ABOUT
Synopsis
Faced with a tough choice between financial survival and integrity, a slick con man parading as a psychic meets his latest mark: a genuine ghost who doesn't take kindly to frauds. Trapped in a surreal world where his own tricks come to life, he must outrun his manifested lies to make it home.
About Charlatan
Student-run and student-made by the SCAD Class of 2026, “Charlatan” is an animated adventure comedy that explores the battle between emotional fulfillment and financial survival. The story is centered around Arin, a con man filled with persuasive charm, posing as a psychic, who gets more than he could have anticipated when he encounters a genuine ghost in need of help. When his fraudulent mask inevitably falls off, the ghost uses her otherworldly powers to banish Arin to a mystical dimension where his own tricks come to life to haunt him. To escape, Arin must out-run and survive armies of living tarot cards, giant crystal balls, and scorching candle forests, all while trying to figure out how to get this crazy lady out of his house. At its heart, “Charlatan” is a story about the perilous choices we make when our emotional integrity and financial needs are at odds. Leveraging the expansive visual world of animation, the film delivers a complex and natural thematic dilemma through a high-energy, comedic lens.
GALLERY
MEET THE CREW
Kailey Korth
Director , Producer, 3D Character Animator, Pipeline Technician
Kailey Korth is a 3D Animator from Frisco, Texas, and is a director of “Charlatan.” Kailey’s goal was to facilitate the environment she wishes to work in! She wanted an ambitious film with a team that felt empowered to overcome any technical or creative challenge. Kailey felt prepared for the task, using her past experiences animating as an intern at Insomniac Games, and founding the 3D Xtreme club at SCAD. Her favorite part of Charlatan was applying her passions for character performance, computer science, and community towards one story. As an animator, Kailey loved diving into Charlatan’s cartoonish style! As a technician, she designed a robust pipeline for the film to be built on. When she’s not animating, Kailey enjoys learning to play the drums, hosting her own video game server for her friends, and reading sci-fi books! She is so proud of the team and the amazing film they made together!
Sydney Endicott
Director , Concept Art Lead
Sydney Endicott is a visual development and character artist from Richmond, Virginia and one of the directors of 'CHARLATAN'. Story-telling has always been at the center of her work. Growing up, she was constantly sketching characters, building worlds, and finding humor and heart in everyday moments, an instinct that naturally evolved into a passion for animation and visual storytelling. Inspired by stylized films and shape-driven design, Sydney strives to create work that feels expressive, entertaining, and full of personality. These three core principles heavily shaped the film’s art direction and stylistic voice. When she’s not drawing, you can usually find her roller-skating, listening to vinyl, or making an egregiously large cup of tea (often while attempting at least two of those activities at the same time, though she refuses to specify which two).
Mia Brown
Generalist Supervisor
Mia is a multifaceted 3D artist from Leesburg, Alabama. She found a passion for collaborative projects after being around her talented friends at SCAD. Always had a passion for art, but wanted to help create stories that inspire the next generation of artists. CG art blends her love of storytelling, problem solving, and constructing illustrious compositions all in one package. Charlatan pushes the boundary of what 3D animated features have achieved in the past here at SCAD. With its wonky assets and exaggerated animation style, it was something that fit perfectly within Mia’s wheelhouse. Her specialities shined in Charlatan with translating their concept artists’ style from 2D to 3D. She developed the texture guide for the film to insure continuity from artist to artist and had the opportunity to be involved in multiple parts of production including modeling, texturing, lighting, and compositing. It was a joy for her to push the boundaries of what CG can be with the help of her talented team. Outside of animation, Mia can be found outside at the park, by the creek, or climbing a tree.
Madi Smith
Producer , 3D Character Animator , 2D FX Animator
Madi Smith is an animator from Michigan. Charlatan has been an awesome team to work with. Outside of character animation she has also animated 2D FX and help manage and track the team.
Ella Fuchs
Producer , 3D Character Animator , Editor
Ella Fuchs is a 3D animator from Sapulpa, OK and one of the producers of Charlatan. Ella was inspired to pursue 3D animation after watching Disney’s documentary on the making of Frozen 2, where they described in depth what it was like to work in 3D animation. She then went on to pursue education at OSUIT in 3D Modeling before finally coming to SCAD. She was interested in Charlatan because of the art style and the comedy focus rather than the usual serious themes seen in capstones. One of Ella’s favorite parts of working on Charlatan was bringing together artists, animators, and technical departments to shape one cohesive story. As a 3D animator, she loved contributing to the film’s performances and visual storytelling, while as a producer she enjoyed balancing the creative and logistical sides of production. Outside of animation Ella loves fiber arts like crochet and cross stitch as well as video games like Stardew Valley and Satisfactory.
