The Crew
Lizzie Milat
Co-Director
Visual Development Lead
My name is Elizabeth Milat, but I usually go by Lizzie. I’m from Napa, California. I pitched the concept of Canned Fish and I’m the co-director and visual development lead for the film. Currently, I am finishing up my degree in Animation Story and Concept at Savannah College of Art design. I've been passionate about storytelling and conservationism for a while and I felt Canned Fish would be a great way to combine the two in a way that could entertain while educating. I’m also a big fan of chocolate chip cookies!
"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, Give a man a can and you feed him to the fish."
Paige Chouinard
Co-Director
Technical Animation Lead
My name is Paige Chouinard. I'm originally from Gladstone, Michigan but now I live full time in Savannah. I'm the co-director and also the technical animator lead for Canned Fish. I'm currently finishing my degree in 3D Technical Animation at Savannah Collage of Art and Design and returning in the fall to start my Masters program in Interactive Game Design and development. I've always enjoyed the way environments/characters came to life in animation and video games, so I applied my knowledge in doing so for Canned Fish.
"I'm not crying, these are happy tears....I might be losing it a tadbit."
Clay Thomasson
Producer
2D Animation Lead
Hi there my name is Clay Thomasson. I am the producer and 2D FX animator for the film. When I first started animating I thought I would be animating the next big animated shot in every montage you've ever seen, but as I went through my learning at SCAD I found my passion for animated effects. Something about making organic elements flow in a way that can be more realistic or completely just eye appealing without being a main action really stuck with me and lead me to where I am right now. Now all I dream about is making a scene look just as cool as the animator that worked on it before me! Overall, it helped strengthen our bonds as a team and help lead us in the right path all together.
“Bubbles so many bubbles”
Heize Oh
Technical Animator
Hi! My name is Heize Oh and I'm from South Korea, but currently living in Savannah, Georgia. I'm majoring in technical animation at SCAD. Working on Canned Fish helped me to step out of my comfort zone because we had to solve many technical problems beyond our knowledge and experience. My skillset is mostly focused on modeling and texturing, so lighting and compositing were not my strongest areas. But with the given time and to meet the deadlines, there was no time to hesitate just because something is not my expertise. When the capstone project started, I thought it would be a long way to make this film. Now we are close to the end with all the team members' efforts. I am so proud of what we have achieved!
"I might prefer the mountain over the beach now."
Nico Zevallos
3D Animation Lead
Howdy! My name is Nico Zevallos, and I’m the lead 3D animator on Canned Fish. I’m from Dallas, Texas, and pursuing my BFA in—you’ve guessed it—3D Animation, with a minor in drawing. As a long-time fish and marine life enthusiast, Canned Fish reeled me in from the first pitch. Through this project, I’ve grown in confidence as both an animator and collaborator. And getting to do all that while animating schools of fish and underwater environments was just a huge bonus!
"Maybe the real canned fish was the friends we made along the way. (𓆝⋆｡˚.)"
Logan Vanderkin
Technical Animator
Hello everyone! My name is Logan Vanderkin and I am the Rigger and one of the Lighting Artists for Canned Fish. I was born and raised in Kissimmee Florida and then moved to Savannah Georgia. I am pursuing a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Technical Animation which is not what I expected, but I am glad I ended up in this major as it has taught me about a whole pipeline I was not aware of before. Working on this film presented a number of challenges, which also means there was plenty of problem solving and outside the box thinking. I learned so much through the rest of the team and I throwing methods of work at the wall and seeing what works and what doesn’t. I feel very content with how the film shaped out to be, and I am grateful to all the other team members and peers who helped for their contribution to making this project what it is now.
“The danger is not to set your goal too high and fail to reach it. It’s to set your goal too low and reach it.” – George St-Pierre
Sibo Liu
3D Animator
Hello, I’m Sibo Liu. I’m from China and currently live in the United States. I just finished my 3D Animation BFA at SCAD. I want to thank most people I met at SCAD; they are friendly and talented. I got lots of help from them. As a 3D animator in our crew, I enjoyed our working mood. The studio-like workflow trained me to follow the plan and participate with the team. As a quick hand in an animating session, I realized I could help others catch up, and that’s my ability, which should be improved. And I even tried 2D effects drawing in a post-production session, which was amazing. I can tell you that it can be an unforgettable experience in my college life. It's lucky to work with you guys. Our work finally comes together, and I’m sure everyone is happy to see that.
Of course, I’m sure, now is about the time to cross——
Lucy Renot
3D Animator
Hi! My name is Emma Renot, but I go by "Lucy." I'm a 3D Animation major at SCAD, and I have a minor in Drawing. I grew up in Wiggins, Mississippi, but I now reside in Georgia while finishing my last year of school. I have always loved drawing and almost went down the 2D route of animation but decided against due to not wanting to turn one of my favorite hobbies into a chore. Honestly, I love the process of creating things and getting to see all of the effort that I, along with the others on our capstone team, have put into our film makes me so proud of us!
"I identify as a freshwater fish in a saltwater society."
Ziqing Gao
3D Animator
My name is Ziqing, and I'm originally from China, but currently based in Savannah. I'm a 3D Animation major at SCAD. I've been drawing for as long as I can remember, so when I came to college, I wanted to explore something new that's why I chose to dive into the world of 3D animation. For our capstone film, I worked as a 3D animator One of the biggest challenges was helping with some 2D animation. Even though I have a drawing background, animating in 2D felt very different and took some getting used to.
"Ctrl+Z is my best friend."
Sydnie Dougherty
3D Animator
Hello! I am a senior 3D character animator at SCAD but that can be easily assumed. Behind the scenes I am a painter and dog trainer that has been in the animal industry for 4 years. I have my own service dog named Jupiter who has been a god send during this capstone and is an unofficial member of the team. Animals are my life and even though I have been in school for animation, dog training and veterinary science has been my second love. Without animals, I don’t think I would have made it this far in life. This film pushed me past my limits and even my own understanding of animation. There are no words that can express my gratitude to everyone.
“I have seen myself lose sanity, sleep, and health; but I grow stronger.”
Jupiter
Special Thanks
Special thanks to Professor Hanna Kuehn, who guided us through the process of our film. To John Oleniacz, who helped with the Keith facial rig. To Amaya Ayuso, for helping with the sound design. To all of the family and friends who were there supporting us. And most importantly, special thanks to SCAD for giving us the opportunity to collaborate on this Capstone film and prepare us for the animation industry!