I have been a part of a some really interesting projects. And I am always working on something or another. Let me tell you about them:

Studio Gobo (https://www.studiogobo.com/)
Animating with Studio Gobo is a blast! Unfortunately, I can’t say too much about the projects I’m working on, due to NDA. As projects complete I’ll update this section, but for now, please sit tight and know that I’m working on some really awesome projects!

Bohemia Interactive (https://www.bistudio.com/)
Bohemia has given me all sorts of opportunities. My primary role in the studio is an animator. I have worked on gameplay and cinematic animations for ARMA III and its expansions/DLC: ARMA III Apex, ARMA III Jets. Most of the work involves motion capture, but I have created animations by hand as well; with all of the work being done in Motionbuilder. Since joining the company, I have been Python scripting to help speed up some repetitive tasks. I collaborate a lot with the designers and programmers, making sure everything works well for the game. I have also worked on the Ylands team. There I’ve been focusing on creature animations. This includes the AI animals that populate the world and the pets that follow the player on their adventure. I became a feature owner of the AI animals, meaning that I am responsible for making sure the assets are of the highest quality and ready to be implemented in game. This includes working with the modelers to make sure the model is animation friendly, collaborating with the other animators to make sure the animations are top notch, and working with the sound designers to make sure each animal has all the sounds it needs to really be alive in the world.

Green Willow Games (http://www.greenwillowgames.com/gsdw/)
Green Willow Games is an indie studio focused on storytelling in games. The core of the group was formed by recent grads from the central Virginia area, and all of us had the goal of creating a unique game based off of a folk tale. After a few months of planning and organizing, and a “Wow, this is really cool idea, let’s make this!” moment, Green Willow Games was formed and Grey Skies, Dark Waters started production! I was involved with some of the initial designs and ideas, but my main contribution was the character rigging and animation. The game was released on Steam in June 2017.

Copuppet (http://voicingelder.com/)
While working with the people at Copuppet, I helped create some of the most interesting projects in my life. This studio is not focused on games, as games. Instead, the studio focuses on how to use games as a medium to extend ourselves and our experiences. Their most recent project, Voicing Elder, was created to give the elderly a platform to retell stories of their youth. By being in front of a motion tracking device, the person can tell and act out their story. Based different settings, the storyteller could be male or female, or a child, teen, adult, or elder. While speaking, the game can recognize the tone of voice and the facial animation would change depending on if the story is sad or happy. While on this team, I created the various characters and rigs.

Massanutten Technical Center (http://www.mtcva.com/Home.aspx)
Right after college and right before getting into the gaming industry, I taught high school students how to model, rig, and animate in Maya. The program was started the year I joined; I created the entire curriculum from scratch. A typical day included a small lecture/demonstration, and then a project for the students to be creative and expand on what they know. This seemed to work well, as the program was turned from a one year program to a two year program. This meant that I could teach more things over the course of two years. Topics included modeling, texturing, lighting, rigging, and animating in Maya. In addition to that, I also over-viewed photo and video editing in the respective Adobe products (Photoshop, Premiere, and After Effects). While this is a lot to learn in two years, it allowed the students to scratch the surface and figure out what they liked and didn’t like, and then give them the chance to expand on these subjects in their free time.

In addition to teaching, I was also an assistant coach for the Indoor/Outdoor Track team for Broadway High School. I was there to encourage and guide the athletes during practices and competitions, keeping track of times and distances. In addition to that, I organized the weight lifting regime, and also volunteered for fundraisers.

Me and my free time (www.annelantz.com)
I have a lot of ideas in my head that I like to play with and explore. I like thinking about the various parts of human lives/condition, though turning that into a game is quite difficult. I am also interested in educational games. Games like Math/Reading Blasters, Spelling Jungle, and Zoombinis first got me into gaming, and helped me to enjoy learning. I’d like to one day make games that can inspire other kids to learn and explore too.  My current project involves the perspective of a dog, though I don’t want to say too much more than that.

And what better way to improve my game design than to be a Dungeon Master for D&D! The fall of 2017 marks my first one shot, and it was met with a lot of success! Taking inspiration from the theatrical stage, the players took on the role of performers as they celebrated a princess’s birthday. But, the confusing, shadowy, and political scene always sneaks into the background of these events and then there is chaos all around! It was great fun to shape, and my players had loads of fun being performers, while also playing characters with external motives during the performance.