semesters of time for one team of students doesn’t seem like very long at all to enhance the experience here at SVA, and from the side of a VASA employee, most students come into the office for nothing more than tickets to movies or other provided events that season. However, behind all of that lies a machine

that is constantly running and being modified to ensure we as the student body are heard.

Justin Melillo, Chen Longo, and Matt Hoerl (President, Vice Presi-dent, and Treasurer, respectively), went into their first (and only) year as VASA Officers with fears not uncommon to the position. They had big shoes to fill, the tasks and expectations were daunting, and as previously stated, they were under the time constraint of only a single

academic year; these and more seemed to shadow their reach and hopes. But, they planned and laid out their ideas and goals, preparing themselves for the trials that would come with the jobs they were elected to.

They promoted a larger aware-ness of “green” living, claimed record breaking attendance at the highly-anticipated SVA Halloween Party, and presented a qualitative expression of student opinion to

ExiT ThE hashTaGsAn exposé on this past year’s VASA Officers and the tracks they’ve laid downby JAKE SHILLAN


the Administration collected from the wildly successful and unprec-edented SVA Department Survey that went live last month. The events that they have put together for the students, the resources they have provided and expanded upon, and their approach to student concerns have garnered the respect of many students and staff here at SVA, including this writer. To be frank, this type of “fluff” piece is against everything I stand for as a journalist. But having worked so closely with these people, and being a part of their ethics and passion, has made me more than happy to go against my own intuition for them.

Having recently talked to Justin about his team’s work this past year, he explained to me that he was “surprised by the immense amount of power and say that students here actually have.” He went on to admit that during the summer he, Chen, and Matt had spent a lot of time considering the likely obstacles and tribula-tions that might be put forward by the Administration. They were

pleasantly surprised, however, to find that everyone involved in the processes was truly accommodating and supportive of their ambitions. One testament to this is the new Student Center, which is what the former “Monkey Bar Lounge” has been renamed in anticipation of the major renovations (thought up, planned, and initiated by the three officers) that will begin this July and be finished and ready for the upcoming year this August.

The three of them agreed that it was when they addressed the Freshman class as a whole during Orientation back in September that they realized the power of the student. The classes here are well-rounded and those running them have a great amount of experience to impart, but if you feel like certain housing standards are too strict, or that your department lacks the right equipment, or that their aren’t enough clubs, or even if you feel that the library isn’t carrying the newest publications, then speak up! VASA is open every business day and has an open door policy. Come

in, call, write an email, what ever floats your boat, but understand that your complaints will just be noise until you do something about it. This school is expensive and no one can deny that, so why not get the most of your experience?

In that spirit, I’ll end this piece with another quote from the soon-to-graduate VASA President, “The students would be surprised—I mean, we were really surprised—by just how open David [Rhodes; President of SVA] is to the students; how willing he is to do for them.” With this in mind, and the strides this year’s Officers have made for the student body, I implore you all to truly recognize your own resources—your own power—that you have here at your school.

8 Photographer/Illustrator/Etc.SVA Untitled grAdUAtion 2013

I recently sat down with new VASA officers for the 2013-14 academic year, Alexa Zminkowski (President), Mike Patten (Vice President), and Kirby Allen (Treasurer), about their plans for us regular, student body types. Here’s what they had to say:


Jake Shillan: Well first, congrat-ulations on your new positions.Alexa Zminkowski, Mike Patten,

Kirby Allen: Thank you!Mike: And we’d like to thank all of the other teams…[laughter]Jake: Right, you ran unopposed, correct? But at the same time, you didn’t just walk in here and get the positions.Alexa: Nope. We had to get 200 signatures first—and thanks to everyone who did that, by the way. We also did a small photo shoot and we’re going to use the photos in posters that we’ll be putting up at the end of this year and beginning of next year as a way to introduce ourselves.Mike: And we’ve been campaigning since November.

