On Show

Ellen McCullough

BA [Hons] Animation

I am a 2D animator and filmmaker with an interest in all things story and layout. My Grad film 'Roots' is a reflection of my focus on telling a story, which follows the narration of my father while he works in his garden, as he reflects on how he became so interested in gardening and his life growing up in Northern Ireland during its conflict. I am available for animation and storyboarding work - you can have a look at my work below or on my behance linked to the left!

' Roots' is a 2D animated documentary, narrated by a Belfast native who experienced growing up in the epicentre of the Northern Irish conflict, managed to find peace in his gardening. Roots follows the narration of my father while he works in his garden, as he reflects on how he became so interested in gardening, his life in Northern Ireland, and the aftermath of the impact the conflict had on the lives of everyone around him. My main focus for this project was to do the stories my father was telling justice, through extensive boarding and creating shots through frame-by-frame animation and rotoscoping.

Storyboard examples from *'Roots'*, using storyboard pro, comparing the original boards to the final output.

Polytunnel background from *' Roots'* painted in Adobe Photoshop using Wacom Cintiq.

Background of window box and soil. Painted in Adobe photoshop, layout done in StoryBoard Pro

2D Animation Showreel June 2021 - Song Pretty Carolina Johntha Links

For a shot in ' Roots', I wanted a row of houses, similar to those found in and around Belfast, to rotate in space - and I built a 3D housing estate in after effects with the guidance of Eimhin McNamara. Once I was happy with the render I re-animated it through photoshop using the reference we made. I used footage I gathered on Halloween night and overlayed it to give the line work the effect of flames without it being too aggressive because I really wanted this sequence to be dreamlike - to pair with the narrative of my father reminiscing on his experiences living in belfast.

'Roots'

My grad film & ' Roots' is an insight into Northern Ireland's conflict and the young life of one Belfast native understood through his passion for his garden and vegetables.

I started out this project by filming my father as he went about his daily routine in the garden, asking him about what he was doing that day and how he got to the point he's at now.

The narration is all stories I collected and compiled throughout the interviewing process, and the animation was curated to accompany and do justice to the experiences my father faced at a young age.

I spend the last year using Adobe Photoshop and After Effects to achieve the cinematic intimate feel of the film.

Thesis PDF Roots Storyboards PDF

“ ‘Pure Music’ and Contemporary film ” - How does using Pure music add to a film and audiences’ experience

The compiled music soundtrack is becoming a popular mode of emphasising audience engagement. The compiled soundtrack allows for cross-marketing of films and music, while also allowing audiences to connect with what they're seeing on screen at a deeper level, as the popular songs they're hearing were created outside the context of the film and therefore can have connotations for a viewer outside the film they're now being used in.

In my thesis I explore the techniques and dive into their applications, specifically their psychological effect on our brains when hearing a piece of popular music we recognize in conjunction with the film visuals were watching.

In my research, in comparing texts about the mapping of the human brain while listening to music, I conclude that there is a correlation between listening to music you like and being able to empathise with characters on screen.

Thesis PDF Roots Storyboards PDF