Austin Ruch
3D Animation Lead , Character Modeler , Rigger
Austin Ruch hails from the southern United States territory of Texas. He decided to pursue character animation because it greatly irritated him that he was bad at it, so, out of spite, he made it a career at the distinguished institution of SCAD. Where he faithfully and graciously served as the Animation Lead and Character Modeler/Rigging Artist on the critically acclaimed student film "Charlatan". To him, the appeal of "Charlatan" entirely revolved around the particular flavor of pathetic personality around the main character, Arin, which just barely made him endearing. After joining, his valiance and aptitude left him toiling away in leading the character animation process amongst the rest of the animators on the team. Giving direction and critique on every animated shot, he spent most of his time trying to keep up with draw overs. In between that, he filled in the gaps of the project with several menial tasks: modeling, rigging, layout, visual effects, lighting, compositing, motion media for some reason, and animating his own shots. When he isn't suffering, he enjoys spending his free time doing intense survival training. Nourishing himself on rainwater and rodents, he maladroitly swaggers through various uninhabited wildernesses. Come dawn, he ventures back to the city, buckling and balking through the street like a wounded beast, only to return to his computer, rejuvenated, feeling like a newborn fawn.
Alex Alma
Sound Design, 3D Character Animator
Alexander Alma is one of the 3D animators and the sound designer on Charlatan. Born in Atlanta and raised in the Dominican Republic, he developed a passion for storytelling early on through making short films and recreating scenes with his brother, which led him into animation and cinematic production. During the production of Charlatan, he helped shape both the animation and sound, working closely with the team to refine character movement, timing, and expressive performance. The project’s magical world allowed the team to break physical rules and push animation beyond realism, making it especially fun to exaggerate motion and explore creative limits with the characters. In sound design, he built layered effects to enhance atmosphere and emotion, supporting the film’s tone and worldbuilding. He also contributed to lighting and compositing in Nuke and worked in Unreal Engine to help build and refine real-time scenes and visuals for the project. Outside of filmmaking, he spends his time playing piano, going to the gym, playing Magic: The Gathering, or watching movies.
Ahmad Hunter
Concept Artist , 2D FX Artist
Ahmad Hunter, is a storyboard artist and 2D animator from Chicago, Illinois. He chose animation, specifically boarding, because it is one of the most accessible and affordable ways to tell a story. It is also a great way to cut loose and be creative. His role on Charlatan was storyboarding part of the film. In addition to that, I worked on a lot of 2D effects and contributed additional concept work for the tech team. He was drawn to Charlatan because Ihe really liked the concept and the art style. Another reason he joined was that he wanted to get experience storyboarding for a 3D project. Some of his hobbies outside of animation include sculpting, collecting and reading books, cooking, and playing video games, especially older handheld titles.
Becca MacAulay
3D Character Animator , Compositor
Becca MacAulay is a 3D Animator from Old Bridge, New Jersey. They have always been drawn to the arts and have had many different creative avenues, but animation has been their favorite. They were drawn to Charlatan due to the film's art style, story, and the strong team pitching it. Alongside other animators, Becca animated scenes in Charlatan that helped shape each character, whether through the antagonist Garbage Hag's transformation scene or Arin's overdramatic act before she reveals her true nature. Besides animation, Becca also helped out with the UE pipeline process, lighting, and compositing. Other than animating, Becca also likes to sing, illustrate, and watch horror movies.
Winston Long
3D Technical Artist , Lighting Artist
Winston Long is a 3D technical artist from California. While his primary focus is pursuing modeling and hand-painted look development within the industry, he is highly adaptable and eager to contribute across various roles. He was drawn to Charlatan after a thoroughly enjoyable conversation with the film's leads; upon diving into the story, he found it incredibly engaging. On the project, Winston had the privilege of working across modeling, texturing, lighting, and compositing. Outside of animation, he enjoys staying active at the gym or park, spending quality time with friends and family, and exploring painting and other traditional art forms. He is also an avid movie watcher and film critic.
