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STORYBOARDS
VISUAL DEVELOPMENT
ANIMATION
PROJECTS
PERSONAL
PROJECTS
Each of these are independent projects I have directed, conceptualized, or otherwise produced.
Click on an image for more details.
SOBAKA (Direction)
The Will of the Wisp (Thesis)
Ouropolis (Pitch)
The Will of the Wisp
The Will of the Wisp is a four minute long thesis film that follows the magician Robin as they travel through nostalgic memories of their old summer camp in pursuit of a lost will-o-wisp, slowly realizing that things weren't as nice as they remember.From May 2025 to April 2026, I've worked tirelessly to bring this personal story to life almost entirely by myself, through writing, storyboarding, animating, and backgrounds. Additional help was recruited and managed by myself, but even then, I have worked on every aspect and asset of this project (...Except for the sounds. I'm not a sound designer.) and was able to bring it to completion a few days ahead of schedule.The Will of the Wisp premieres May 8th at the SVA theater for the 2026 graduating class thesis screening.
Trailer
Stills
ABOUT
Hello! I'm Rory K Sato, a 2D animation senior at the School of Visual Arts in NYC with an interest in visual development, story boarding, writing, and directing.
I love video games, comics, movies (proud AMC A-lister), and my cat Natasha. Big inspirations for my art include Batman, Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, and Station Eleven. In my junior year of school, I directed my class's group film, SOBAKA.
Thank you for taking a look at my work.You can reach out to me at [email protected] or at my LinkedIn, RoryKSato.
STORYBOARDING
Original (Ouropolis) - The Last Sapling
Action/Sci-fi
A chase sequence in which Professor Herschel snags the final sapling in a cold, robotic world.
PDF Version:
Character Designs:
[email protected] - RORY SATO
Batman and Robin - Dan The Dancer (Mitski) Music Video
Music, drama
Fan animatic for Damian Wayne, the fourth Robin, dealing with the difficulties of being a vigilante while yearning for a more regular life.
PDF Version:
[email protected] - RORY SATO
Batman and Robin - Can we go home now?
Comedy
Done for a visual gag assignment, this short follows Robin taking things into his own hands when Batman ignores him.
PDF Version:
VISUAL DEVELOPMENT
Higashikuni - A Japanese action-fantasy following Takashi and his sister as they traverse demon-infested lands.
The main character, Takashi
Outfit explorations for Takashi
Sketches of a side character, Ryuuji
Concepts for an underground demon realm
Explorations of that scene
An interior scene
Thumbnails for interiors
[email protected] - RORY SATO
Background Work
Opening pan shot for my Thesis film
Shot from my Thesis Film
The Mercury, exploring a sci-fi bathroom in an airship.
The Lamplight Inn, a fantasy setting inspired by neo-Gothic cathedrals and ironwork.
The Lamplight Inn, painted
[email protected] - RORY SATO
Character Work
A line-up of teenage friends
The concept line-up for the three characters in my film, Ghost in the Stall
Color Script for Ghost in the Stall
Character concepts for a 4-page horror comic
Character design challenge
ANIMATION
SOBAKA, DIRECTED BY RORY K SATO
Natalie Frank (Art/Design), Andy Weaver & Gina Flora (Typography)
In a fictional setting inspired by 1917 Russia, a scrappy thief pursued by two royal guards escapes through the Czar's palace.
Sobaka is a three minute long short film directed by myself, Rory Sato, created by my Animation Workshop class D and produced by Alexandra Donsky. All work shown was drawn and crafted by my hardworking and skilled classmates under my vision in a 14-week semester.The third-year curriculum at SVA calls for one of my favorite projects; a group film in which teams of 20 students vote on a pitch and come together to create something great. Luckily, my idea for a "Dog Russian Revolution Chase Sequence" was picked and I was able to take on my dream job as the director!Sobaka literally translates to "dog" in Russian - reflecting the anthropomorphized dog characters we went with that help reinforce the distance between the fictionalized story we are telling and the true, complicated, and messy events that took place during the Russian Revolution. I've always loved Russian literature and stories told by authors that depicted grand, beautiful, warm upper class societies contrasted by the poor, cold, desolate common folk that had been outcast by their royalty.
As a director, I was constantly "clocked in", communicating with my classmates at all times during the day and giving feedback on all aspects of the project. When someone needed help with completion, I would step in and find a way to reassign work - or take on the responsibility myself. We had weekly check-in meetings on top of our usual class time and I worked closely with our producer to ensure that deadlines are met and submitted work is up to our standard. I created technical guides to make sure everyone was on the same page about specific programs and skills and animated my own shot in the film as well.
PRE-PRODUCTION EXAMPLES
Full credits here
Character Lineup
Character Rotation (Natalie Wren Frank)
Natasha Walk Cycle (Natalie Wren Frank)
Prop Colors (Jade Yang/Colors, Angela Hao/Props)
Throne Room Design (Andy Weaver)
Balcony Designs (Eva Lim)
Balcony BG (Amaya "Moon" Seraphine/Paints, Eva Lim/Layout)
Color Script (Eva Lim and Sophie Lefebure)
Snow FX (Angela Hao/Animation, Amaya "Moon" Seraphine/Compositing)
[email protected] - RORY SATO
STILLS
OURAPOLIS
Writing/Pitch Deck
Ouropolis is an adult animated series pitch following a plucky archaeologist who wakes up in a foreign, future world. The pitch deck is complete with character descriptions, a world description, and episode synopses.
