To The
Animation Workshop, : http://ressiak.blogspot.co.uk/
Hello, my name is Jessy Ressia Karionkei and I am 19 years old. I would very much like to apply for the Character Animation program (CA).
Having been born and brought up in Nairobi, Kenya most of my young life, I wasn't as exposed to art and animation as most young children would have been in Britain and other technologically developed nations. Up until I was 7 years of age electricity was a rare commodity as we lived in quite a rural neighbourhood. When power eventually arrived in the neighbourhood, cartoons were a rare occurrence on Kenyan television which was mostly dedicated to adult viewers.
Being a very quiet girl who spent most of her time daydreaming, it became obvious I did not fit in, as being able to draw was not going to guarantee my future. Careers like law, medicine etc. were the most highly recognised professions.
The move to the UK at the age of 8 was a lucky one on my part; mainly because I was exposed to huge amounts of visual storytelling which for me consisted of anime and was mostly the creations of Hayao Miyazaki. Not only did these make a deep impact on me to create, but also perpetuated the idea that whatever you can imagine is possible with animation. I also did not have to wake up at 5 am every morning for school as I use to in Kenya.
Through High school I had an up and down relationship with art due to the stigma that it would never give me a “stable” career. I realised my potential in High school after whimsically entering a book cover competition and got 2nd prize out of 700 entries in our county. That is when I recognized that I cannot escape art/animation let alone dismiss it.
During my High school years I experimented with Drama and theatre acting and joined LIPA (Liverpool institute of performing arts). I felt that I learned a lot from this program, not only did it heighten my confidence but it also built my leadership skills especially while leading a group or even directing actors.
I also worked with film and got to understand what happens behind the camera, not only did it give me knowledge in directing but also in filming and editing using clips to create a coherent sequence. This made me understand the work that goes behind every film and every sequence of a film but also created a deeper appreciation within me. I also made me understand animation more, every sequence in an animation is purposeful and consequential which helps create a world believable to the audience and bring about a sense of realism.
While doing my Art and Design diploma in college I got to work with different software such as Photoshop, Premier Pro and Sketchbook pro which gave me a basic understanding of each software.
2 years ago, I was asked to think about what future I would like to have and what career path I wanted to take, it was then that I concluded that animation was my future. I wanted to create life, and to share ideas and emotion through a fairly underestimated media. Animation has taught me so much about life and gave me a sense of identity.
I discovered The Animation Workshop in Denmark through a friend and decided that this is what I wanted to do. The main reason why The Animation Workshop was more appealing to me is that through my research and emailing some the previous students on their experience, I discovered that the environment of The Animation Workshop was something I wanted to be involved in especially in your great institution. Also the fact that the instructors all work in the industry, is something that I feel would help me prepare for my future.
I have been lucky to have travelled to several places around Europe and Africa such as France, Iceland, Italy, Germany, Tanzania, UAE and Saudi Arabia. Travelling specifically is something that I thoroughly enjoy, not just the prospect of meeting new people but also learning new languages and experiencing new cultures. Having learned English as my second language at a very young age it somehow made it easier for me to pick up different languages. I have self- taught languages like Japanese among others and am now learning mandarin. These makes it easier for me to settle in different countries if need be.
Being passionate in art made me highly fanatical in animated films and also film in general, throughout high school and college, I have watched quite a few films and even series. The one film for me that introduced me to the magic of animation was Dream works 1998 film The Prince of Egypt, to me this film opened my eyes to what animation is capable of. Although The Prince of Egypt is based on the old Bible story of Moses, the animators and the writers bring to it a unique and modern take, using both traditional and 3D animation to create an animation that immerses you in the story and create a sense of realism similar to that of a live action film. The depth of the characters also helps you relate to both the protagonist and the antagonist. Princess Mononoke and Hunchback of Notre Dame are my other two most favourite films, they both use animation to create compelling stories that are not just for children but a wide range of audiences. The established worlds for these stories are so well detailed that it’s easy to get lost within the film as though you were watching real life.