Kirby: Yeah, we never treated this like we were unopposed. Alexa: Even till the last minute because anybody can run and we didn’t want to be unprepared in that case.Jake: You had to pitch your group to Student Activities, right?Alexa: Oh yeah, we had to meet with Nicole [Miele; Student Activi-ties and VASA Coordinator] and talk to her about what we wanted to

do; what our plans and goals were. Prove that we could handle the job.Jake: Now, you currently work at VASA—right, Alexa? Do you think that’s given you any insight on what the job might demand?Alexa: Yeah, I think being here is really going to help us because I’ve seen how Justin [Melillo], Chen [Longo], and Matt [Hoerl] (the current VASA officers) have been working this year and what they’ve had to do. I don’t know everything—some of the stuff is behind the scenes with President Rhodes—but I think [working here] has definitely benefited what we’re trying to do.Jake: What about you, Mike and Kirby? What have you been involved with that might help or

has helped you prepare for your new roles?Mike: I’ve been a Student Representative for the Animation Dept., I’ve worked at the Student Center (formerly the Monkey Bar Lounge), and, you know, just constantly being around it all and

everybody. I’d like to think that I’m pretty in touch with what happens here at SVA.Kirby: We’re a pretty active group, as far as school functions are concerned.Jake: So obviously, you have experience working here and with the events. Does your group have some sort of philosophy or theme for what you’ll be working for or towards next year?

“I think our philosophy is definitely what we were campaigning about, which is ‘connected;’

getting connected.”

Photographs by Zach Krall

10 Photographer/Illustrator/Etc.SVA Untitled grAdUAtion 2013

Alexa: I think our philosophy is definitely what we were campaigning about, which is “connected”; getting connected. Trying to get the student body more aware of VASA because in the past—sure we always have pretty good numbers for the Halloween Party and other big events—but we’d like to reach out to the students more. We don’t feel like enough people know about VASA and the kind of resources that are available to them.Mike: A lot of people feel like they have no say in anything—and they like to vocalize how they don’t have any say in anything—but that is really the furthest thing from the truth. They just don’t know how to go about doing it.Alexa: Really getting the student body more connected with their student government. Jake: Right. Any general plans on doing that?Alexa: Sure. Right now we’re in the talks about providing more visual media. We wanted to set up a sort of talk show/production series. It looks like we might be getting TVs around campus—in the Student Center and the other buildings—that will have updates from us; they’ll be touch screen and interactive. We want to have contests for different events, such as the Halloween Party or the Spring Formal. They might be for designing the event’s posters for the school, so we’ll have [on the

TVs] an outline of what we’re looking for and then we’ll choose from the students’ submitted designs or ideas.Jake: Very neat. So, along the same line, do you have any ideas for new events? Alexa: Well, we’re trying to get a panel composed of representatives from REACH, core SVA, and VASA together to talk about commu-nity, college life, etc. for an advice column, essentially. Other than that, we’re really trying to get clubs at SVA together. The clubs are very successful—many students join them—and we just want to do more events like [the video game tour-nament at the SVA theatre] that was run cooperatively by Verses (competitive video game club) and VASA. We would want to expand on that, as well as getting people more familiar with VASA’s Facebook and other social medias so that they could tell us what they want.Mike: We’re really just shooting ideas around at this point. We thought of a Dance-a-thon, which might be involved with the B-Boy Group (hip-hop dance club). It’s really things like that.Jake: So, you’re trying to get the clubs and groups at SVA and bring them together.Mike: Pretty much. We’re trying to focus on creating more of a community. Alexa: On top of that, I discussed with Kirby and Mike that a big thing in the Residence Life

department here at the school is that they do monthly events. We want to have a couple of events a semester, like theirs, that would be in the dorms so we could keep up-to-date with everyone; they would be like mixers. Of course, we would also have them in the main buildings for commuters and students living off-campus. [The commuters/off-campus students] always seem to be left out, but we really want them to be part of everything as well. Jake: What programs that the current VASA officers have established will you continue pressing on?


“[…] we’re really trying to get clubs at SVA together. The clubs are very successful—many

students join them—and we just want to do more events like [the video game tournament at

the SVA theatre].”

