Lily-Mae Smulling

Thesis Project

Her thesis film, Paralysis, features Everestt. After awakening from one of his cryptic nightmares, he decides to get some air and a glass of water. What he doesn’t realize is that something has made its way aboard their ship at their last stop, just waiting for one of them to let their guard down so it can strike. Everestt has always hidden behind his friends when they had to fight, now that he was all alone…will he be able to save himself? The story’s goal is to showcase realistic depictions of how trauma and mental illness affect people, as well as how they heal. The film is animated in 2D with Toon Boom Harmony; with 3D backgrounds made in Maya and drawn over in Photoshop. The whole film was compiled and edited using After Effects, with sound mixing done in Garageband.

Bio
Inspired by her own experiences in life, Lily-Mae creates work which explores the depths of trauma and mental illness using illustration, animation, and storytelling. She is incredibly passionate about 2D animation and hopes to see a revival of the medium in films and shows. Her biggest dream is to eventually publish this story about Everestt, either as a comic or 2D animated show.