Having watched many great films I honestly find it very difficult to find ones that I don’t like, but if I had to choose, then I would pick the new Ben 10 omniverse a recent adaptation of the original Ben 10, Codename kids next door and Hunter x Hunter 2011 series remake. For me the recent adaptation of the Ben 10 series is not only useless but the little quirks that made Ben 10 what it was were replaced with appalling animation and the depth of the characters is replaced with unnecessary action. I have a similar problem with the Hunter x Hunter remake. The original character depth and immersive world building was replaced by shallow characters and storylines that made no sense without character backstory and motivation which was missing in the remake of the series.
In terms Codename kids next door, my main problem with it was that the characters were forgettable and not as interesting as I would have liked them to be, to this day I can still not remember their names.
My main influences and inspirations that have helped me grow as an artist would have to be Hayao Miyazaki, Takehiko Inoue and Naoki Urasawa. These artist and film makers all have unique things about them that have helped me improve as an artist. Hayao Miyazaki has helped me understand the importance of understanding human behaviour and also how important emotion and its portrayal is in animation. Takehiko Inoue’s realistic style helped me develop my art style into something I feel represents me. Naoki Urasawa has made me understand the importance of ordinary understated stories.
I now feel that people are starting to understand the importance of animation as a media and also the fact that it’s not only for kids but can also connect to all audiences. In terms of the future of this industry I feel that with mass Globalisation, people are being introduced to different types of animation from all over the world, such as the works of Studio Ghibli. This has familiarized us with emotional and immersive stories that focus on the human aspect of life which has made them more relatable to wide range of audiences not just children.
In terms of my ambitions for the future, I would like to join a bigger production and maybe if I am very lucky work for either Dream works or even Studio Ghibli. I would like to use my love for travelling and languages to gather experiences from different parts of the world. My ambition is to be able to carve a pathway for life and getter better at what I truly love to do, and that is to draw.
I have great interest in all styles of animation such as 2D or 3D, I am excited to push myself and experiment, taking advantage of the opportunities that TAW will provide. I will finance the program with my family’s help and also my own personal savings that I have earned by working.
I Hope that I have shown my determination for getting into this program and am looking forward to it and my future. Getting an acceptance for CA will be a big step for me as a future animator.
Sincerely
Jessy Ressia Karionkei
Hello, my name is Jessy Ressia Karionkei and I am 19 years old. I would very much like to apply for the Character Animation program (CA).
Having been born and brought up in Nairobi, Kenya most of my young life, I wasn't as exposed to art and animation as most young children would have been in Britain and other technologically developed nations. Up until I was 7 years of age electricity was a rare commodity as we lived in quite a rural neighbourhood. When power eventually arrived in the neighbourhood, cartoons were a rare occurrence on Kenyan television which was mostly dedicated to adult viewers.
Being a very quiet girl who spent most of her time daydreaming, it became obvious I did not fit in, as being able to draw was not going to guarantee my future. Careers like law, medicine etc. were the most highly recognised professions.
The move to the UK at the age of 8 was a lucky one on my part; mainly because I was exposed to huge amounts of visual storytelling which for me consisted of anime and was mostly the creations of Hayao Miyazaki. Not only did these make a deep impact on me to create, but also perpetuated the idea that whatever you can imagine is possible with animation. I also did not have to wake up at 5 am every morning for school as I use to in Kenya.
Through High school I had an up and down relationship with art due to the stigma that it would never give me a “stable” career. I realised my potential in High school after whimsically entering a book cover competition and got 2nd prize out of 700 entries in our county. That is when I recognized that I cannot escape art/animation let alone dismiss it.
During my High school years I experimented with Drama and theatre acting and joined LIPA (Liverpool institute of performing arts). I felt that I learned a lot from this program, not only did it heighten my confidence but it also built my leadership skills especially while leading a group or even directing actors.
I also worked with film and got to understand what happens behind the camera, not only did it give me knowledge in directing but also in filming and editing using clips to create a coherent sequence. This made me understand the work that goes behind every film and every sequence of a film but also created a deeper appreciation within me. I also made me understand animation more, every sequence in an animation is purposeful and consequential which helps create a world believable to the audience and bring about a sense of realism.
While doing my Art and Design diploma in college I got to work with different software such as Photoshop, Premier Pro and Sketchbook pro which gave me a basic understanding of each software.
