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beesonmann · Joined: 26 Jun 2007 Posts: 5

Well hello

I guess i'm the new guy...
I'm a senior in highschool and I've been animating for a while now. I'm wanting to get into a good college that will help me get a good job in the future. I'm looking at Savannah College of Art and Design but i was wondering which school is the best.

thanks
dann

DavidN · Joined: 15 Oct 2006 Posts: 52 Location: Orlando, FL

Welcome to the 2D or Not 2D forum , Dann.

Choosing a school is a major step... I'm assuming you're looking at learning traditional hand-drawn animation since you're posting here . Is geographical location important to you or are you willing to relocate after high school? You mentioned thinking about going to SCAD so I'm guessing you're in the Southeast , but maybe not ... Anyway, I think you came to the right place: Hopefully our resident educators on this forum will step in with some good suggestions. Ken Priebe (Scuzzbopper) teaches at VanArts in Vancouver , BC. Nancy Beiman teaches at Rochester (NY) Institute of Design (and used to teach at Savannah) and our host Tony White teaches at the DigiPen Institute of Technologyin Redmond , WA. I know the Academy of Art in San Francisco also has a good animation dept. with a strong 2D emphasis if that's what you're interested in majoring in . Send for all their catalogs and have a look at the work done by former and current students of the various institituions as you're making up your mind of where you want to apply.
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my blog:
http://inklingstudio.typepad.com

Scuzzbopper · Joined: 15 Jun 2007 Posts: 20 Location: Vancouver BC

I agree with David's points there...where someone goes to school depends on many factors like price, location, lifestyle and ultimately subject matter. If VanArts fits your preferences for all of these things, we'd love to have you with us, and I can certainly tell you more about it.

Feel free to let us all know exactly what you want to learn and what your career goals are, and that can help us point you in the right direction.
_________________
Ken Priebe
Author, 'The Art of Stop-Motion Animation'
Senior Advisor/Instructor, VanArts
& Murkworks Head Writer
www.scuzzbopper.blogspot.com
www.storytimewithnigel.blogspot.com
www.vanarts.com

"I can move! I can talk! I can walk!"

beesonmann · Joined: 26 Jun 2007 Posts: 5

I live in northern Indiana... blah....
anyway I think location is a kind of big deal, I don't want to only be able to come home once ever 3 or 4 months.
what I want to do is get a real good base in traditional animation and then move on to 3D stuff. Then I'll be able to do both and my job selection would be bigger.
Also I want to either minor in visual effects or sound design. so any school that has those too would be great.

I just want to be able to draw for a living...... is that too much to ask?

Scuzzbopper · Joined: 15 Jun 2007 Posts: 20 Location: Vancouver BC

I'm originally from Michigan, so we're almost from the same neighborhood! Relocating is certainly challenging, especially when it's a different country as well (though it's only Canada...once you get used to Celsius, igloos and back bacon you're ok). But this is often the reality you want to get used to if you want an animation career. You will likely have to move to where the work is, so the sooner you get used to being out on your own, the better! Animation programs with a solid 2D foundation are becoming rather rare, so it's important to bite the bullet and go where the best training and studio connections are. Vancouver is growing in this area like crazy, and it's a beautiful city.

Except for perhaps sound design, VanArts has everything you described that you're looking for, so I would recommend finding out more. Contact me anytime next week at 1-800-396-2787.
_________________
Ken Priebe
Author, 'The Art of Stop-Motion Animation'
Senior Advisor/Instructor, VanArts
& Murkworks Head Writer
www.scuzzbopper.blogspot.com
www.storytimewithnigel.blogspot.com
www.vanarts.com

"I can move! I can talk! I can walk!"

beesonmann · Joined: 26 Jun 2007 Posts: 5

lol
back bacon?

DavidN · Joined: 15 Oct 2006 Posts: 52 Location: Orlando, FL

Cerberust · Joined: 12 Jul 2007 Posts: 2

Well I just graduated SCAD, and focused on 2D and flash. You can check my website out and see what I managed to get done there if you like :)

www.drew-newman.com

Though the curriculum admitedly needs more core animation classes, and you wait a while getting through foundation studies to get to animating, it was a good overall experience. They just got an entire room full of CINTIQS last year, and apparently will be getting more. If nothing else, SCAD has the best recourses and equipment Ive seen at any college.

At the same time, its Georgia, and you won't be around any companies while there, so make sure you get an internship or two so you have an idea of what the industry is like. Thats the lowdown on SCAD. I can answer other questions on that if you have any. Good luck!

Nancy Beiman · Joined: 17 Mar 2007 Posts: 50

Hello Beesonmann,

RIT is close enough to Indiana so that you could get home occasionally. (We're practically in Ohio!)

It has a signal advantage over some other schools: there is full grounding in live action film technique before you start making films. In other words, I don't have to explain what a closeup and a medium shot is to my students.

There is also a program in sound design. Since it is a unversity, not an art college, it has a much more varied curriculum. Some students take 'craft track'--some in sound design, some in editing, and I am working with the first production design/layout craft tracker.

If you want to see some of the recent student work, go to Youtube and look up the following films:

THE MUSICAL GENIUS OF MOZART MCFIDDLE
THE DANCE OF THE SEASONS
THE WAY OF THE MANTIS

or go to Atomfilms and view
DINNER

You can see more work from this student (Nathaniel Hubbell) including work completed for my character design, animation, and layout classes and his senior project PYGMALION DREAMS, on his website http://www.rit.edu/~nhh0365/animport.html
The film IMPRINTS was completed for a sound design class. There are other films in several media completed for other professors. This portfolio gives a pretty fair indication of what the RIT curriculum is like.

cheers
Nancy Beiman
_________________
Animation isn't the illusion of life. Animation IS life. --Chuck Jones

Nancy Beiman · Joined: 17 Mar 2007 Posts: 50

You can also view:

LOVE AT FIRST ROACH
JUST PLAIN NUTS
THE SECRET LAB OF DR. WIGGLES
CHLOE GETS A PET
DUST BUNNIES
PERPETUAL MOTION FOUND!

on Youtube. The last two were not done by one of my students; the very last one won a Student Academy Award in 2003.

You can also find many other short films produced in the animation program at RIT by searching for "RIT ANIMATION" on YouTube.

Good luck. You can write me if you have any questions.

_________________
Animation isn't the illusion of life. Animation IS life. --Chuck Jones