Caoimhe Lawless
I specialised in 2D Animation, producing rough animation as well as working on cleanup. I spent the year working on my classmates' projects; "Crab Meat" by Maija Lidija Kurcisa; "Homesick" by Danya Grigorev; and "Spiorad na Báistí" by Samira Sikder, Saoirse McEvoy, and Miguel Lopez Guerrero. I also helped out with some other classmates' projects wherever I could!
My aim with specialising was to improve my skills in 2D, frame-by-frame animation and software such as Toon Boom Harmony. I wanted to work on a variety of projects that would allow me to explore different styles of animation and give me experience working with different team structures and directing styles.
Specialising in animation was an amazing opportunity for me to improve my skills, and allowed me the room to grow and develop my technical and artistic skills. It was brilliant to work with my directors and my lecturers and learn from their feedback. I have a newfound confidence in my work and a motivation to continue exploring animation in any way I can!
My thesis aimed to research the evolution of Monsters in Cinema, focusing specifically on Vampires in Hollywood Cinema.
My research was broken down into three main sections; "Monsters Across Time" - an analysis of the development of the screen Vampire over the ages, and how it is affected by changing cultural ideals; "Monsters Across Genre" - research into the changes made to Vampires in cinema in order to adapt them to a variety of genres whilst still being recognisable as a Vampire; and "Monsters Through a Different Lens" - an insight into the relationship between the Vampire and ideas of Race, Colonisation and Gender.
I'm an animator from Wicklow, specialising in 2D animation. Animation has always inspired me, and I love seeing something I have created come to life on screen! I have an interest in animation across the production pipeline, from concept to compositing, but I focused on 2D Animation and Cleanup this year to focus on improving my skills in these areas.