Tovi Lewis
3D Character Animator, Compositor, Web-Designer
Tovi Lewis is a 3D Character Animator from Antigua and Barbuda whose creative identity stems from an artistic upbringing, she grew up watching her father who is also a film maker and felt a strong need to bridge the gap in the Caribbean tech industry. Tovi was drawn to Charlatan by its vibrant imagery and sharp, comedic plot twists, finding the film’s cartoony style the perfect playground for high-energy character performances. As a 3D Animator on the project, Tovi focused on bringing the character Arin to life and touched the card character a bit, ensuring each movement matched their personality. Stepping outside the realm of animation, Tovi also built the film’s official website and contributed to compositing. Tovi's creative journey began as a musician at age 7, so when not in Maya, Tovi's hobbies mainly revolves around music, playing guitar and piano, recording original tracks, and enjoying the life of the islands back home.
Jackson Meyer
Technical Animator
Jackson Meyer is a 3D Technical Animator from Louisville, Kentucky. He has been captivated by the power of storytelling from a young age. Growing up, he fell in love with the magic of animation through Disney, Pixar, and DreamWorks films, which ultimately inspired him to pursue a career in the industry. For Jackson, working on Charlatan has been an incredible opportunity to help bring a new story to life. As a part of the Charlatan team, he contributed in different ways to shape the film's visual world by 3D modeling, texturing, lighting, and compositing. When he isn’t working in the technical side of animation, you can find him playing lacrosse or laying out in the sun at the park.
Katie Heaver
3D Techinical Artist , Texture Artist, Layout Artist
Katie Heaver is a modeler from Leesburg, Virginia. She was drawn to Charlatan due to its unique story. Katie contributed to modeling, texture art, lighting, and compositing. She enjoys collecting plushies and is a former ballet dancer.
Jackson White
3D Character Animator , Lighting Artist, Layout Artist
Jackson White is a 3D animator hailing from Frisco, Texas, whose journey into animation began in high school—where he also met his future teammates, Kailey and Austin. It was their involvement, combined with the story’s immense creative freedom, that drew him to Charlatan. The project's magical world allowed the animation team to break traditional rules and genuinely have fun with the process. While Jackson primarily served as a 3D animator—the very discipline that brought him to SCAD—he also wore many hats during production, contributing to layout and lighting in Unreal Engine 5, as well as compositing in Nuke. His passion for the craft stems from a childhood spent enthralled by film and television, which originally inspired him to create stop-motion shorts with Star Wars action figures. When he isn't animating, Jackson can usually be found playing guitar, going to the gym, rock climbing, or watching movies.
Symantha Sanders
3D Character Animator , Social Media Content Creator
Symantha Sanders is an 3D animator who is from Laurel, Maryland. She has been interested in art since she was young and her interest in animation started in high school and then this interest moved toward 3D animation and was developed once she got to SCAD. The thing that drew her to Charlatan film was the art and story of the film. The thing that Symantha worked on in this film was the animation, animation injection, Comp, and social media. Some of Symantha’s hobbies are baking, reading, crocheting, and painting nails.
Avery Wise
3D Character Animator
Avery Wise is a 3D animator from Charlotte, NC. As a child, she always enjoyed cartoons, and often wondered how they were made. In high school, she attended an animation summer intensive at a local college and discovered a passion for animation, which inspired her to pursue a career in the subject. Avery was drawn to Charlatan because of its characters. She knew their unique designs and personalities would be fun to explore through character animation. Her primary contribution to the film was in animation, but she also assisted with modeling, lighting, and compositing. In addition to animating, she enjoys hiking, traveling, writing, and listening to music.
Phillip Lee
Lighting Artist
Phillip Lee is a technical animator and lighting artist originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On Charlatan, he served as a lighting artist, helping shape the mood, atmosphere, and visual storytelling of the film through lighting and composition. Driven by the intersection of technical problem-solving and artistic narrative, Phillip is drawn to lighting for its unique ability to emotionally and visually transform a scene.
Anna Booth
3D Character Animator
Anna Booth is a 3D animator from Washington DC. She fell in love with animation at an early age, and always had a passion for creating and storytelling. She is often drawn to comedy and heartfelt films, so working on Charlatan was a perfect fit. Throughout production, she collaborated with other animators and story artists alike, working to enhance the film through its animated performances. When she’s not seen animating or doodling in her sketchbook, you can find her playing her guitar or swimming at the nearest beach.
Ava Futoran
3D Character Animator, Compositor
Ava Futoran is a 3D Animator from Queens, New York. Growing up she loved watching cartoons and would often imagine different cartoon stories she made up in her mind. This made her realize she had a interest in animation and decided to peruse a career in one. She felt drawn to Charlatan due to its goofy nature and being able to make silly faces with the rig. Not only did she 3D animate on the film, she helped out compositing which she fell in love with and has a new found interest in. When she is not animating she enjoys hanging out with her friends, listening too music, cooking, and laying in bed.