Alexa: We did a great event this semester: “Speed Friending.” It was like a Valentine’s Day thing which was more about friends and meeting people than romantic involvement, but it was awesome; we had a great turnout. It builds on our idea of doing smaller, themed events. Kirby: Expanding upon the Club Fair as well; drumming it up a bit more for the student body.Alexa: Definitely. We’re also going to work with the current officers on continuing their green initia-tives for SVA. We’d like to keep it up because it’s something everyone should be doing; it’s relevant. As well as that, the officers did a lot of students polls and surveys this year, so we want to act upon the findings and do more of them next year.Jake: Sounds really great. Thanks for sitting down with me. We’re looking forward to next year!Alexa: Yeah, us too. And thanks!Mike, Kirby: Yeah, thank you!

Photographs by Zach Krall

12 SVA Untitled grAdUAtion 2013

Disney’s modern spin at an old classic falls shortby SASKIA COHEN

M y expectations of Oz The Great and Powerful weren’t very high. I expected something like James Franco playing a down on his luck,

charming but devilish magician, action scenes relying heavily on special effects, and a PG-rated attitude for the movie’s principal young teen market. I also expected some of the usual tropes, but not so stereo-

T roUblE

in oZ

Image courtesy of Best-Wallpaper.net


typical as golden-haired Michelle Williams playing the “good witch” and brunettes Mila Kunis and Rachel Weisz playing the “bad witches.”

As in the original Wizard of Oz, this story begins in Kansas, but instead of Dorothy with her dog Toto, it’s Oscar, or “Oz” for short (Franco) with his winged monkey (voiced by Zach Braff), who carry on a bick-ering but warm companionship. The film seems to have been made for audiences who haven’t seen the original Wizard of Oz and probably never will. There are, however, some enjoyable moments.

The film’s beginning is thoroughly entertaining, stylized in black and white (akin to its predecessor). We’re introduced to the small town circus life Oz daydreams about escaping, until he gets his wish and events force him to literally escape it in a hot-air balloon. The Oz (and the viewer) is sucked inside a tornado which morphs into the peaks of mountain tops silhouetted against a colorful sky. After a ride down a waterfall, Oz is spat out into a pool where he discovers Oz—both himself and the name given to the land he finds himself in.

This introduction leads to two plots in this film, the first being about Oz “finding himself.” This starts out humorous but quickly becomes too maudlin and senti-

mental. Oz is always making excuses for his failures until the Good Witch (Williams) speaks to him with so much sweetness it gets sickening. The second plot is that Oz is asked to hunt and kill the Bad Witch, which evolves into just breaking her wand because he refuses to kill anyone. This plot basically fails.

I admit that I enjoyed some of the mindless visual indulgence that Oz has to offer, such as the dark-suited, handsome James Franco running around and dancing. I liked the frequent close-ups of Franco’s grinning face, wrinkles and all. (Incidendentally, it’s practically impossible to detect a flaw in the female stars’ faces.) And then there’s the scene which many female viewers will—at least for a split second—relate to: the Bad Witch’s heartbreak when she discovers that she was not as special in Oz’s heart as she believed.

Most of this film’s budget went into its visual design, but it would have cost a lot less to hire a decent writer to fully develop the second plot. Rather than push the obvious one-dimensionality of the Good Witch, it would have been much more exciting to manipulate the different possible directions this movie could have led its cast. In addition to the care shown in the construc-tion of hundreds of evil flying monkeys, more care could have been taken in portraying the decomposition of a Bad Witch following her defeat besides the usual turning grey and wrinkly.

If your college self is temporarily shunning any form of intellectual stimulation, Oz The Great and Powerful might be just what you’re looking for.

“The film seems to have been made for audiences

who haven’t seen the original Wizard of Oz and probably

never will. There are, however, some enjoyable moments.”

Image courtesy of DailyFreePress.com


WhaTTo ExpEcTWhEn YoU’rE ExpEcTinG… EmploymentA peek into the year after graduation from SVA Alumna Lauren Machlicaby LAUREN MACHLICA

Summer is right around the corner, classes are finishing up, and for a quarter of the

SVA population, graduation is here. I know that a large majority (if not the entire senior class) is itching to leave behind the classroom and homework for the freedom of the real world. Just as many of these same prospective graduates are probably starting to freak out—and possibly hyperventilate—over the reality of getting an actual job (unless they are fortunate enough

to have a job lined up already). It’s a very bitter sweet time; a fun, exciting, yet terrifying time.

