Sara Jane Fukutani is a Japanese-American artist from Tampa, Florida graduating from the University of Central Florida with a BFA in Emerging Media. She has an intense passion for exploring all kinds of creative mediums. This wide range of skills provides her with a unique approach to all kinds of creative endeavors. From relating sewing patterns to UV maps and utilizing her love of fiber arts to make stop motions puppets, Sara Jane values her diverse skill set and emphasizes on the importance of bringing new approaches and viewpoints to solving creative problems. When it comes to animation, she began with stop motion using a small digital camera. The idea of creating this illusion of movement was fascinating to her and she continued to explore the medium of animation in various ways. From her start in making flip books with sticky notes to independently creating a short film with industry standard software, she looks back fondly on her more amateur methods.
Sara Jane’s journey at the University of Central Florida actually began at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management where she worked towards a hotel management degree. After two years, she made the switch to working towards a BFA in Emerging Media and was able to earn a minor in hospitality management. Her background in business management gave her a more holistic view of the art industry and continues to aid her in understanding contracts and networking with industry professionals. In her Emerging Media endeavors, Sara Jane has produced numerous animated projects which have been featured at Art Knight, UCF Celebrates the Arts, and Kaleidoscope at the University of Central Florida. Her 2D work and Stop Motion projects have both been featured in the Visual Arts Building.
While she enjoyed being able to tell a story of her own with her senior thesis film, she looks forward to being able to help others tell their own stories through animation. While she has grown to love all mediums of animation, Sara Jane finds that her passion lies most with 2D character animation. She hopes to be able to be part of a great production team to make a compelling animated story.