Kaley Cho
BA, Animation & Digital Arts '20
1. What interests you the most about animation? I love how animation can express emotions through movement. It’s interesting how even the slightest movement can convey meaning and contribute to the entire story.
2. What originally led you to studying animation? I first started studying fine arts and focused on oil painting. I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do back in high school, but I thought animation would give me a lot of options in creating artwork. I first started by making a 40 second stop motion piece, and moved to 3D animation in my second semester at USC. I decided to focus on 3D animation after learning about visual music and being involved in an event called Rhythms + Visions.
3. What advice do you have for prospective students looking to apply to SCA and the John C. Hench Division of Animation and Digital Arts? I would advise students to try to learn tools such as Adobe products or other animation software. Learning new tools really helped me to visualize my imaginations and open more possibilities to make animations. It may seem overwhelming at first, but there are many great tutorials on YouTube or other communities to learn these tools by yourself.
4. How has this program prepared you so far in your career in animation? In my first year at USC, I was taught by amazing professors who expanded my perspectives in animation. Before coming to USC, I only thought of Disney or Pixar movies when it came to animation. After being taught by professors from different fields, I learned that animation can also be applied in motion graphics, visual music, and virtual reality.
5. What have been your biggest challenges at USC? My biggest challenges at USC were GE classes. I didn't have any problems with animation classes since I was confident in what I loved doing, but it was challenging to learn unfamiliar content in GE classes. It was difficult to get good grades compared to animation classes, but it was also rewarding to learn other subjects that I wasn’t confident to learn by myself.
6. What are you involved in right now? Where can people find out more about your work? I'm currently involved in two AGPs (Advanced Game Project) called The Way of the Wolf and Sky Command as a 3D artist. I mostly work as a 3D artist for modeling or rigging for game projects, but I also make a lot of motion graphics pieces for my personal projects. I always post my work on Instagram (@kaley.art) and my website: www.kaleycho.com.
7. Do you have any other interests in the entertainment industry, or outside of it? I'm also interested in learning production to get a better understanding in effective storytelling. I’m planning to take cinematography and editing classes in the future.