Koda Waters
Angel is a lonely and sheltered girl, struggling with her self-image and confidence. One quiet night by the sea, Angel witnesses a shooting star crash into the shores nearby. An Alien pops out from the crashed pod, and immediately meets Angel with a hug. Alien's free spirited and adventurous personality inspires Angel, and after spending the day with them she starts to open up, and for the first time feels okay being herself around others; Overcoming her inner-conflict and dysphoria, Angel finally begins to feel at peace with Alien by her side.
When deciding to make this short film, I wanted to prove to myself that I was capable of making something of this scale. The film being based on my real-life relationship with my partner meant I had a genuine connection to the project, which I think is what really pushed me to go beyond what I'd ever done before as an animator/director. I was very inspired by animated series' "Bee and Puppycat," and "Steven Universe"; The softness of Bee and Puppycat's pastel/cell-shaded colors, and the way Rebecca Sugar imbued elements of queer/trans-identity into the characters and plot of Steven Universe were very heavily drawn upon in my own work. Ultimately I wanted my film to reflect a part of myself, and for it to be inspiring to those who could see themselves in it too!
My abilities as an animator and director have certainly grown a lot from experiencing the full pipeline of a short film production- it really gave me a more solid idea of which areas of animation I was most passionate about, like story-boarding, character design, and animating. I really enjoyed working with so many talented artists and animators; In the beginning I couldn't see myself working as part of a team, but I ended up having more than 10 people working alongside me!
In the end I'm very proud of myself for managing a project such as this. I feel I have a renewed sense of confidence in myself that I hope to carry with me into the future!
While my film and thesis paper are not directly connected, both cover/include themes of trans-identity and queerness. In my thesis paper, I illustrate the ways in which transgender identity and gender non-conformity are, and historically have been, represented in film. I cover many examples of films that use the trans-body as vehicles for their narratives and messaging, as well as a deep dive into Jane Schoenbruns "I Saw the TV Glow" (2024), and how it portrays the trans-experience in a powerful and faithful light.
I am an Animation Director with a particular interest in storyboards, animation, and character design. My thesis film "Angel X Alien", like most of my works, draws from my personal experiences and interests, such as queer identity and video-games. I love learning new things and am always seeking new experiences to further develop myself, and my skills as a creative!
