Jun 12, 2013

Mirage" by Iker Maidagan and Dana Terrace

"Mirage" is one of the best graduation projects of the 2013 graduating class of the School of Visual Arts. An Inuit boy and his dog go fishing in the desolate Arctic wilderness and discover strange happenings lurking beneath the frozen sea.

The film was a collaboration between Iker Maidagan, who conceived the story and did the layout, and Dana Terrace, who designed and animated the characters. Working as a team allowed them to focus on their individual artistic strengths and bring them to bear on a single project. From story concept to animation to final compositing, and everything in between, the process was flawlessly executed.

I have known both Iker and Dana personally since their time at SVA, and they both have a great understanding of the process, not only as animators, but as filmmakers and storytellers. I have never seen a student film as accomplished and polished as a studio-produced short.