Animation schools and demo reels. [Archive]

hells angel

14-10-2004, 02:49 PM

An excellent resource for people lookin out for animation schools over the world and for people preparing their demo reels.
All credit to Leigh from Cgtalk.
heres the link to the thread at cgtalk...
<A href="http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?t=69427" target="_blank">http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?t=69427</A>

dynafx

14-10-2004, 03:52 PM

thatz an superb effort by LEIGH 
and thanx to  angle, to put it here, 
 
hope soon an indian school will be added 
<img src="smileys/smiley32.gif" border="0">

dynafx

14-10-2004, 04:11 PM

though this is an separate thread, but, it should go with this 
people who cant go abraod, have a look here tooo 
 
http://www.cgtantra.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=52&P N=1 
 
& 
 
ask these before u enroll abroad 
 
http://www.cgtantra.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=98&P N=1

Crunk

14-10-2004, 11:48 PM

great link for someone like me... im gonna go  through this today night...
vivek : watch me get better *lol*<IMG src="smileys/smiley4.gif" border="0">

dynafx

20-05-2005, 12:12 AM

how many got benefitted out of these important links <img src="smileys/smiley1.gif" border="0">. 
in all the forums, therez something related with animation mentor, so,
i'm compiling an article, which will go with this thread, enjoy 
 
---------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- 
<center>
<img src="http://images.pennnet.com/pnet/extras/cgw/mascotbanner.jpg" border="0">
</center>

Is there something you?ve always wanted to know
about animation, but were afraid to ask? If so, the Animation Mentors ?
three of the industry?s top animators ? want to hear from you. Their
new online school is opening soon ? but you can get answers to your
questions right now, here on our Web site! Simply scroll to the bottom
of the screen, enter your question, and check back for the answer.
We'll post new questions and answers every week. 
The Mentors 

<table cellspacing="7" width="100%">

<t><tr ="med">
<td valign="top" width="50%">
Bobby Beck
has been animating for over 8 years and has worked for such facilities
as Walt Disney Feature Animation and Tippett Studio. He has spent the
last 5 years animating at Pixar Animation Studios on such films as Toy
Story 2, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles. He has
mentored several students and co-taught local college animation
classes. <a href="http://www.bobbyboombeck.com/" target="_new" target="_blank">www.bobbyboombeck.com</a>

Carlos Baena
has been animating for over 8 years. He is one of the most noted
animators to come out of Spain in the last decade and he's worked on
films such as Jurassic Park III, Star Wars Episode II, Finding Nemo,
and The Incredibles. He has also given animation lectures in America
and internationally. <a href="http://www.carlosbaena.com/" target="_new" target="_blank">www.carlosbaena.com</a>
</td>
<td valign="top">
<img src="http://images.pennnet.com/pnet/extras/cgw/founders.jpg" border="0">
Shawn Kelly
has been animating professionally for 8 years, the last 6 of which have
been spent as a character animator at Industrial Light & Magic,
where he has worked on such films as the Star Wars prequels, A.I.
Artificial Intelligence, and Hulk. Over the last few years, Shawn has
also enjoyed teaching advanced animation classes at the Academy of Art
University in San Francisco, as well as mentoring students on a
one-on-one basis. </td>
</tr>
<tr ="med">
<td colspan="2"> Visit <a href="http://www.animationmentor.com/" target="_new" target="_blank">AnimationMentor.com</a> today!</td>
</tr>
</t>
</table>

<hr>

Here are the latest questions we have received and the answers from the Mentors. To submit your own question, please <a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#form" target="_blank">click here</a>.

