The following students have been named as nominees for the 2021 Artist of the Year in film/animation. We received 39 nominations from teachers and private instructors at Orange County high schools and arts organizations.
This arts discipline has been divided into three specialties: animation and visual arts, cinematography, and directing and editing. Semi-finalists in each specialty will be chosen by a panel of film teachers and announced in April at ocregister.com
The nominees are listed with an endorsement from their nominating teacher. We have not included links to students’ films because some film festivals, into which the students may submit their films, request that the films not be posted publicly online.
ANIMATION and VISUAL EFFECTS
Taylor Bastidas
In her junior year she enlisted a band of like-minded students and helped fill one of my all-time favorite classes — The Art of Animation. Upbeat, faultlessly kind to others, collaborative, explosively funny, and creative to her core, Miss Bastidas spent the year experimenting and creating wonderful projects with expressive characters and original story lines. Her entire focus is to become the best animator she can be.” — David Lyons, Rosary Academy
Angela Benet
“Angela is one of those kinds of students that are prone to fixation on a singular topic, not to the exclusion of all else or anything but to the degree that her knowledge in particular areas like the history of the 1700s or Animation for example, likely rivals that of a college professor. It’s this rich knowledge base that she has built upon to create one-of-a-kind works that are rich with information and passion.” — Patrick Williams, Orange County School of the Arts
Tyler Brown
“Tyler is a self-starter and over the years I have seen his passions change. Initially he was excited to try out directing, then he saw himself as an editor, and in the last year he has begun to explore animation and visual effects much more. Since then he has created several 3D titles and animations for our school broadcast, and he has the ambitious goal of making his own animated film by the end of the year.” — Nathan Boice, Arnold O. Beckman High School
Ethan Kozik
“My students are always secretive of their work, Ethan Kozik being a prime example of this. The pandemic makes it even more difficult to know exactly where he is artistically or what he’s doing, but I’m confident he has spent the bulk of this time continuing to learn, craft, and make progress on his prodigious animation and VFX skills. I used to just look over his shoulder, where he’d be quietly chipping away at some ghastly creature in Blender, creating an environment for his characters, or stitching together an action composite in After effects.” — Michael Simmons, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts
Ryan Krall
“Ryan Krall is an extremely talented animator and storyteller. His short animated films features lovable and memorable characters and include varying types of animation. Ryan is constantly pushing the boundaries of his animation, starting with traditional 2D sketch animation and growing into computer generated animation.” — Karen Bennett, St. Margaret’s Episcopal School
Tien Le
“Tien approaches animation with an unbelievable energy, pushing herself to try things she hadn’t before and proving time and time again that she won’t stop improving. She painstakingly finds a way to incorporate animation in almost every single one of her projects. Beyond that, her wonderful animations are filled with so much life and character.” — Michael Simmons, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts
Allyson Tan
“llyson diligently pursues her passion and curiosity for art in all areas. Allyson has shown growth in her own art as a result of seeking out shared public advice from business professionals, constant practice, and striving to actualize her vision. When developing a character,
Allyson will draw the figure dozens of time until she reaches perfection in expressing her vision, story, and creativity. While growth is obvious, she understands that there is still always more room to improve and learn. Allyson feels that her best work is only “temporary” and a new best is always something to strive for.” — Vicky Schwarz, Cloud Campus
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Katherine Allhusen
“She brings a unique and robust visual style to her work. She is obviously passionate about the film medium, and is adept at story and visual analysis. I’m always delighted when I can see the influences of other filmmakers in student work, which means they are paying attention and assimilating new creative colors onto their palette. Kate’s work shows that she is paying attention and cares about what she’s doing.” — Michael Simmons, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts
Antone Axten
“Antone was always ahead on every technical and professional level. He was a great leader and show runner in my class where he took more than enough time helping his peers understand the specific vision we were capturing as a group. His communication was thorough and he was patient with everyone in very time crunching circumstances.” — Jim Stevens, Orange County School of the Arts
William Canalleti
“His attitude and composure on set is totally professional, humble, and self-assured. He knows how to keep his mouth shut when he should, but isn’t afraid to speak up when he needs to, showing maturity and professionalism beyond his years.” — Michael Simmons, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts
Nathan Kadota
“Nathan not only has the ability to compose the perfect shot, but also masterfully control and shape light. He has also directed and produced a variety of film projects and has a passion for cinema. He is one of the few students who truly appreciates the art of filmmaking and watches a wide range of cinema including foreign films and art house cinema, not just your typical blockbuster superhero films.” — Ryan Hayes, Edison High School
Haley Kamola
