STORYTELLING WITH ANIMATION

Quote from Symone Pope, "This short animation centers on the theme of childhood memories. It highlights a small moment that felt big during my childhood: catching fireflies at night with my siblings." There is a screenshot of her film next to it.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Symone Pope is a graduate from Baltimore City College and a participant in Wide Angle’s animation program. She has a passion for drawing and painting.

For art class, we had to create an artwork for exhibition, and we could choose from photography, animation, or collage. Since I was familiar with animation from Wide Angle, I thought it would be the best option. This short animation centers on the theme of childhood memories. It highlights a small moment that felt big during my childhood: catching fireflies at night with my siblings. It touches on the importance of remembering and honoring memories. By highlighting a universal childhood experience, it connects with young people who might be reflecting on their past. 

At Wide Angle, I learned about the basics of storyboarding, frame-by-frame drawing, and how timing affects the motion of the pictures. I knew how to navigate the Procreate app, how to add frames, and knew which brushes I wanted to use to create texture for the flowers, trees, and grass, and how to blend using certain brushes. It took some patience, and because it was a summative for the class, it had to be done by a specific date. The hardest part was trying to layer colors. Something I would do differently is learn more about layering so that I could achieve a darker background effect. I liked the shadows, trees, leaves, and flowers. I like the colors I used for the animation, it gives a homely vibe. The fireflies bring everything together. 

'Don’t Move' was my final project, which I created for my animation class at Wide Angle. The film is about being afraid to ask for help. A little tries to do stuff on her own, like combing out her hair, but when it doesn’t go right, she’s afraid to say anything to her mom.

Spring Campaign: Meet the Moment

At Wide Angle, we believe creative expression is a powerful tool for self-discovery, just like you read here. This spring, we’re raising funds to help us provide high school programming for 110+ students in 2025. Make a gift to sustain creative education for emerging artists like Symone.

Wide Angle Youth Media