George Ragen
Animation
Biography
George Ragen’s passion for animation started at a young age. Since 2006 he has become exhilarated with learning his craft using computer graphics. Years later, he would go on to college and get his associates degree in Computer Graphics and Game Design at Camden County College where he used his skills to work on video game projects as a member of the art team while leading his own team to plan out the project’s marketing campaigns, sound design, story, and analog adaptation. He then interned at a development studio called Island Officials where he designed, tested, and created art assets analog games both for his own projects and others in the company. He then ran a workshop on game design at Gloucester County library where he helped children find ways to design their own games. Afterward, he came to Rutgers University to improve his skill in animation and take a real first step into an industry he can use to put his work out to the public and inspire other people’s passion just as he was inspired to pursue his own.
Statement
My whole life I’ve been surrounded by animation, not just for their entertainment but how they worked, how they were made, and what made them move. At a point, I knew I wanted to become an animator and it stuck with me since. I was 14 when I discovered I could animate on my computer and began self-teaching myself how to do it. This short is special to me in a few different ways. For one, it serves as a tribute to the type of animation I’ve grown up with and gave me that drive to create art and pursue this career. I also see it as a milestone of how far I’ve come since I was a child messing with polygons on an old laptop up until now, getting my bachelor’s degree and taking a step into my career as an animator. On another level, this short follows themes that can relate to many different aspects of our lives today. It reflects themes of nature, actions and consequences, and themes of preservation. These themes are universal and can fit into almost anyone’s lives and situations they’re facing and how a lot of us may deal with them.