“Beyond her work ethic and considerable talents, the thing I find the most striking about Haley is her empathy and insistence on fairness and equity on behalf of her fellow students. Her leadership in the classroom, and in her role as a student council representative have been selfless and open. She makes sure that every voice is heard, and gives voice to those less likely to speak up. This shows in her work as well.” — Michael Simmons, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts
Isabella Lazaro
“Bella really shines behind the camera. Her documentary cinematography is fantastic, she has a great eye for her surroundings and for capturing spectacular imagery. Her best work really does an excellent job of capturing the beauty of the natural surroundings.” — Mark Switzer, El Dorado High School
Spencer McDonald
“When it comes to filmmaking, he’s off on some shoot or an active set nearly every weekend. He works constantly. When he isn’t helping others, he’s organizing his own shoots, often handling all the work himself. I’ve never had a student more willing and eager to actually learn things, and really understand the ‘why’ behind what we do.” — Michael Simmons, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts
Henry James Mull
“Where Henry shines is filming sports! He specializes in cinematography and editing to showcase our Vanguard athletes. As lead cinematographer for Vanguard Football Henry filmed not only the games themselves, but he produced weekly inspirational hype videos for the team. These superb energetic videos signaled game day for our community!” — Vicki Mull, El Modena High School
Tuong Dao Cat Nguyen
“A naturally creative person, Cat entered my class with not just a desire to learn how to create films, but also an innate curiosity in film history and theory. Her constant need to research and discover more about each film genre and movement we discuss has heavily influenced her filmmaking and allowed her to explore some truly creative techniques.” — Nick Ochoa, Fairmont Preparatory Academy
Yinzhi Pan
“Peter (Yinzhi) Pan is a natural for cinematography. His eye for composition and exposure are off the charts. He is brilliant with technology and computers. He created a top-notch website for our broadcast program as well as a very sophisticated production management system. Peter is an incredible presenter and motivator of his peers.” — Tina Murphy, Portola High School
Brandon Michael Potter
“Brandon has had a passion for cinematography and filmmaking since the day I met him. He has known he wants to be a filmmaker from a very young age and he spends almost all his time working towards that goal. I have continued to be impressed with his work as he expands his portfolio, even this year. Brandon is not incredibly talented, but also a wonderful team player.” — Nathan Boice, Arnold O. Beckman High School
Jayden Roh
“Beyond simply creating interesting shots with his camera, Jayden has learned how to combine cinematography with other aspects of filmmaking to become a stronger director. Jayden also laboriously edits his films with intense dedication and shows true understanding of the nuances involved with pacing and shot selection. Above all else he has become a team player and regular seeks to work with and help others, despite the challenges of doing so virtually.” — Nick Ochoa, Fairmont Preparatory Academy
Maximus William Vadas
“Max brings his theatre background to his work in film. He envisions the scene, creates memorable characters, and puts storytelling at the heart of his work. He is consistently aware of lighting, picture and sound. I have constantly been impressed by his editing and storytelling skills, even in short trailers for our theatrical productions. I’m sure when given the chance, he will create great things.” — Cheryl Des Palmes, Tesoro High School
DIRECTING and EDITING
Camryn Caruthers
“Camryn blew me away with her immediate response to design and visual storytelling. I have been impressed with her ability to learn how to utilize the elements and principles of art, her ability to connect with people, and her talent for communicating her visual story. She still has so much to learn about technique, but her eye, dedication to her habits, and her heart for others make her shine.” — Anna Bloomfield, Crean Lutheran High School
Ethan Chu
“Ethan is a bright, capable, and intellectually curious artist whom I believe will excel in all he sets forth to accomplish. He is also an engaged story teller and content creator, developing vibrant stories for himself and in collaborative group projects.” — Michael Brown, Orange County School of the Arts
Johann Ren Collantes
“Ren Collantes is a great cinematographer and editor. He studies the material of his assignments and carefully gets his work done by paying attention to what is in the frame or if something feels off. A better way to describe Ren is that he is a great problem solver and is always open to helping anyone with support.” — Jim Stevens, Orange County School of the Arts
Liam Collins
“Sound design is one of the more invisible jobs and so much of the learning and work is not seen by most other students. But you can sure tell the difference in the projects he has worked on! Liam is creative and imaginative and has to make hundreds of critical decisions on every project. I’ve seen only exponential growth in him.” — Craig Landino, Capistrano Valley High School
Akash Dewan
“A talented and compassionate leader, Akash is a positive example for others as a filmmaker. He understands technique and story and is very generous with his time and knowledge. I have seen Akash grow as an artist, in the past three years, and he has taken every opportunity to grow and learn. He is well versed in cinema and story, and lights up when he speaks about film.” — Hali Kessler, University High School
Jake Flores
“Where Jake really shines in our class is with his film projects. Jake is probably my most filmmaker and is certainly not afraid to take risks. One of his most recent films, “The Magnificent Juul Heist” tells the story of a couple of high school kids who conspire to steal back their vapes from the school principal. On screen, the film plays a bit like a high school version of Oceans Eleven. It is inspiring to watch Jake work – he is always experimenting with new techniques and styles of music and film. He films, directs, and edits — the complete package.” — Mark Switzer, El Dorado High School
Noah Frech
