Newhouse Alumnus Chris Bennett G’22 Creates Award-Winning Short Film

In his time at the Newhouse School, multimedia, photography and design alumnus Chris Bennett G’22  worked on a short film that extended far beyond the classroom.   

For his master’s thesis, Bennett created “Level One,” a four-minute fully animated piece that takes the viewer through a video game race between two brothers. The project has received national recognition in the animation community, being selected to screen at over 20  film festivals and winning at the Cayuga Film Festival. From concept to final edit was a year-long process executed during the graduate program, Bennett says, and the short film was paramount in securing his current position as a motion designer at Trusted Media Brands in Wisconsin.

How did you develop the concept and storyline for your short film?

I wanted to do a fully animated film for my master’s thesis and knew that going in. It’s based on playing video games with my brother, and that’s how we bonded. He was six years older than me, so if we played sports, it’d probably be a little unfair. Video games were more of a level [playing] field to hang out. 

What lessons and skills did you learn while creating your short film?

I learned pre-production and production things from Professor Shaina Holmes’s visual effects class, from file management to the overarching production schedule. Scheduling, labeling, organizing and producing the shots is like her bread and butter. That translates to animation and was a way to really break down a project from scripts to storyboard. Then trying to come up with a story and writing it is the hardest part, and having a nice arc from a climax to rising action. So I felt like a race would just be as simple, like beginning, middle and end. 

What does the recognition that your film has been receiving mean to you?

It’s awesome. I went to grad school and was 26 years old. I thought it was kind of a career pivot, and now I’m working full time as a motion graphics animator and get to go to these festivals for animation for something I did. It’s kind of a dream come true. 

How have your Newhouse coursework and experiences impacted your development in animation and your career?

Newhouse gave me a lot of flexibility to learn what I wanted and also pushed me to know if you’re going to do it big, do it right. So I took the time to make this film what it could be, and it’s obviously still a student film, but I think it still shows a lot of skill sets, from writing to software use and design. Classes in motion design, typography, design and visual effects are huge pillars, but I still like harking back to my work every day. 

What advice would you share with other Newhouse students interested in or pursuing animation or a project like this?

I would say start small. Do a really short project and don’t shoot for the stars right away. And ask for help when you don’t know how to do something. Asking for help is really how you build your network.