videos
TED-Ed Lessons
As one of TED-Ed’s Editorial Producers, Cella has pitched hundreds of ideas and collaborated with experts to write an array of scripts for animated lessons that have been viewed more than 94 million times. Here’s a sample:
A Kind of Common Thread (2019, 1 min)
A cheetah, a pair of ostriches, and an Anna's hummingbird materialize from one common, mischievous thread. Rotoscope animation project inspired by footage taken in Kenya and California. Created by Cella Wright, original score by Matt Loreti.
Awards and screenings:
The University of Idaho Fish & Wildlife Film Festival 2020 - 2nd Place, Wild Side
Mosquito Metamorphosis (2018, 5 min)
An imaginative and insightful journey into the life cycle of the Culex pipiens mosquito. Written, directed, filmed, animated, and narrated by Cella Wright; original score by Margaret McCarthy; sound by Andy Fidoten.
Awards and screenings:
Innsbruck Nature Film Festival 2018 | Best Young Talent | Jury comments: "An educational film teaching us everything we always wanted to know about our biggest enemies - the mosquitos. Done with a gentle, 'old school' style & soft, attentive cinematography this film was a pleasure to watch and learn from."
Entomological Society of America's 2018 YouTube Your Entomology Contest | 2nd Place
International Green Culture Festival Belgrade 2019 - Special Mention for Scientific Approach
Raw Science Film Festival 2019 - Official Selection
Philadelphia Environmental Film Festival 2019 - Official Selection
#LabMeCrazy! Science film Festival 2019 - Producción de Estudiantes Finalist
Barents Ecology Film Festival 2019 - Official Selection
Harrogate Film Festival 2020 - Official Selection
No Such Sunrise (2018, 15 min)
In the spring of 2017, on a small college campus, an intoxicated man threatened multiple students with racial slurs and an open blade knife. Although the college and local court closed the case soon after, the students were left without resolution. “No Such Sunrise” seeks to document this event by illuminating the interwoven memories from that day and the individual attempts to process trauma. Digital animation by Cella Wright; written, directed, produced, filmed, and edited by Cella Wright, Laura (Jingyi) Li, and Dana Brandes-Simon.
Awards and screenings:
CineYouth Film Festival 2019 | Best Overall Film
Big Shoulders International Student Film Festival 2020 | Best Documentary Film
Ohio Shorts Film Festival 2018 | Jury Award
Ivy Film Festival 2018 - Official Selection
Roxbury International Film Festival 2018 - Official Selection
North Dakota Human Rights Film Festival 2019 - Finalist
Social World Film Festival 2019 - Semi-Finalist
Skidmore MDOCS Sensing Surveillance: Student Exhibition 2018 - Official Selection
James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award: Keith Wattley, UnCommon Law (2020, 5 min)
Keith Wattley founded UnCommon Law (Oakland, CA) as an advocate for people incarcerated for serious and violent crimes. The organization offers trauma counseling and parole representation to people charged with life sentences throughout California. UnCommon Law has successfully freed hundreds of individuals who have gone on to lead full lives outside of prison — offering a promising look at restorative justice in action. Edited by Cella Wright at Talking Eyes Media.
articles
TED IDEAS Blog
Could the key to fighting antibiotic resistance in humans be found in the blood of the deadly Komodo dragon? (2019)
“Bacterial infections that are resistant to treatment by our existing antibiotics are a huge threat to human health and an enormous challenge for medicine. Scientists are exploring one fascinating line of research: compounds modeled after those found in the blood of the fearsome Komodo dragon...”
Think retirement is smooth sailing? A look at its potential effects on the brain (2019)
“Ah, retirement. It’s the never-ending weekend, that well-deserved oasis of freedom and rest we reach after decades of hard work… [But] some studies have linked retirement to poorer health and a decline in cognitive functioning — at times resulting in as much as double the rate of cognitive aging...”
Coming to your nose: Scent playlists that could boost your well-being (2019)
Illustration from iStock. Article written by Cella Wright.
“While our sense of smell can get overshadowed by the other four senses, there should be no mistake: It is formidable. The human nose can distinguish among at least 1 trillion different scents... Edwards hopes that people can use technology to tap into scent for a quick pick-me-up, dose of calm, or way to find more enjoyment from the food they eat...”
Note to self: We are all molecular masterpieces (2019)
Illustration by Jenice Kim. Article written by Cella Wright.
“Most of us have had those fleeting moments when we become acutely aware of the wonder, strangeness, and ingenuity of the bodies we live in… Canadian science communicator and neurobiology PhD candidate Samantha Yammine suggests that we encourage these feelings of astonishment and curiosity. In fact, we might even want to ask the “What am I !?” question a little more often...”
The Synapse, Oberlin College’s Science Magazine
Edition 16, “La Llorona: The Ecology of Folklore” (2018)
“She is weeping, wailing, crazed, vengeful – she is La Llorona, the famous haunt of Latin American folklore. She is called ‘The Weeping Woman,’ but the cause of her crying varies substantially in different tellings... We can use an ecological approach... to get a sense of how [La Llorona’s] narrative has adapted as it has been translated through storytellers, languages, places, and time. This kind of narrative ecology may perhaps shed light on the conditions that have influenced the story, such as those of gendered archetypes, colonization, and diaspora...”