Dr. Phillips alumna scores Television Academy Foundation nomination

Growing up in Russia, Elizaveta Makarenko always watched 2D cartoons and movies. 

It was something she truly enjoyed. 

At the movie theaters, she was introduced to 3D Pixar movies such as “Finding Nemo,” “The Incredibles,” “Cars” and her favorite “WALL-E.” 

“I was like, ‘Wait a second, this is different,’” she said. “I think my origin of 3D love came from there.”

Since childhood, Makarenko, who graduated from Dr. Phillips High School, always assumed she’d pursue art. She enjoyed the craft, the joy it brought her and the outcome of her drawings. 

“Maybe this is something I’m good at,” she said to herself. “Maybe I should pursue that.” 

Being artistically inclined, she applied to Ringling College of Art and Design, acquiring a degree in computer animation. 

Today, her thesis project, “Beautify,” has received multiple nominations and awards and currently is nominated for the Animation Series category of the College Television Awards Animation Series, which will take place Saturday, March 28. 

Facing insecurities

“Beautify” is a two-minute, 3D animated short film about conforming to societal standards. 

Vera, the main character, struggles with her looks, visibly upset about her acne and under-eye bags. 

She opened her cellphone’s front camera and cringed at the sight of it. 

She then activated a beauty filter, which erased her acne, her under-eye bags and her tired look. Only then was she happy. 

However, havoc broke loose when her edited, beautified self came out of her phone and dragged Vera inside the beauty filter, trapping her. 

She wickedly tried taking over Vera’s life, believing she was better. 

Courtesy Image

Terrified of what would happen next, Vera shattered the screen from the inside with her forehead, escaping and destroying the beautified version of herself. 

She was relieved. Her beautified self couldn’t trap her anymore, she wasn’t the one in control. 

Vera grabbed her phone, deleted the app and put her phone down. 

Looking at herself in the mirror with a smile on her face, “perfect,” was what she told herself. 

“The point is that not all women look like a Disney-esque Rapunzel, we can look different,” Makarenko said. “What matters really is how we perceive ourselves. … If you find yourself perfect and beautiful, that’s all that really matters.” 

Animated journey

Makarenko did not originally plan to create “Beautify,” but she is grateful that’s the path she took. 

During her second year at Ringling College of Art and Design, her class was told to come up with short-film ideas, which would then blossom into a complete short film during a two-year period. 

Her first idea was about a girl with a second personality, but after receiving advice from her professors, she changed directions with some hesitancy. 

At first, she was reluctant about “Beautify” because she was unsure how she could spend two years working on a project about her own insecurities. 

“I think at some point, I got uncomfortable with even turning on FaceTime,” she said. “I would just voice-call people because I felt like I didn’t look good. … It got kind of heavy because there’s a version of you that you see through this beautify filter, and then there’s this version on FaceTime that you can’t put (a filter) on.” 

She told herself she would put her insecurities aside and have fun making the film. 

“It’s a message for myself and the people around me,” Makarenko said. “Beautify filters can change our appearances but they can’t change who we are.” 

Working on the film was no easy task, but she was determined to make it her best project yet. 

The first year of the project was creating the storyboard, sketching the story scene-by-scene including characters’ actions, movements and emotions. 

She purposefully chose the main character, Vera, to be green, and her beautified version to be pink. 

“Vera is teal-ish, green-ish, gray-ish for the reason that she’s very jealous of what she could be,” Makarenko said. “Green being jealousy, gray meaning she’s kind of dulled out, she’s tired. … That’s why her whole bathroom and everything in it is green — because she’s always in a slump.” 

She chose pink for Vera’s beautified version as society associates the color pink with girls, further exploring societal standards for women. 

The second year was putting it all together: the storyboard, animations, music, sound effects, lighting, voices and more. 

She periodically had to show other Ringling College of Arts and Design students her progress, receiving positive feedback every time. 

“People would come up to me and say, ‘This is an experience I had, thank you so much for making this,’ and we’d bond over it,” she said. “It’s cool, it’s like a little community that grew from this message.” 

Makarenko said it feels nice to be able to empower others through her short film. 

“It’s the most rewarding thing ever,” she said. 

Red carpet ready

Makarenko, now a Ringling College of Arts and Design graduate, will fly out to Los Angeles for the College Television Awards, Saturday, March 28, where “Beautify” is a finalist for an Animation Series award. 

Previously, the short film was awarded the Gold Juror’s Award at Best of Ringling 2025, Best 3D Animation award at the Oxford International Film Festival, and was a finalist at the 2025 Rookie Awards and the 2025 Student Academy Awards. 

“I never expected this,” she said. “I’m excited to fly to L.A. and meet all these cool people, though. Being part of this creative job market, I realized it’s all about people. The stuff I make is cool, but it’s the coolest to get to work with these people, get to talk to them and open my eyes to new things.” 

Through the creation of “Beautify,” Makarenko learned to keep pushing forward just like the character, Vera. 

She is grateful for how “Beautify” has shaped her career and pointed her in the right direction. 

Today, she works at Sky Elements Drone, what she considers “the same as 3D modeling.” 

“I would have never guessed that I would be doing this, not in a million years, but it’s been really awesome,” she said. “I get to apply all the skills I already know into this medium. It’s really cool.”

Thanks to her education at Ringling College of Arts and Design, she now chooses the artistic direction, movement and animation of the drones, much like she did with her short film.  

Makarenko also is working on a different short film. While the project is coming along slower than she’d like, she is tenacious. 

To her, she is where she wants to be — happy, confident and humble.