The Questions

<ul ="qlist"><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q46" target="_blank">Hi,
I'm sixteen years old and want to pursue a career in animating. I saw
The Incredible's and said to myself, "I have to do this." So I was
wondering if you could give me some advice. I don't have a lot of money
and anywhere to go for teachings so I'm basically on my own. I'm not
sure what software I should get or how I should start out.</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q45" target="_blank">Do major animation studios prefer to hire people with a full college education or do they prefer animation mentor?</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q44" target="_blank">Hey
there Guys. I am an animator & animation instructor soon to be
enrolled full-time again as a student in a Master's program. I wondered
if individuals are able to take specific courses at AM to complement a
current program or just as professional development courses by
themselves - similar to the Gnomon Workshop? The concept of AM is
great. Thanks for any insight!</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q43" target="_blank">I
was wondering how much math you need to be a 3D animator. Do you have
to be good at math? This thought really came to mind when I was
watching the short little blip about Bud Lucky and how he made Boundin'
for Pixar. He said the animators are teaching him to animate with
numbers. Would knowing only up to geometry be enough? Oh, and one more
thing--for doing physics in animation, do you need equations or is it
easier than that? Thanks!</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q42" target="_blank">I
hope this still reaches you now since AnimationMentor.com has launched,
but here goes: What exercises should I do to best prepare me for
Animation Mentor? I'm sure we'll get great exercises there, but maybe
you had to cut one or two because you wanted it to be doable in 12
weeks? Should we keep on doing simple bouncing ball exercises we'll be
in shape for class A, but should we do some physics exercises with a
bipedal too, or something completely different? Thanks a lot!</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q41" target="_blank">I
have been in print production graphics for 17 years and now want to get
into 3D animation. I'd like to get an internship, but how much does a
person need to know before starting an internship? If I already have
the knowledge of animating, I wouldn't need the internship. If I just
have a general knowledge of the process of animation, but not enough to
have a demo-reel then I need the internship to learn that. Are there
on-the-job training internships? At what point of learning should you
start an internship? Thanks.</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q40" target="_blank">Which is the best way to archive "Moving Holds" that keeps your character alive?</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q39" target="_blank">Which are the most important topics a student must learn to get to be an excellent character animator? (Sorry for my English) Victor Escardo From Montevideo, Uruguay (South America) Character Animation Teacher at AnimeCampus</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q38" target="_blank">Hello!
I am a complete amateur who has been reading about animation solely out
of curiosity. Do you use something similar to the physics engines in
gaming? Example: when two objects collide, do you simulate the
collision on a computer to help you animate the scene in a correct way?</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q37" target="_blank">I
have a project in mind, I have no experience with animation or graphic
creation and I'm not sure where or how to begin. Where can I find the
animation and/or graphic creation website to assist the beginner?</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q36" target="_blank">I
was recently let go from my job as a CAD draftsman. The boss told me he
thought I was more into computer animation than design. Is this a sign?</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q35" target="_blank">I
know animating shots can take days sometimes even weeks, so how do you
keep the energy going and stay inspired even at the worst of slumps?</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q34" target="_blank">Carlos, How hard was it to go to the US to animate?</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q33" target="_blank">Is it possible to use the Maya 5 Personal Learning Edition along with the course</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q32" target="_blank">I
am a student and obviously I want a job immediately following
graduation. Would it be beneficial to send out a "pre-demo reel" of
tests that reveal my skills, or would I be wasting my efforts until my
final demo reel is ready?</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q31" target="_blank">How often should a characters eyebrows move?</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q30" target="_blank">In the art of animation, what is the most common mistake new animators make?</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q29" target="_blank">Will you be offering a degree in animation or some form of certificate upon completing all the classes?</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q28" target="_blank">How do I find a healthy balance between school, personal life, exercise (in my case basketball) and learning animation?</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q27" target="_blank">Does AnimatorMentor give discounts for companies? We would like to approach our Directors with that possibility.</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q26" target="_blank">How has computer animation helped with crowd scenes?</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q25" target="_blank">My question is for someone operating on a budget ..which software package would you recommend for doing 3D work?</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q24" target="_blank">I
am a professional animator/3D artist interested in the courses you are
offering. I have a few questions regarding the courses...</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q23" target="_blank">Why are the characters in "The Polar Express" so creepy looking? How would you avoid this problem?</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q22" target="_blank">My
friend and I work together as an animation team. He is an artist and I
am a writer. How should we make it clear that we have individual
abilities, and yet if we work together, our talents combined would be
in everyone's advantage?</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q21" target="_blank">What advice could you give me on maybe what college to go to or anything basically in order to start my career?</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q20" target="_blank">I
was wondering is it possible to skip animation school all together
because it costs so much, if you are motivated, self-study, and get
critique from places like the internet?</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q19" target="_blank">How do new animators get 1 and 2 minute movie shorts/demo-reels onto the internet?</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q18" target="_blank">For
people who are learning animation on their own, what would be the best
route of exercises for getting the principles really good first, before
they reach creating full characters?</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q17" target="_blank">How can I do computer graphic art, and design my own ideas?</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q16" target="_blank">Will the fact that I do not use Maya hinder me in your animation course? I do use MotionBuilder.</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q15" target="_blank">What type of capital/salaries/ etc. can you make starting out and when you're an accomplished animator?</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q14" target="_blank">When creating an animation demo reel, how important is story-telling over simply showing quality character animation?</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q13" target="_blank">What is your greatest animation you ever made? </a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q12" target="_blank">I
was busy with graphic design, is it too late to improve my animation
skills after stopping for several years? (I'm 27 years old now!) </a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q11" target="_blank">What
type of 3D animation does the movie Shrek employ? I'm good at drawing
faces and figures, so what type of animation should I try? </a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q10" target="_blank">Do I need to be an a good artist in drawing in digital art? What if I don't know how to draw at all? </a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q9" target="_blank">I
wanted to know something about the timing, and your approach at it. For
example, if we have a scene and an action that we want to animate how
can we know if the timing is right? </a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q8" target="_blank">Can you animate celebrities? </a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q7" target="_blank">I'm
living in Holland (Europe). You don't find any big studio's here. I'm
exited about learning animation but I feel it may be all for nothing.
Will it be worth it?</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q6" target="_blank">How did you start your journey as an Animator, did you take any university course? </a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q5" target="_blank">How hard is animating movies? </a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q4" target="_blank">To what extent do you guys use non-linear animation for your work?</a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q3" target="_blank">How do I get started in character animation? </a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q2" target="_blank">What resources should I use to grow as an animator? </a> </li><li><a href="http://cgw.pennnet.com/extras/cgw/mentors/mentors.cfm#q1" target="_blank">Which animation techniques do you use daily? </a> </li></ul>


