Abstract

Pond Scum: Partygeddon is a film about three lowlifes, Algee, Oozer and Ewwglena, who set out to throw a party to end all parties, and get a little more than they bargained for. Their scrappy friendship will be all that keeps them alive by the end of the night.

The film is hand drawn 2d animation created in Toon Boom Harmony and composited with original, hand-painted, watercolor backgrounds in Adobe After Effects. The soundtrack is a mix of original songs by the bands Pond Scum, Lord Scum, and Sh*t Rat.

This paper is both a documentation of the process of making the film, as well as a reflection on the motivations and the inspirations to do so. It’s a rare opportunity to be able to follow your own creative path and not without its own pitfalls, but for some of us a comical amount of student debt is no deterrence against pursuing the creative life. As my grandfather would say about buying a car on credit, “Five hundred dollars down and the chase is on.” This film is my opening sprint in the chase.

Pond Scum: Partygeddon is an homage to the spirit of Do It Yourself, and to everyone who attempts to create the world they want now, without waiting for permission. The film hides its heart behind belches and clouds of smoke, but proudly raises a salty salute to losers, miscreants and weirdos everywhere. As American media is consolidated into fewer and fewer hands, and our culture ossifies around this monolith built by the hoarding of wealth and power, the only place for creatives to go is into the basement, the garage, the bedroom. As unfettered expression is pushed to the fringes of society, the polish gets rougher, the art noisier and the mess bigger. To me, Pond Scum: Partygeddon is that mess, and it’s a mess dear to my heart -- a loud collaboration with friends for the sake of collaborating, a god awful ruckus in the middle of the night that wakes up half the neighborhood.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Computer animation--Themes, motives; Computer animation--Technique; Animated films--Themes, motives; Animation (Cinematography); Parties--Drama

Publication Date

11-9-2020

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Imaging Arts (MFA)

Department, Program, or Center

School of Film and Animation (CAD)

Advisor

Stephanie Maxwell

Advisor/Committee Member

Tom Gasek

Advisor/Committee Member

Mari Jaye Blanchard

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

Plan Codes

IMGART-MFA

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