Brian Whittington

Dreamers

Thesis Statement

Always being infatuated with the Matrix series, I have always enjoyed the possibility of reality being a simulated illusion used to trap the minds of the people. But it wasn’t until the movie Inception, alongside The Matrix, which became the main inspiration for my animation. The idea of how there are people trying to escape their simulated or dream based reality and being trapped inside a dream or multiple dreams became a major interest to me. This is what I wanted my animation to be about. My senior thesis animation is about being trapped in a makeshift reality where your dreams become your reality. Being on the verge of waking up and realizing the truth of your false reality, a more powerful force prohibits you from escaping the dream like prison.

  • “It's funny how humans can wrap their mind around things and fit them into their version of reality.” ― Rick Riordan, The Lightning Thief

    I think of my animation as incomplete truths that are left to the interpretation of someone’s own reality. Thus, enforcing a simple illusion of my truth is merely half of what they see, having those find their own truth through the connection with my work can bring forth a shared reality of both worlds. As an animator, I want to push for a total engagement with my audience. I seek to connect with the emotions and perceptions of others. I am highly influenced by action and psychological film genres as well as cartoons/anime, and video games. I am captivated by the details and storytelling in each genre. My goal is to provide a stimulating experience that doesn’t only question the truth about reality but imposes the thought of being stuck in an illusion.

Dreamers from DFPA | Bowie State University on Vimeo.