Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/565118
8 2 0 1 5 E D U C AT I O N & R E C R U I T M E N T S P E C I A L Owned M any professionals dream of someday winning an Oscar. Or an Emmy. Only the most ambitious would dare dream of both. For Brigham Young University (BYU) student Wesley Tippetts, that "someday" occurred as he transitioned from the classroom to the professional realm. Tippetts, along with Daniel Clark, are co-directors on the animated short film "Owned," which a year ago won a Gold Medal at the 41 st annual Student Academy Awards. That accomplishment was preceded with a first-place Student Emmy several weeks prior. "Owned" is a comedic animated short, the brainchild of Tippetts. It documents the experience of a pompous, dishev- eled video game champion, Jeff, who is brought to his knees in an online gaming experience against an unknown oppo- nent. That challenger happens to be baby Abby, who proved masterful (or, more accurately, serendipitously lucky) at the controls. A twist near the end of the film results in a life-changing experience for the gamer. As part of the course structure at BYU, animation and computer science majors are required to work on a group film or game project for at least one semester, and then can continue their involvement or select an individual project. Tippetts, who wrote "Owned," threw his idea into the ring during a designated pitch session, and his peers voted for it as the class's group project. "We didn't have much of a heads-up as to when the pitch was going to be, so I figured I had time to flesh out the story, storyboard everything, draw up some concept art, and put together a nice presenta- tion," says Tippetts. "When we received the e-mail, we were surprised to discover it was the very next day! So I ended up storyboarding 'Owned,' as well as another story I was pitching, that very night." Tippetts was then selected as director. Work began in Jan- uary 2013 and was completed in December of that year (the middle of senior year), giving students time to prepare their portfolios and begin interviewing with potential employers. Approximately 20 students worked on "Owned," making it feel like a studio atmosphere at times. "It's a great way to get a feel for what it's like at a professional studio," Tippetts adds. At the start of preproduction, Tippetts was deeply involved in guiding the art direction, style, and story of the film. Clark, who also served as producer, helped guide the film's style, utilizing his experience from interning at Pixar, where he is now a full-time employee. According to R. Brent Adams, director of the Center for Animation at BYU, the group project helps teach students collaboration and problem solving – lessons Tippetts learned immediately. First, there were few storyboard art- ists in the group, and initial attempts didn't fit well together. Then, the person tasked with writing the screenplay left the group, making it difficult to give out assignments without a script. So, Tippetts decided it would be faster and easier to storyboard the film himself at that point. Along the way, Tippetts also learned some other lessons not taught in the classroom. "I learned that when you're in charge, you can't make everyone happy. I also learned how to let stuff go – there were a lot of things that I had planned for the film that, due to time constraints and lack of man- power, weren't feasible," he says. "I was disappointed, but realized I had to make the best with what we had." Critiquing classmates was challenging, as well. "But, as director, that was my job," Tippetts acknowledges. When personal issues pulled Tippetts temporarily from the project during the summer semester, Clark stepped up and would unofficially become the technical director, in charge of shaders, rendering, effects, and editing, with Tippetts then serving as creative director, in charge of art, story, anima- tion, and lighting. "Even though we are credited as co-direc- tors, our roles were very different," Tippetts explains. Tippetts even filmed himself acting out Jeff's movements for the animators and tried his hand, err, mouth, at voice acting for the project.