I say this as fact because I went through all these same emotions just one year ago. My last semester ever as a student was ending, my senior portfolio was complete,

and all I had to do was sit back and enjoy the congratulatory messages...as well as find someone who would think the $120,000 diploma I had just received would be “a great addition” to their company. They say that one is actually hired for their talent and

“It’s a very bitter sweet time; a fun, exciting, yet terrifying time.”

Photograph by Anniken Eidem

Photographer/Illustrator/Etc. 15SVA Untitled grAdUAtion 2013


accomplishments; however, almost anywhere you go there will be an SVA alum who will want to make small talk with you about what teacher you took for Portfolio class, etc., etc.

I have a tendency to panic about many things, and finding a job after graduation was one of them. I began applying to places in the middle of April, hoping that my head start would give me an advantage over the procrastinators. I knew what field of graphic design I ultimately wanted to be in: either Broadway or sports design. At the senior luncheon for the graphic design/advertising department, I was able to sit down with Gail Anderson, a professor at SVA and

the former creative director at SpotCo, one of the three Broadway/entertainment agencies. She gave me a list of names to contact in the hope of landing me a spot in the industry I wanted to be in.

One of the names Gail gave me was the creative director of AKA, the newest Broadway Ad agency. I sent him my resumé and portfolio and he asked me to come in for an interview. I ended up being hired as a freelancer for a six weeks beginning in July and then hired for a full time position in August. I landed my first job in the exact field I wanted to be in and I was over the moon, but it was definitely a struggle during the first few months of working there. My brain was

cranking out ideas 9 hours a day, 5 days a week. I learned quickly that long hours were expected at AKA, and even though we got an hour for lunch, you were crazy if you actually took it. I became incredibly exhausted incredibly fast.

I thought this phase would pass, I would get used to this new routine and would eventually begin to understand what was going through my boss’s mind when he would tell us what he wanted. A friend told me to stick it out for a year and see what happens. Once the new year began, I realized I couldn’t stay there much longer, but I was also put on a committee at work where the position lasted the entire year and it seemed like I would enjoy it. Being

I learned quickly that long hours were expected […], and even though we got an hour for lunch, you were crazy if you actually took it.

“


on this committee and not liking to be a quitter, it looked as if I was going to keep pushing through.

February came and, unfortunately yet fortunately, AKA had to “downsize” the studio. My being let go was through no fault of my own and everything ended on good, professional terms. However, I felt blindsided by the fact I was ripped away from a group of people I considered my family. But, I was free. Free from all the stress and free to pursue new avenues.

Some of the most important things I learned in the past year came to be that everything will happen when it’s supposed to happen, your teachers are really your first recourses, and you learn a whole lot more in the first year of your first job than everything you learned at SVA. Expect to throw everything out the window because you’ll be learning an entirely new set of tools come your first day at work.

As for life after my first real job, it’s all about flooding employers with my resumé and knocking out the subsequent interviews. I had gotten what—I

I became incredibly exhausted, incredibly fast.”

thought—was my dream job, and then I had to leave. It was a blow to the gut, but you have to move on to the next phase. I’d like to think of it more as a trial; a battleground for my mistakes, which are all just lessons in the end.

So, here’s to your life after college. It may be tumultuous, but even if you get bucked off, it will still be worth it.


Living the vegetarian lifestyle, minus the griefby JENNIFER KEYES

GUilT FrEE VEGGiE

College introduces students to a wide variety of people who have an even wider

range of eating habits. Some people avoid gluten while others only eat carbs on the weekend; the list of food avoidances and restrictions seems endless. Without fail, in today’s society, a vegetarian can always be found within arm’s reach. The most popular of alternative diet choices, vegetarianism isn’t just for hippies or animal rights’

activists. Becoming vegetarian can be beneficial for many different reasons. Any reason to become vegetarian is a good reason. Whether for health, moral, or religious reasons, not eating meat has many

incentives. Even if you don’t care to discuss your eating habits, know that people will ask. People will pass judgment and try and make you feel bad about your choice, but don’t let that discourage you. Your diet is

“In turn, you spend less money and find healthier substitutes for greasy fast food.”

