By Lookout Staff

April 13, 2022 -- Animation, 3-D storytelling and how to get a your film into a festival are the subjects of Santa Monica College's (SMC) Communication, Media & Design series this spring.

The free events, held online via Zoom, continue Monday at 10 a.m. with a presentation by animator and filmmaker Bill Plympton, best known for his Academy Awards–nominated animated short "Your Face."

Plymton is also know for his series of short films featuring a dog character, which started with 2004's "Guard Dog," and his animation for Kanye West's music video "Heard 'Em Say."

"Demi's Panic," his most recent animated short film, tells the story of "a young Latina professional whose prophetic dreams become all too real when an invisible danger causes catastrophic loss," event organizers said.

On Wednesday, April 20, at 9 a.m. graphic/spatial designer Leon Rodriguez will discuss his career as a designer and design educator and "share advice to help students transition from school to a career."

Rodriguez is the President and Creative Director of LR/LA, a contemporary exhibition design firm that works with top-tier museums, cultural institutions and private clients.

"His specialty is building three-dimensional storytelling experiences that connect audiences in new ways to stories, objects, art, and ideas," organizers said.

The spring lineup wraps up on Monday, May 23, at 10 a.m. with a presentation by Tatiana Detlofson, an international film and festival promoter who will discuss what it takes to get representation for a film.

A veteran of the entertainment industry, Detlofson is known for her expertise in foreign cinema and international film and festival promotion, organizers said.

Her company, MEDIAPLAN PR, "specializes in representing films in competitions at leading international film festivals, and conducting theatrical distribution campaigns for foreign and independent films in Los Angeles."

A Zoom link to each talk will be available with the listing on the event date on the SMC Events calendar at smc.edu/calendar. To attend the events, Zoom software must be installed on the viewer’s computer (free download available at zoom.com).

All programs are subject to change or cancellation without notice, and new events may be added to the series. Up-to-date details are posted at smc.edu/calendar and available by calling the SMC Office of Public Programs at 310-434-4100.

The series is sponsored by the SMC Associates, the SMC Communication and Media Studies Department and the SMC Design Technology Department.