COD Hosts Seventh Annual Animation Night May 17

Animation students in College of DuPage's Motion Picture/Television program will screen their work during the seventh annual Animation Night, a free event on Wednesday, May 17, in the Playhouse Theatre at the McAninch Arts Center. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and screenings begin at 7 p.m.

Animation Night will showcase a variety of techniques, styles and stories. MPTV Professor Tony Venezia said 15 students will show their work, which includes everything from hand-drawn animation to several computer graphics projects.

"When we get to the one-month deadline, the students really kick into high gear to finish their work," he said. "But this is also the time when everything starts coming together and you really get a sense of how the final project will look and feel."

Matt Miltonberger (Lemont) is creating an information graphic about global warming. The project combines nearly all of his interests.

"Science has intrigued me since I was a little kid," he said. "I watched 'Cosmos' and enjoyed exploring concepts related to space and the universe. In high school, I loved astrophysics and almost decided to major in it."

Miltonberger began learning about film in junior high and was taking photography throughout high school. He also loved animation, so when he came to College of DuPage, he decided to pursue his creative interests through the MPTV program. However, he didn't know how to draw and focused instead on learning a broad range of skills in hopes of running his own freelance production company.

But Miltonberger fell in love with animation again after enrolling in a class taught by Venezia.

"Tony is like a mentor to me," he said. "I realized that I loved animation because of my love for physics - both are about movement and energy. When I am working on a project, I think about how it will look in the real world and use that as inspiration."

Miltonberger, who will finish his Associate in Applied Science in Film/Video Production this spring, would like to become a motion graphic animator. While his animation project is nearly nine minutes long, Miltonberger dives into the specifics about global warming.

"Climate change is a very important yet touchy subject, and I didn't want to make something that was political," he said. "I want to compare the topics to things that people can relate to in their everyday lives and make it as universal as possible by focusing just on the facts."

Animation Night includes refreshments and a chance to speak with the students, who will display their other work in the MAC lobby before and after the screenings. Venezia is proud of what his students have accomplished.

"So many hours of work go into each project, and most are only a few minutes in length," Venezia said. "But it all pays off when the audience shows its appreciation for what they have seen."

For more information, call (630) 942-2020, email venezia@cod.edu or visit www.cod.edu/mptv.