“In my classes he excelled at creating challenging content for both his projects and collaborating with his classmates. He was always willing to travel outside his comfort zones and explore different perspectives and points of view previously unrevealed to him, resulting in great growth as both a student and a young adult. This is the measure of an artist, and Noah wholeheartedly welcomes these challenges.” — Michael Brown, Orange County School of the Arts
Olga Isabel Harrison
“Olga has been a film student for all four years of high school, and each year her she has become more confident in her passion and drive as a filmmaker. Along with a constant desire to improve and refine her skills, Olga brings with her a sense of compassion and leadership, often trying to work with others and bring the creativity out of them for the benefit of the class.” — Nick Ochoa, Fairmont Preparatory Academy
Alora Lindsey
“Beyond her extensive creative abilities, her calm demeanor and ability to always see the bright side of things has been invaluable during the pandemic. Above all else she has persevered and strived to make quality, thought-provoking films that reflect her values and beliefs, and I am excited to see what she can do it the future. She has truly been one of the top creative students that I have ever had.” — Nick Ochoa, Fairmont Preparatory Academy
Caroline Elyssa Linton
“Miss Caroline Linton is a star! With a background in acting and desire to learn everything about production, she had previously learned iMovie and experimented on her own, creating a YouTube channel to share with others. Brimming with ideas, Miss Linton has created some of the best student video productions Rosary has ever seen. An advocate for social issues, she took first place this year with a delightful stop-motion message in the Video division of the OC Health Agency’s “Wear a Mask” campaign.” — David Lyons, Rosary Academy
Rick D. Lopez
“In addition to leading student crews for our weekly productions, Ricky participated with other students, produced and starred in a short film titled “An Awkward Conversation”. The short was submitted to the Directing Change competition as a first-time, first-place win for Valencia high school and Ricky led our creative and technical effort.” — Rodney Boaz, Valencia High School
Luca Pantel
“He clearly has many interests, but overarching that is his ability to weave all his interests and talents together. He is humble and soft spoken, yet the epitome of ‘cool’ and a proven taste-maker even beyond our campus. His work goes beyond run-of-the-mill narrative filmmaking, with work in documentary, sports, music, human interest, fashion, and other subjects to which he brings his critical and artistic eye.” — Michael Simmons, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts
Lauren Reyes
“Lauren Reyes is a gifted artist and filmmaker in the video production program at El Dorado High School. While Lauren does a bit of everything, I would say that her greatest strength right now is definitely her editing. She displays a great understanding of the process and her work has great skill and artistic nuance.” — Mark Switzer, El Dorado High School
Ryan Robinson
“Ryan’s films range in content from hilarious dark comedies to inspirational films, sentimental animated shorts, and PSAs that encourage young adults to get help for mental health needs. His work exudes his attention to detail — you’ll hear intricate sound design work if you listen closely and you’ll be able to recognize how he shifts the emotional content of his work through color-grading.” — Alex Graham, Canyon High School
Reed H. Sharp
“When the pandemic struck last year, he tooled up a script that he and his brother could shoot and act in on their own. They went out to the desert one day and shot it, with incredible results. He has continued to work on professional film sets, following strict health protocols. During many of our Zoom class sessions, Reed will be either on set somewhere, or in line for yet another mandatory COVID-19 test.” — Michael Simmons, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts
Zach Shenouda
“Zach Shenouda is one of the rare filmmakers that we are lucky to have as teachers who really loves and understands every single aspect of filmmaking from the screenplay to the sound design. A lot of students naturally fall in love with only one part of the process or only have a real passion for one piece of the equation but he loves it all and knows that a great film is the sum of all these parts.” — Alex Graham, Canyon High School
Nolan Hieu Trifunovic
“Nolan is also a crack cinematographer, having lensed for his junior class web series “I’ll Love You Tomorrow,” and for classmate horror film “Box.” But he can, and usually does, it all — writing, directing, editing, producing and DPing his own films. For his senior film, Nolan wrote and will direct “The Other” about two assassins engaged in a mysterious battle. It’s an intelligent take on current social politics and I’m really looking forward to seeing how he pulls it off.” — Aaron Orullian, Orange County School of the Arts
Elinor Weber
“Ellie is a combination of all the great things teachers hope for in a student: she’s eager, curious, diligent, collaborative, and committed to self-improvement. She’s also a first class human being: helpful and kind and with a calm demeanor. Knowing Ellie is involved on a project means it will be accomplished with a high degree craft and care.” — Aaron Orullian, Orange County School of the Arts
Allyson Weisel
“She has produced and directed several creative and even experimental pieces including, most recently, a music video, “All I Want,” about the loss of a sibling.This is probably her best work I have seen so far. In that film, she demonstrated an outstanding ability to direct actors with nuance and emotion. Through all of her work, Allyson has proven herself to be artistically courageous, unafraid to tackle tough subject matter, versatile, and willing to challenge herself and her teammates.” — Mark Switzer, El Dorado High School
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Artist of the Year 2021: Film/animation nominees - OCRegister
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