Brian Oakes, MFA

• BFA, Eastern Michigan University, School of Fine Arts, 1993
• K-12 Fine Arts Teaching Certification (Michigan), 1994
• MFA, University of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts, 2002

• Animation, Editing
• Motion Graphics
• Digital Video Production
• Digital Media
• Film Production
• Scriptwriting
• Sight Sound and Motion
• Film History

Research interests include animation and digital art production, animation history and art/animation pedagogy.

Brian Oakes is an artist, educator, and award-winning director of animated short films. He utilizes a variety of techniques including digital hand-drawn, plasticine, stop-motion, and computer-generated animation.  He also composes the score and records the sound for most of his work. His films have screened nationally and internationally in film festivals, galleries, and museums.  Early in his career, Oakes worked for Fox Feature Animation and Blue Sky Studios on the films Ice Age and Robots.

Most recently, his film Country Things won awards in several film festivals and was included in the PersonalLandscapes exhibition at the Montclair Museum of Art. Oakes earned his BFA and fine arts teaching certification fromEastern Michigan University and his MFA in animation and digital arts from the University of Southern California, School ofCinematic Arts. He has taught art and animation at a variety of schools, including Rhode Island School of Design. He iscurrently an associate professor in the School of Communication, Media, and Journalism at Kean University in Union, New Jersey.