<hr>


The Answers



<a name="q46"></a>
Hi, I'm sixteen years old and want to pursue a career in
animating. I saw The Incredible's and said to myself, "I have to do
this." So I was wondering if you could give me some advice. I don't
have a lot of money and anywhere to go for teachings so I'm basically
on my own. I'm not sure what software I should get or how I should
start out. ? Richard



Carlos Baena writes: That was my exact reaction
when I first watched "Toy Story" in 1995 or even as I was growing up
with the original Star Wars trilogy. I told myself, this is the coolest
thing I've watched...and I have to do it. Well, let's see. A lot of
people are on a similar situation as you are. So, there are different
options...and you shouldn't worry or stress out about it too much.
Let's see, if you can't afford a big 4-year program, there are smaller
programs that focus directly on animation. That was one of the goals of
AnimationMentor actually. It's a year program...but it's heavily
animation intensive...and much less expensive, for what you get.

 If you can't afford school period, no
worries. You can start by getting cheap software, such as Hash's
AnimationMaster. Check out Victor Navone's website
(http://www.navone.org) to see how powerful this software can be in the
hands of someone as talented and amazing as Victor. You can do the
simple tutorials, and then start practicing on your own. Then, go
through the internet and start looking around for simple things to
practice. I have a link of stuff in here:


<a href="http://www.carlosbaena.com/anim_material.html" target="_blank">http://www.carlosbaena.com/anim_material.html</a> 
<a href="http://www.carlosbaena.com/links.html" target="_blank">http://www.carlosbaena.com/links.html</a>


Simple stuff and advanced stuff in there.


I hope this helps Richard.




<a name="q45"></a>
Do major animation studios prefer to hire people with a full college education or do they prefer animation mentor? ? Jenny



Carlos Baena writes: 

You know, I'll talk from what my experience has been in the last two studios I worked at, which were ILM and now Pixar.


The college education is always going to be
beneficial for your own education. From that point of view, I think
it's always great to have a full college education and learn on many
different subjects, even if they are topics you'll never use. But from
a major animation studio point of view, once they get a reel and a
resume (even accompanied with a portfolio), the bottom line is, they
JUST want to see your animation skills, even if you do not have prior
work experience. If you do have a great demo reel then that's all it
matters. So focus on the art and the animation itself.



<a name="q44"></a>
Hey there Guys. I am an animator & animation instructor
soon to be enrolled full-time again as a student in a Master's program.
I wondered if individuals are able to take specific courses at AM to
complement a current program or just as professional development
courses by themselves - similar to the Gnomon Workshop? The concept of
AM is great. Thanks for any insight! ? John DeRiggi



Carlos Baena writes: We are looking into different
options for the future to see what can be done or not from a California
Bureau point of view. Right now unfortunately is too soon for us to
talk about it. Hopefully in the next few months we'll have a better
idea.



<a name="q43"></a>
I was wondering how much math you need to be a 3D animator. Do
you have to be good at math? This thought really came to mind when I
was watching the short little blip about Bud Lucky and how he made
Boundin' for Pixar. He said the animators are teaching him to animate
with numbers. Would knowing only up to geometry be enough? Oh, and one
more thing--for doing physics in animation, do you need equations or is
it easier than that? Thanks! ? Frodo_Lion



Carlos Baena writes: Honestly, animation for me
has always been a visual medium. 3D animators deal with curves, but
still what matters is what's on screen. If you know how to identify
what's on the curves (of any anim. software) in relation to the
character moving, and why is it moving this or that way, then, that'll
be the one thing you'll need to know. Remember that this medium is
always visual. So regardless of whether it's 3D, 3D or stop-motion, in
the end it's still a visual medium.



