Director Construction

Karen Knighton

*** ***** *** #*, ***** Monica CA 90403 www.birdenvy.com 323. 309. 8495 *************@*****.***

Education

California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA (2003 - 2006)

Masters of Fine Arts in Experimental Animation

University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS (1995 - 1999)

Bachelors of Arts in Film & Video Studies

Work Experience

RingTales Animation, Santa Monica, CA

Producer, Director, Animator January 2007 - November 2010

Produced and directed three acclaimed animated web series; Dilbert Animated Cartoons, Cul de Sac

Animated Cartoons and Lio Animated Cartoons. Interpreted prominent print comic strips into short

animations with tight budget and deadline considerations (produced over 400 animations in less than

four years). Worked closely with original comic artist to faithfully translate their print comic world to

animation.

Responsible for all aspects of pre-production and production including selecting work to be animated,

designing character style sheets and color palate, casting and directing voice actors and working with

animation house on animation and revision process. Performed post-production editing, color

correction, special effects and transcoding. Responsible for creating intro titles and all promotional

graphics for distribution partners. In addition to producing the Dilbert Animated Cartoons series, I was

also the Flash animator for more than 30 of the most recent cartoons.

California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA,

Experimental Animation Adjunct Professor Fall 2007, Spring 2008, Fall 2008

Instructed all first year Undergraduate and Graduate Experimental Animation students in digital

animation production and editing.

Taught principles of animated filmmaking with emphasis on incorporating Digital SLR cameras in to

animation workflow. Demonstrated fundamentals of exposure, depth of field and lighting for both 2-d

and 3-d (puppet, stop-motion, cut-out and multi-plane) animation. Developed curriculum for this course

and helped plan how new animation technology was incorporated into first year Experimental Animation

curriculum.

Taught basics of Final Cut Pro editing for animators including basic editing theory,

online/offline workflow, effects, compositing, color correction and audio.

Pitzer College, Claremont, CA,

Media Studies Technical Assistant September 2001 - August 2003

Taught weekly workshops in various topics such as Final Cut Pro editing, Photoshop basics, DVD

Studio Pro authoring and basic techniques of Animation (stop-motion and traditional 2-d). Monitored

editing and animation suites and maintained computers, cameras and production equipment. Provided

students instruction on film and video cameras, digital audio and lighting equipment.

Skills

Traditional Animation: Character based Flash 2-d animation, traditional hand-drawn 2-d animation,

After Effects compositing, cut-out animation, multi-plane rigging and animation, story boarding

Stop-Motion Animation: Puppet design and fabrication, prop design and construction, set design and

construction, small scale lighting and cinematography

Art: Painting (oil, acrylic), Illustration, Sculpture, Life Drawing, Bookbinding, Certified Picture Framer

Software: Final Cut Pro, Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, After Effects, DVD Studio Pro, Compressor,

Sorenson Squeeze, iWeb, Microsoft Office, Stop-Motion Pro, Dragon Stop-Motion

Independently Produced Films

Things Lost and Found, currently in production, Director, Designer, Animator, stop-motion animation

It Snowed, 2005, Director, Designer, Animator, stop-motion animation

Birds, 2004, Director, Designer, Animator, stop-motion animation

December, 2003, Director, Designer, Animator, 2-D animation composited over photographs

Afraid of the Dark, 2000, Director, Designer, Animator, stop-motion animation

Awards

Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Science Internship Grant, 2006

Fotokem 35mm Finishing Grant, 2006

Ahmanson Foundation Scholarship Recipient, 2004, 2005

Lulu May Von Hagen Scholarship Recipient, 2003, 2004

Grand Prize, Best of Festival, Kansas City Filmmakers Jubilee, 2001

Select Exhibitions & Screenings

Stuff This IV at Rivet Gallery, Columbus, OH, 2010

Renegade Handmade, Los Angeles, CA, 2010

Alternative Press Expo, San Francisco, CA, 2010

Unique O.C., Costa Mesa, CA, 2010

Comic-Con, San Diego, CA, 2010

Unique L.A., Los Angeles, CA, 2010

Alternative Press Expo, San Francisco, CA, 2009

Simple Pleasures at Studio Number One, Los Angeles, CA, 2008

Alternative Press Expo, San Francisco, CA, 2008

Los Angeles Animation Festival, Los Angeles, CA, 2007

Philadelphia Film Festival, Philadelphia, PA, 2007

Ask the Robot: Robot Revival @ The Frying Pan, New York, NY, 2006

Budi Animation Festival, Busan, Korea, 2006

Ion Animation Festival, Los Angeles, CA, 2005

CalArts Student Showcase, Los Angeles, CA, 2005, 2006

Antimatter Underground Film Festival, Victoria, British Columbia, 2002

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