Photo courtesy of es.simpsons.wikia.com


“Becoming vegetarian does not automatically make you a healthier person, but it does make it easier to incorporate fruits and vegetables as staples in your diet.”

nobody’s business but your own. Not eating meat forces you to become more creative with your meal plans. Instead of resorting to a cheeseburger on the go, you have to be more considerate and plan ahead. Maybe this means bringing a peanut butter and jelly sandwich along on a long car trip. In turn, you spend less money and find healthier substitutes for greasy fast food. Buying and preparing meat gets very expensive while many staple vegetarian meals are simple and cheap to make. Pasta and grilled cheese are perfectly acceptable and delicious choices that don’t need meat. Both take ten minutes to prepare and cost well under ten dollars at any grocery store. There is a large range of fake meats and various types of tofu marketed towards vegetarians, but it’s possible to have a well-rounded diet without venturing into that territory. Becoming vegetarian will expose you to foods you may not have considered trying. Your favorite take-out sesame chicken can be replaced with a satisfying noodle dish. Or, you may discover an entirely new cuisine. Indian food is the king of vegetarian options. If you haven’t tried it before, going vegetarian would be a good oppor-tunity to introduce yourself to Indian cuisine.

Don’t use being a vegetarian as an excuse to not enjoy going out to meals with your carnivorous friends and family. If they are dining at

a steakhouse, eat the side dishes. Everyone knows those are the best options anyways. Or, use getting together as an opportunity to expose them to the wide variety of vegetarian options available in the restaurant market.

Becoming vegetarian does not automatically make you a healthier person, but it does make it easier to incorporate fruits and vegetables as staples in your diet. Don’t be delusional in thinking that you will get a total body transformation out of your switch, but a vegetarian diet does incorporate well with a general healthy lifestyle.

Make being vegetarian personal to you. People may try to make you feel bad about it, and in fact, some of the worst judgment is often from fellow vegetarians. But don’t let that stop you from your choice. There are many ways to go about vegetarianism. You can not eat meat and still wear fur, or you can eat vegetarian except for your mother’s bacon, or you can even transition into being full-on vegan (avoidance of all animal byprod-ucts, including dairy and eggs) if those are your desires. The fact is that it’s your diet and your life, and any way you want to go about it is perfectly acceptable.

Photograph by Chris Miller


Gr EE n scrEE n blUE s

A televised public award ceremony wouldn’t be complete without some

type of scandal. The 2013 Academy Awards were no exception. Host Seth MacFarlane’s lyrically scato-logical indecencies were upsetting enough, but nobody paid too much attention to these superficial complaints.

Unfortunately, there was a much more serious matter that, at the airing of the awards, was

“ “

The company responsible for the visual effects in Life of Pi, Rhythm & Hues, had filed for bankruptcy just after their work on the Oscar winning, multi-million dollar project.


The unseen protest during Hollywood’s most visible night by MAX SEILER

completely ignored. While Life of Pi was winning an Oscar for “Visual Effects,” many of the people who designed and executed those very same effects were just outside the building, picketing for their jobs.

When creating an elaborate film with CGI, what the camera really takes in is a vast expanse of green or blue fabric adorned with little Xs to indicate depth or where an important object would be placed. The main cast is usually present but

often scenes involving large crowds are cheaper and easier to create when the large crowds are simply a digital file on a computer, placed in the background at a later date. Time, hassle, and insurance costs are all dramatically lowered with the usage of visual effects.

