MSNBC: Admissions Granted
“In a landmark Supreme Court case pitting Asian American plaintiffs against Harvard University, activists on both sides wrestle with hard truths about race, equality, and Asian Americans' precarious status in America, as the fate of affirmative action hangs in the balance.”
Directors Miao Wang and Hao Wu approached me about creating animated portions of their film, specifically animating the court room scenes from these landmark cases. This blossomed into creating animated overlays and graphics as well.
Drawing inspiration from editorial illustrations, we developed a collaged style that could be fun and light while still being able to handle dramatic moments.
“Admissions Granted” Premiered on MSNBC June 30th, 2023 and will be available to stream on the MSNBC website.
Direction, Design, Animation: Rohan Mcdonald Additional Animation + Clean up: Sacha Lusk, Axel Kinnear, Eric Larson, Sam Powell
Directors Miao Wang and Hao Wu approached me about creating animated portions of their film, specifically animating the court room scenes from these landmark cases. This blossomed into creating animated overlays and graphics as well.
Drawing inspiration from editorial illustrations, we developed a collaged style that could be fun and light while still being able to handle dramatic moments.
“Admissions Granted” Premiered on MSNBC June 30th, 2023 and will be available to stream on the MSNBC website.
Direction, Design, Animation: Rohan Mcdonald Additional Animation + Clean up: Sacha Lusk, Axel Kinnear, Eric Larson, Sam Powell
Animated Scenes Case Study
Selected Styleframes
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9e4dcf1dcaa167d78bd7df9281b6ba1d72a9deaf62bf0cc170b888d43c083173/231206_District_court_design_01_10.png)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/bc613d27060812e43fd5c4d55675673ecc4d975ffcff25787c348c0192769cb5/240117_Scene_2_Supreme_Court_Part_01_05.png)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/91d6ddb381db5388288e100a0670494143c696d522173c268ee9c23878611f9b/231130_District_court_design_Part_06_03.png)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0eba9ee1194e4c0268975c667940c3f334e9f7175615f020f11947f99202c43f/240103_Declaration_of_independence_01.png)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/08dd5b922ad925eb92b2312eae64450ed5f05430a33a6ab535e626ac46af56b3/231128_District_court_design_p2_07.png)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f1d95cd3f5868d35acd0010cc63509fb2f6551017de69fe359e38704aa391df9/240123_SC_04_06.png)
Visual Development
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5eeba05deb55dd6a1b7fbe5d7289db69960847e75b5c8736bf5cdc35e44fc985/AG_Cinematic_Moment_1.png)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/cad1fca0cd988e39e2963842fdf0f217b4fdd58128407d08f9ded3e712cb8217/AG_Design_Deck_1_Character_moment_2.png)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/27b2f351e204c6a4bb7b48c33ebd8015a51388854b00f49f1f5e67dde7236b6b/Courtroom_close_up_1.png)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/544e531df440e880baa4df9ac777074bc3d6412eacd9d40aa323bd19db43a703/AG_Cinematic_Moment_2.png)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/baa2f3f614c462fee9359fcf021b5dd81bf909eee640c96eb71b4cdd8aebfaaf/240122_Additions_1_asian_excellence_design_example.png)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9eda643588c7ea3a9d8f5b593264aef31735c615efddd7ca734ac245a9816a00/AG_Witness_stand_sketching_02.png)
Title Exploration
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f9b8cd1749625865bfbd4440e3ef380e5169a2cdecb94583e1fb7e5719874d94/AG_TITLE_Exploration_01.png)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e12847e3975fa513d5c067dfb74d0bf8ccdbcdfcd460256afd0c33963638c448/AG_TITLE_Exploration_02.png)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/93fb9c279dfd749c534055234029dae810cd0c653a675b8f955636738fe5058c/Title_NO_BORDER.png)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/173cc9382230a69af2646fce64a47e2c78c51f7f648e0c79504e8c391e2fad9e/Title_WITH_BORDER.png)