Graphic Design, Animation, Director & Producer
This was a 12-week Mograph Mentor project I made in 2017 for the International Rescue Committee. The film centers on family and home, and what those ideas can mean in the life of a refugee.
I handled the whole piece myself, from concept through design and final animation. What stayed with me most was how much restraint it needed. The subject matter asked for care, not spectacle, so the work had to stay simple enough to let the feeling through.
- I developed the film as a solo project over 12 weeks, from the first idea through final animation.
- I used storyboards and design to build a quiet, focused visual approach around family and home.
- I relied on rotoscoping inside After Effects to give the piece its structure and tone.
International Rescue Committee
The clips below show how I worked through the rotoscoping for one of the scenes. I started with video reference so I had something real to study before moving into animation.
From there, I drew over the room and the characters to build a framework for the scene. That gave me a way to lock down the timing, the space, and the emotional shape of the movement without overworking it.
Once that foundation was in place, I brought everything into After Effects and animated the final scene from there, blending the rotoscoped structure into the larger visual style of the film.
This project was very much a labor of love. It let me push my animation process, but more importantly, it gave me a way to spend time with a subject that deserved care and attention.
Art & Animation - Patrick Flaherty
Mentor - Alex Mapar
Voice Over - Helene McCardle
Music - Sono Sanctus
Selected Works
Linkedin