The company responsible for the visual effects in Life of Pi, Rhythm & Hues, had filed for bankruptcy just after their work on the Oscar winning, multi-million

dollar project. Company repre-sentative Bill Westenhofer (Stuart Little, Elf, Life of Pi), who accepted the Academy Award on stage, has this to say: “At a time when visual effects movies are dominating the box office, [the] visual effects companies are struggling and I wanted to point out that we aren’t technicians. Visual effects is not just a commodity that’s being done by people pushing buttons. We’re artists, and if we don’t find a way to

Photograph courtesy of WhenInManila.com


to fix the business model, we start to loses the artistry. If anything, Life of Pi shows that we’re artists and not just technicians.”

By now anyone with a Facebook friend in an animation department here at SVA (and anyone who “likes” SVA Untitled on Facebook) has seen their newsfeed littered with bright green squares (a la green screens) in support of VFX artists in the wake of the Academy Awards. Although the Academy and the press did their best to ignore the situation during the Oscar ceremony, the news of mistreated and fed up computer graphics artists around the world could not be contained.

“ “Although the Academy and the press did their best to ignore the situation during the Oscar ceremony, the news of mistreated and fed up computer graphics artists around the world could not be contained.

Photo courtesy of National Post


The protestors and Westenhofer believe that more attention should be given to this fast growing medium. It is not simply big budget action flicks that rely heavily on special effects anymore. Whether or not the shift away from practical effects is beneficial to everyone, the wheels of progress cannot be stopped. The winners of “Best Cinematography” for the 2012 (Hugo) and 2013 (Life of Pi) Oscar ceremonies created so much of their scenery in post production that many wonder whether it should be called cinematography at all. The entire film comes to fruition only with the inclusion of visual effects.

So the question on everyone’s mind: if visual effects and CGI graphics have become such an integral part of the filmmaking process, why are the artists responsible getting the short end of the stick? The problem is that each VFX company is low-balling each other into bankruptcy due to the lack of standardized payment or unionized workers. So will the industry ever unionize? As of now, there is no satisfying answer to this multi-million dollar question.

Photo courtesy of GeekoSystem.com

A look at SVA’s latest 3D design showby CHRIS MILLER

This and ThaT

“Over 28 students had artwork featured in this event, and each piece was fully

able to stand on its own, making a statement about the environments we

inhabit, but don’t necessarily give much thought to.”

Photographs by Chris Miller24 sVa UnTiTlEd sprinG 2013

Here at SVA, students have the unique opportunity to have their work shown in

a multitude of venues. One of the most prominent locations to display their work is located right inside the front doors of 209 East 23 Street, known as the SVA Gallery. Here, the exceptional work of SVA students is put on display in a well-traversed location for all to see.

This and That, is an exhibition of work by students in the BFA advertising and Design Department that runs from March 18th – April 5th, 2013. The show is curated by 3D design chair Kevin O’Callaghan, and features conceptual restaurant designs as well as other projects created over the spring semester. Over 28 students have artwork featured in this event, and each piece is able to stand on its own, making a statement about the environments we inhabit, but don’t necessarily give much thought to.

One piece that I was drawn to is a table made from a NYC subway placard and is themed after the city’s famed subways right down to the rats that live in the under-ground passageways. Spending much of my time moving through the city from place to place, the

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piece made me laugh and at the same time I could see the design working in a real life restaurant if the food was good enough.

I think that is the fun part of 3D design and why many students are drawn into the program. Students get the chance to imagine some-thing completely original, and in a few weeks that idea is turned into reality under the guidance of 3D design legend, Kevin O’Callaghan and his talented staff.

In this show, the hard work and craftsmanship of the artists involved is readily apparent in every piece. From a half pipe shaped booth complete with a table made of skateboards to an Acme bicycle worthy of Wile E. Coyote, each piece is an incredible example of the dedication poured into the projects over the past semester.

Look to see the designs of these students and others at SVA in the future because if this show is any indication, there is a lot more to come from the minds of these gifted individuals.

sVa UnTiTlEd sprinG 201326 Photographs by Chris Miller

27sVa UnTiTlEd sprinG 2013

“From a half-pipe shaped booth complete with a table made of skateboards, to an Acme bicycle worthy of Wile E. Coyote, each piece is an incredible, proven example of the artists’ dedication and hard work over the past semester.”

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Grad issue 2013