Fourth-year animation student Nick Jourdan explores isolation in his thesis film

Nick Jourdan, fourth-year animation student, enters his final year at SCAD with an exciting thesis project called “Quinn’s Voyage.” The idea came from the prolonged isolation during quarantine which forced Jourdan to deal with the absence of his friends and other forms of social interaction. 

“Quinn’s Voyage” is a story about a man who’s alone on the sea. Quinn, the main character, is struck by a devastating storm that speaks of doom and desperation, leading him to give up on his life. But, after seeking refuge in the musical notes of his guitar, he discovers their therapeutic power which evoked memories of his friends and family. Quinn then realizes he still had something worth living for. 

“It’s a story for people like me who maybe at the beginning of quarantine thought they liked being alone, but quickly realized that they loved the company of friends and family, and missed them dearly,” Jourdan said.  

Jourdan said that music played a significant role in the development of his film. His father was a guitarist on cruise ships, and his personal story along with the music he played, influenced Jourdan’s film. It’s no surprise that Jourdan himself is a guitarist, and has 13 years of experience, which allowed him to make original music for “Quinn’s Voyage.”  

In the past year, students have faced more challenges than ever before when developing their final projects. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, Jourdan had to develop his film virtually, and coordinate everything with a broad team of artists via Zoom. Normally, seniors get to meet in person with their teams and work through problems together. Although the online platforms presented some limitations, they also introduced the opportunity of working with people from all over the world. 

“Some of my team is in Atlanta, but some of them are from as far as Hong Kong, to all across America,” Jourdan said.  

According to Jourdan, the most important thing he learned from this experience learned was virtual teamwork. He believes that animation studios will be transitioning to be mostly virtual with “no real possible roadmap to going back to in-person dynamics”. Jourdan also said it is crucial to have the virtual experience if one hopes to be hired straight out of college by an animation studio.

“I’m happy I get to experience working with my team on ‘Quinn’s Voyage’ virtually so I’m prepared for whatever future is out there,” Jourdan said.