Wolfson Campus Students Are Adding Some MAGIC To Frost Planetarium

Paulette Canido grew up doodling. 

Her drawings were often inspired by Japanese-style comics and graphic novels—known as manga—and the art styles of artists like Arina Tanemura and Natsuki Takaya. 

In middle school, she drew neopets—animals from a virtual game—as human characters and created lore for them.

“I really loved drawing,” the 34-year-old said. “I was always doodling on any paper in front of me.” 

Today, Canido—a sophomore at Wolfson Campus’ Miami Animation & Gaming International Complex—has graduated from drawing on scraps of paper and is now putting her work on a 67-foot dome.

She spearheads a team of nine students who are developing an animated trailer for the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science’s 250-seat planetarium in downtown Miami. 

The two-minute video will take viewers on a rollercoaster adventure through Earth’s history via a rocketship, while highlighting elements featured in Frost Science Museum exhibits, such as the Milky Way galaxy, the ocean, dinosaurs, turtles and sharks.

It will serve as the capstone project for the students Animation Studio 1 course. 

“Our [current] trailer is years old…” said Alec Warren, the director of the Frost Planetarium, who meets with the students every two weeks to provide feedback on the project. “‘I’m excited from [what I’ve] seen so far, and I’m eager to [see] the progress as they work.”

According to MAGIC Chairperson Mauricio Ferrazza, the department has wanted to collaborate with the Frost Science Museum since it opened in 2017. 

Planning for the trailer began in September. Students are divided into two groups. The 2-D department is tasked with drawing model sheets and concept art—visual representations of subjects that need to be modeled by the 3-D team. The 3-D department is in charge of bringing those models to life virtually.

So far, the 2-D team has completed their model sheets, leaving the 3-D group “in full force” to start animating, said Gabriel Ramirez, an adjunct professor in the School of MAGIC who is overseeing the project.

The biggest obstacle students are facing is adapting the trailer to fit within the dome’s 360 degree curve and scaling up the trailer’s quality from 4K resolution to 8K. 

Unreal Engine 5, a video game developing software used to manipulate visuals and sizes, is being used to render the trailer to 8K.

The team is also using software such as Autodesk Maya, which is utilized to model 3-D characters and visual effects, and Adobe programs like Adobe After Effects, which will be used to add graphics and sound effects.

“[This project] is something that hasn’t been done at this school yet, so we’re very proud of that fact,” Ramirez said. “But it’s also incumbent on myself to make sure I can get these students across the finish line.”

Students will continue working on the trailer in Animation Studio 2, where the bulk of animation will be completed. They hope to finish the project by the end of the spring.

“I really just want to learn as much [as possible] from this [project] and to be proud of it,” Canido said.

Click here to subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter, The Hammerhead. For news tips, contact us at mdc.thereporter@gmail.com.