What has brought you to the USC School of Cinematic Arts? Two things: The great faculty and the work I've seen from Alumni of the school. As a plus, the USC School of Cinematic Arts is in the heart of the industry, but what makes it unique is the kind of experimental work that is being produced here.
What interests you the most about animation? Yesterday in the CTAN 524 class, we ran into this quote From Kathy Smith and Marsha Kinder (both Faculty at SCA) "...the formidable power of animation to bring inanimate objects to life and to invoke the sense that animation as consciousness illuminates the unseen and physical worlds." I feel that animation not only shows us the invisible, but allows to experience worlds that otherwise would be impossible to us. The macro and the micro.
What in your past has given you inspiration or a unique point of view that you bring to SCA? I think that one of the greatest assets of SCA is precisely the rich international community present in it. The program of Animation, not only allows me to learn the craft, but also, bring into play my background as a Colombian artist. I think each part of the world has its own craft, its own understanding of narrative, and a unique cosmogony. I think that undoubtedly I bring this into play, and in a constant dialogue with my peers and faculty from all over the world, we create new narratives and new perspectives that didn't exist before.
What is your intended career path and how has the Animation program prepared you so far? It is curious, because most of my intended career path right now, didn't exist in my mind before I came to USC! I am interested in working in immersive experiences that involve technologies. Wether they are in a gallery artistic setting, or a commercial setting. Most, if not all, of the technical and craft tools needed for doing this I've acquired them at USC: VR, AR, Development of an interactive pipeline, in collaboration with the games and Interactive Design department. And other skills I bring from before, like installation, had been hooned specifically hooned to the field I'd like to apply it to.
What have been your biggest challenges at USC? Time management. And learning to say no. There's so many great opportunities, you are all the time surrounded by people so talented, that turning a project down for any reason, is always a hard decision to make.
What are you involved in right now? Where can people find out more about your work? I am working on three projects mainly. One is Good Girl, a VR interactive experience, Directed by Tonia Beglari, an Interactive and Game Design master thesis that is also a project founded by the jaunt grant, where I've been working on the art direction and animation and learning a lot. You can find more about it here. https://goodgirlvr.weebly.com/team.html. The second project I am working on is, MAAD (working title), an AR Installation experience developed for Hololens with 3 more animators that is resting in World Building lab. And the third project is my own thesis, that we plan to make part of a greater group exhibition with other projects on SCA that deal with space and animation. You can find more of my current and former projects in my website http://aestarita.com/
What advice do you have for prospective students looking to apply to SCA and the John C. Hench division of Animation? A lot of people feel scared to apply to USC because it is highly competitive, but what is more important, this program is also very humane. The faculty is always looking out for that humanity, and that unique voice, and the whole core of the program is helping you to develop that unique voice. Show off that voice. Don't be shy about being yourself and doing that quirky thing that only you know how to do, because that is what sets you apart. And anyway, there's no one in the world better than you at being yourself!