Collegiate Animation
What School Is Right for Me Or You?
Today's blog is going to focus on a subject that is becoming more and more relevant to myself and many of my classmates as our final year of high school comes to a close: college choice. I have found one
article on Animation Arena that helps address this topic.
There are so many colleges in this country that the task of finding the one that best fits you can be a daunting task. For those looking into careers in animation, there are key components that make the search a little quicker. As the linked article claims, there are four main things that students can look for in a school:
1. Does the program teach all aspects of animation?
Whether it's a specialty art school or a program within a state school, the author of the article, Annie Gray, stresses the importance of having a generalized idea of the entire process of animation. From basic drawing skills to art history, she strongly advocates for all animation students to learn these skills and all others. What's more, she finds it common for most animation programs to not even teach animation the first year, not for gen-eds, but for classes like perspective and figure drawing.
Now, while these are good and notable points, I personally contest the need for all animators to be able to draw with exceptional skill to get into the industry. This is mostly accredited to the vast increase in computer animation. Learning all the animation principles? I find that valuable. Needing to become an expert on figure drawing? Maybe not. In my case, I'd rather have more animation and less "art history".
2. How much experience do the professors have?
On this pint Annie Gray explains that truly good professors have not just the technical skills but the industry experience and connections that give their students a head start in the reality of the field. On this I agree strongly that it's a sure benefit to any student to have such a professor.
3. Where is it located?
Not all fields are location-sensitive, but animation definitely is. The author explains in this section that finding a school closer to the major studios (namely, in sunny, expensive, California) greatly increases your chances of getting hired as "there is a great chance that those animation studios recruit their talent from those local schools." This is not to say that to be an aspiring animator you must go to a California school. There are several good schools, as the author also explains, in Chicago or Florida that can teach just as well, but may need slightly more work on the connections end of things.
4. Is there a good alumni network?
This aspect of schools may be often overlooked, but can be invaluable to an aspiring animator. Gray writes that may college graduates in animation report finding jobs through their professors or classmates, so being able to have reliable contacts from old students who've made it into the industry.
These are four, but certainly not all the things a student should look into when selecting a school for animation. Personally, some that I use as indicators are range of majors (in case you change your mind), and student-teacher ratio (which can be good or bad depending on the class or student).
