In-person, Online, & Hybrid mentor (in-person and online)
shickel@mcad.edu
https://vimeo.com/336433593
he/him/his

BIO 

Schell Hickel is a Commercial Stop Motion Animator / Designer who has been Directed by Mark Gusfafson, Will Vinton, Webster Colcord and others as well as having worked with Animators John Ashlee Prat, Theresa Drilling and Mentored by Chuck Duke. At Will VInton Studios in Portland, he worked on several California Raisin projects and commercials using claymation and stratacut animation. For 13 years, Schell has taught Stop Motion Animation at Minnesota College of Art and Design. In addition, he has mentored MFA candidates, taught the Senior Project Animation and Advanced Animation Seminars. Schell has instructed at Clay Animation Workshops, where kids and teens can work collaboratively, at The Walker Art Center, Minneapolis Public Library, Macalester College and Minneapolis/Saint Paul International Film Fest.

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY & MENTORSHIP

My focus with Stop Motion is how to build and animate the performance of dimensional, real world subjects before whatever capture device that is employed, whether film, digital or direct live human. By Experimental I mean either the novel re-combination of traditional stop motion techniques or a trial production, the results of which are open ended. The way of doing it is the Art. Although Stop Motion has historically attracted artists who like to work alone (and I am one of those) it is an art form as much as any other that is improved by collaboration.