The Sophian

Issue date: 3/4/10 Section: Features

Do you remember your favorite animated film? Was it Pixar's Wall-E? Or Warner Bros.' Happy Feet? What about DreamWorks' Shrek? Can you imagine being able to create these movies for a living?

That's exactly what Chris Perry, an ex-Pixar animator, did for several years before accepting a teaching position at Hampshire College. Since his arrival, he has designed 14 new classes revolving around computer animation.

Thanks to Hampshire's open department structure, Perry has had unparalleled freedom in creating classes that span the disciplines, from Intro to Animation to a programming class that attempts to improve "The Hub," Hampshire's version of Moodle.

Perry greatly appreciates the independence he has been given at Hampshire. "It's because of Hampshire that I do teach. They have fully embraced a multidisciplinary education. For the first time in my life, I don't feel like I'm falling through the cracks in the system," he said.

A few years ago, Perry felt the need to expand animation resources in order to accommodate the growing interests of Hampshire and other Five-College students. As a result, he drew up a plan to create a community of professional animators, who in return for office space and technology allowances would provide internships and real-life experience to undergraduates interested in breaking into the animation industry.

"In the end, everyone benefits. The pros get a staff and the interns get real experience in the field," Perry said. Today, this plan has grown into the unofficially named "Nerd-o-Drome," a work and educational space located in Adele Simmons Hall at Hampshire College.

As you walk in the door at ASH, the sleek, low-lit lounge catches your eye. Equipped with gadgets and gismos for an animator's every whim, the space is used by local animators Bassam Kurdali, Chris Bishop and Evan Viera and their interns.

Since its inception, Hampshire's animation program has spawned several short films, including Displacement and The Incident at Tower 37. These short films have been a result of animation classes and internships alike. Currently, the group is focused on producing a short film called "Tube" that meditates upon the meaning of immortality for mortal beings.

Philosophical ideas play a large, if unexpected, role in the world of independent computer animation. From choosing the central message of a short film to the system one uses to produce a film, every decision holds some political and or philosophical weight. Kurdali for example works almost exclusively with free and open source software (FOSS).

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