2 years ago, I was asked to think about what future I would like to have and what career path I wanted to take, it was then that I concluded that animation was my future. I wanted to create life, and to share ideas and emotion through a fairly underestimated media. Animation has taught me so much about life and gave me a sense of identity.
I discovered The Animation Workshop in Denmark through a friend and decided that this is what I wanted to do. The main reason why The Animation Workshop was more appealing to me is that through my research and emailing some the previous students on their experience, I discovered that the environment of The Animation Workshop was something I wanted to be involved in especially in your great institution. Also the fact that the instructors all work in the industry, is something that I feel would help me prepare for my future.
I have been lucky to have travelled to several places around Europe and Africa such as France, Iceland, Italy, Germany, Tanzania, UAE and Saudi Arabia. Travelling specifically is something that I thoroughly enjoy, not just the prospect of meeting new people but also learning new languages and experiencing new cultures. Having learned English as my second language at a very young age it somehow made it easier for me to pick up different languages. I have self- taught languages like Japanese among others and am now learning mandarin. These makes it easier for me to settle in different countries if need be.
Being passionate in art made me highly fanatical in animated films and also film in general, throughout high school and college, I have watched quite a few films and even series. The one film for me that introduced me to the magic of animation was Dream works 1998 film The Prince of Egypt, to me this film opened my eyes to what animation is capable of. Although The Prince of Egypt is based on the old Bible story of Moses, the animators and the writers bring to it a unique and modern take, using both traditional and 3D animation to create an animation that immerses you in the story and create a sense of realism similar to that of a live action film. The depth of the characters also helps you relate to both the protagonist and the antagonist. Princess Mononoke and Hunchback of Notre Dame are my other two most favourite films, they both use animation to create compelling stories that are not just for children but a wide range of audiences. The established worlds for these stories are so well detailed that it’s easy to get lost within the film as though you were watching real life.
Having watched many great films I honestly find it very difficult to find ones that I don’t like, but if I had to choose, then I would pick the new Ben 10 omniverse a recent adaptation of the original Ben 10, Codename kids next door and Hunter x Hunter 2011 series remake. For me the recent adaptation of the Ben 10 series is not only useless but the little quirks that made Ben 10 what it was were replaced with appalling animation and the depth of the characters is replaced with unnecessary action. I have a similar problem with the Hunter x Hunter remake. The original character depth and immersive world building was replaced by shallow characters and storylines that made no sense without character backstory and motivation which was missing in the remake of the series.
In terms Codename kids next door, my main problem with it was that the characters were forgettable and not as interesting as I would have liked them to be, to this day I can still not remember their names.
My main influences and inspirations that have helped me grow as an artist would have to be Hayao Miyazaki, Takehiko Inoue and Naoki Urasawa. These artist and film makers all have unique things about them that have helped me improve as an artist. Hayao Miyazaki has helped me understand the importance of understanding human behaviour and also how important emotion and its portrayal is in animation. Takehiko Inoue’s realistic style helped me develop my art style into something I feel represents me. Naoki Urasawa has made me understand the importance of ordinary understated stories.
I now feel that people are starting to understand the importance of animation as a media and also the fact that it’s not only for kids but can also connect to all audiences. In terms of the future of this industry I feel that with mass Globalisation, people are being introduced to different types of animation from all over the world, such as the works of Studio Ghibli. This has familiarized us with emotional and immersive stories that focus on the human aspect of life which has made them more relatable to wide range of audiences not just children.
In terms of my ambitions for the future, I would like to join a bigger production and maybe if I am very lucky work for either Dream works or even Studio Ghibli. I would like to use my love for travelling and languages to gather experiences from different parts of the world. My ambition is to be able to carve a pathway for life and getter better at what I truly love to do, and that is to draw.
I have great interest in all styles of animation such as 2D or 3D, I am excited to push myself and experiment, taking advantage of the opportunities that TAW will provide. I will finance the program with my family’s help and also my own personal savings that I have earned by working.
I Hope that I have shown my determination for getting into this program and am looking forward to it and my future. Getting an acceptance for CA will be a big step for me as a future animator.
Sincerely
Jessy Ressia Karionkei
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