“My biggest recommendations to young people starting out is to expect things to change. Don’t be afraid to try new things. Expect the unexpected and be able to pivot.”
– Charlie Callahan, 23“Things were going great,” he said. “But then I remember being in class and hearing rumors about a pandemic.”
“SVA was very strict on regulating opening and closing,” he said. “The moment it got too bad, they said school is closed. Go online.”
As New York City became an epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the US, students first worked remotely in their dorm rooms, with the option of going home to work remotely. Later the dorms closed down.
Charlie said he was lucky to have a full computer set up, including a Cintiq, which he transported home to Greenwich.
He spent second semester sophomore year and all of junior year taking classes remotely.
“Junior year was really fun. I was more relaxed at home and more comfortable behind the screen. I reconnected with a lot of people and got to be more in command of my life.”
“That transition was interesting. We kept to our schedule – all from home. It was not too big of a problem, but keeping up the motivation, and doing that amount of work is tricky.”
Returning in person for senior year was a relief, and brought with it more leeway in course selection.
“Seniors get first dibs and I took fun courses like Stop Motion and Film Noir,” he said.
Senior year was also spent working on his thesis film, but Charlie said his thesis advisor, Lisa LaBracio, was an inspiration and great help.
Thesis preparation begins the summer before senior year, including work on the story, script and general beats of the animation.
“When school starts you get going on the actual production of backgrounds and animation itself,” Charlie explained, adding that thesis films are required to be at least one minute long. His was three minutes long. “You go through many iterations and meet lots of deadlines.”
Part of the experience was watching the progress of other students and how they go about their work schedule.
“It combined everything I’d learned in the four years I’d been there,” he said. “The amount of work I’d done previously helped – it was all relevant.”
In the end the thesis films are evaluated on a pass/fail basis, but Charlie took nothing for granted.
He said the decision hinged on an end-of-semester 10 minute meeting with Hsiang Chin Moe, the head of the department, and your professor for the showing.
“She said she loved it and gave me compliments, but I was still waiting to hear if I passed, which I did. It was fantastic.”
From there, all the students whose thesis film passed were able to screen their film for a large audience. The six-hour event was in SVA’s theater, and each student could bring three guests.
Better yet, graduation for the entire school was held at Radio City Music Hall. Keynote speaker was Roxanne Gay.
“I have such fond memories of my time at SVA. I met so many amazing people and teachers. It was a wonderful experience.”
With his BFA under his belt, Charlie said he is in the process of job hunting. He benefits from access to the SVA alumni system and job board that includes multiple links to career sites. Beyond that the school holds online sessions to help with the job search.
“My biggest recommendations to young people starting out is to expect things to change. Don’t be afraid to try new things. Expect the unexpected and be able to pivot.”
“The world is tough these days,” he added. “But if you find something that really motivates you and inspires you, go for it. Be willing to deviate. It’s okay to change your goals.”
More on the SVA BFA undergraduate program is available online.