While many only dream of turning their artistic hobbies into profitable careers, junior Sydney Berman aligns herself along the path to success through animation. With a natural aptitude for most aspects of art, Berman has found a way to turn her passion into an ambitious goal.
“People who love art and think there is nothing for them to do with it are completely wrong,” said Berman. “There is an artistic aspect in almost every field, you just have to look hard enough and work hard enough to make it yours.”
From the time she was 2 years old, Berman has always embraced her creative side through endeavors such as drawing, oil painting, pastels and digital media. As a toddler, she was rarely without crayons in one hand and a drawing board planted firmly in the other. When her mother noticed Berman’s zeal for creativity, Berman began taking art classes and has continued to do so ever since.
Recently, after taking a course at the Pasadena Art Center last year, Berman has begun focusing her efforts into animation. She plans to spend the upcoming summer at the Ringling College of Art and Design to turn her current idea into reality: a short animated film titled Le Cirque, in which a street performer follows his dreams to join the circus.
“The theme of my project and the message I want to convey is to dream big,” Said Berman. “I envision a Tim Burton type of feel, which is something that involves thinking out-of-the-box.”
Berman describes animation as giving life to objects. The first and longest step she tackles is creating concepts, which involves turning ideas in to comprehensible emotions through the characters on screen. Next she deciphers what the length of each scene should be to make the piece readable to the eye as a whole, so that it is understandable for all viewers.
“My favorite part about animation is the characters that go into it,” said Berman. “Characters convey emotions that connect and allow me to relate to an audience.”
John Lassator, the founder of Pixar, is one of Berman’s biggest inspirations. After getting fired from Disney, he used his own ideas and created his own successful company, a bold act of individuality that Berman hopes to emulate in the future. Berman’s own style is currently Disney-inspired and includes soft characters and fairytale settings. She continuously works to challenge herself and experiments to find her own unique niche in the world of animation.
With persistence and innate ability, Berman breaks the barrier between artist and motivated businesswoman. She combines her love for art and appetite for success to settle for nothing less than her dreams.
