Animation schools

[mmm...donuts]

I was wondering if any of you could give me some information about animation schools in the US. I'm really curious to know about the situation over there, since I'm not aware of any of them being in Italy.
Has anyone of you attended one or would like to? Let me know, folks!

[Larry T]

You might want to look at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario, Canada....

they have a very high reputation as being one of the better animation schools in all of North America, and have put out some very famous names in the business.

I believe they are also trying to convert to status of university soon.

[J. J. Hunsecker]

There's also the California Institute of Art (or Cal Arts for short) in Valencia, CA. They have an animation program founded by Disney and taught by professionals in the animation industry.

UCLA in Los Angeles, CA also has an animation class. It's where David Silverman of The Simpsons attended.

Rhode Island School of Design (Or RISD) also has an animation program. Some of the student films I've seen from there has some really good animation (one caveat though, Seth McFarland -- creator of Family Guy -- also attended that school).

[Daffysleftfoot]

Here's my alma mater (http://www.redhousecollege.com/). :cool:

[Steve Stanch]

Cal Arts and Sheridan are always high on the list.. though there's really good programs at many colleges (with some great little films being produced). My advice: look for the programs that have the philosophy of teaching foundations with an emphasis on creating a project rather than programs that focus on just the tech and the tools. You can usually identify a college that is project based or tool based by how they describe the classes.....

Here are some other decent and varied animation programs:

Royal College of Art-London
College for Creative Studies- Detroit MI
San Jose State College- San Jose Ca
Savannah College of Art- Savannah GA
Ringling- Sarasota FL
Vancouver Film School- Vancouver BC
VanArts-Vancouver BC

[Leviathan]

Nothing in Texas or anywhere else down here in the South, though, huh?

[Ray Pointer]

Nothing in Texas or anywhere else down here in the South, though, huh?

That last time I checked,Savannah, Georgia was still in the South, but there is nothing at this level in the southwestern region. Another school in Canada worth considering is Max the Mutt in Toronto. While schools that stress the esthetic ideal are the desire, one must be in line with what the industry hiring trends are. All of the jobs are now focused on technical proficiency over artistic skill. While a foundation in the basics is essential, one must really look at the big picture to fully understand what is currently happening in the industry. After all, the entire purpose of training is to go to work in the industry. You need to be sure of where you are going and also sure that you are committed to "the long haul," and not attracted to the "glamor." There are already hundreds of qualified people unemployed due to technological changes and job descriptions that do not consider other qualifications beyond proficency in FLASH, MAYA, etc. Some have spent two years mastering these programs and are still unemployed. Don't go simply by the ideal pictures painted by recruiters for schools and other outsiders to the industry. Check directly with the labor organizations and studios to find out
specifically what they are looking for and what their forecast is over the next four to five years. After all, nothing could be more devestating than to invest all that time and money into training for a profession that has no job prospects, or be stuck in a position that pays minimum wage after you have made that investment. That has been the fate of many already.

[Steve Stanch]

There's a good point made here, and at the better schools something that's talked about frequently.

This will ramble a bit; I'm running today but thought I'd throw in a few cents. This is a subject that's always on my mind- it's my job even.

I've spent the last 7 years working at an art school in their animation department, talking wih other schools at various events (including the recent Adobe partners in design meetings where most of the major animation schools were present), talking with studios, independent animators, freelancers and people who work at studios, former students
that now work in the industry, recruiters, etc. I've ended up with a much bigger picture of the industry as a whole than I ever would have with the friends I know that work in animation. I also run a small studio in a unlikely place for animation.

What's happening in the industry isn't just what's happening centered around LA (of course, it is still a large center of animation production, though it's been speading out more in the last few years than any other time- shows are being produced all over).

The technology is just a tool in the bigger picture, and learning that tool to produce creative work is still about your own ability to apply your creativity.
Of course, most people do go to school with the idea of working in the industry. Because of the changes in production related to the availablilty of technology, the job market has changed drastically. Cal Arts original design was as a sort of training ground for an entry level position at Disney. The job market just isn't that anymore. Most companies will not spend the time and money to train you. Being able to wear many hats (and a few of them very well) will help you to get work, as will your ability to work well with other people (you'd never believe how many people are difficult to work with, and this ends up shutting so many doors- who wants to work with difficult people?), your abilty to be creative, your ability to be able to lead a project/ production and work in a team. Your ability to learn new things (there's no such thing as a perfect production pipeline - was there ever?).

Some studios do emphasize tools/tech over creativity and basic skills, but most of those places I'd never want to work myself (in fact, almost everyone I know wouldn't want to work at those places!). In terms of tech, flash isn't hard, Maya is in many ways, but you're still not going to get work if you have not learned design and drawing (both also tools) and are able to apply them creatively (that is, be able to produced your own work and be able to do whatever the studio needs for a production).

Of course, the world is still changing. A good book to get a bigger picture of the states and the future in the job market (not directly related to animation, but everything) is Dan Pink's book, A Whole New Mind. It can be quite eye opening- I'd suggest it to anyone (especially creative thinkers)

[Inkedwell]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the School of Visual Art's animation program. I don't know how it is in other places but so far, I'm getting a wonderful education here. Several of my teachers formerly worked at UPA, principles are important but we are allowed to make our own films without being 'shut in' creatively, and we get to work either "the old fashioned way" with lunchboxes, or digitally.

I would reccomend it to anyone who lives in the Northeast or east coast, and wants to learn 2d animation without going too far from home.

[fan4life]

Not that I'm necessarily making any endorsement, but they say that the Joe Kubert School is supposed to be top-notch.

[dan]

Does anyone know if the animation program at NYU is any good?

[AndrewGilmore]

I did go to a local place a number of years ago..not really a school, just kind of a summer animation camp..cel animation would have taken too long and been too expensive, so we used things like clay and paper cut-outs (the latter being my preferred method). I had a lot of fun there and went there every summer for about six years. I got into it because the teacher was a friend of my mother's and she introduced me to him.
I produced some fun stuff there, though the last few years I would just go there to hang out, chat and sleep..I tended not to have any good ideas, and for some reason my early teens were a period where I felt immensely fatigued all the time, so I didn't get much work done, but they didn't really care since there were so many other kids to deal with.
The place folded a few years back because they weren't making enough money to keep it up..I'm not sure what the teacher's doing now, but he and his brother are still very good friends of mine.

[fan4life]

The thing with the Kubert School (and this should not be construed as an endorsement), is that it's founded and overseen by comics legend Joe "Did a Slew of DC Titles Back in the Day" Kubert, and that his sons Andy Kubert and Adam Kubert (both comics legends in their own right) and other comic book and animation legends actually teach there. On the other hand, I've seen stuff coming out of the other specialized schools that, for my money, is so much better.