<a name="q42"></a>
I hope this still reaches you now since AnimationMentor.com has
launched, but here goes: What exercises should I do to best prepare me
for Animation Mentor? I'm sure we'll get great exercises there, but
maybe you had to cut one or two because you wanted it to be doable in
12 weeks? Should we keep on doing simple bouncing ball exercises we'll
be in shape for class A, but should we do some physics exercises with a
bipedal too, or something completely different? Thanks a lot! ?
Benjamin De Schrijver



Shawn Kelly writes: It depends a little bit on
your experience level, to be honest. If you're relatively new to
animation, I think your time might be best spent doing everything BUT
the actual animation. Read the first three chapters of the Illusion of
Life, take a figure drawing class, sketch kids playing in the park,
start studying your favorite animation scenes frame-by-frame on DVD to
find what it is about them that you like so much... Things like this
might help more than just diving head-first into the actual animation
process without your mentor there to help you along.


However, if you've got some animation under your belt
already, it couldn't hurt to do all the above plus either some bouncing
ball exercises or some physical action tests. Maybe a golfer taking a
swing at a ball - something like that where you can really analyze the
forces moving throughout the body.


Generally speaking, I think your time would probably
be best spent with a sketchbook in your hands learning all you can
about dynamic posing and studying the timing of various movements.
Practice your observational skills - there's almost nothing as
important to an animator as being able to accurately observe the world
around us.



<a name="q41"></a>
I have been in print production graphics for 17 years and now
want to get into 3D animation. I'd like to get an internship, but how
much does a person need to know before starting an internship? If I
already have the knowledge of animating, I wouldn't need the
internship. If I just have a general knowledge of the process of
animation, but not enough to have a demo-reel then I need the
internship to learn that. Are there on-the-job training internships? At
what point of learning should you start an internship? Thanks. ?
GraphicsMan



Shawn Kelly writes: I would encourage anyone to
start gunning for an internship as soon as possible, actually, and many
internships don't require much (if any) knowledge of animation at all.
Most internships are more about getting your foot in the door than they
are about participating in actual production. You might spend most of
your time (as I did, back in the
day) as an intern making photocopies and running errands.


Maybe that sounds terrible, but you know what?
There's nothing more helpful to your early career than an internship,
even one spent mostly in front of a photocopier. An internship is what
you make of it. That's really important, so I'll even give it it's own
little paragraph. :)


An internship is what you make of it.


If your day is spent making photocopies, then be the
best dang photocopier they've ever seen. Dazzle them with your positive
attitude, wow them with your work ethic, and spend as much off-time as
you can at the company that you are interning in. Maybe your days as an
intern are spent running for coffee, but in your off-hours most
companies will let you hang out, meet people, practice your skills,
learn their software, etc. During the day be the best intern you can
be, and during the evenings USE the opportunity as much as you can.


I used my internship to meet as many animators as I
could. Every chance I got, I'd try to meet a new animator and ask them
what I should be studying in school if I want to become an animator
myself someday. Through this, I made friends, learned a TON about
animation, and even found my own mentor (Wayne Gilbert) who taught me
more in the first month of working with him than I had learned in two
years of school.


Basically, an internship can be a terrific way to get
into the industry, and if you have a chance to be an intern, don't
worry about the qualifications or your skill-level, just apply and see
what happens. The worst than can happen is that they might say you
aren't ready yet. If so, no big deal - apply again next year. But if
you can get in, the potential will be there to literally change your
life.


It did for me.




<a name="q40"></a>
Which is the best way to archive "Moving Holds" that keeps your character alive? ? Andrea Abella



Shawn Kelly writes: Hi there! Okay, cool - moving
holds. This is something we discuss a lot in our video classes at
AnimationMentor.Com, but the quick version is this:


If you have a character doing some kind of action,
let's say... let's say the character is pointing to the sky and
shouting "Look! It's a CLOUD!" (Don't ask me why he's so worked up
about the cloud. Must be a pretty interesting cloud...)


Well, what you might be tempted to do is really
"snap" into that "pointing to the sky" pose, especially because of the
potential for that to be a huge stretched dynamic pose. And that's fine
- you *should* get into that pose, but you aren't done yet. If you
leave it in that pose, your character will freeze and will instantly
die - losing all life you might have given it so far in the scene. 3D
characters seem to "die" even quicker than 2D characters, so us
computer guys need to be extra-careful of this, by the way.


One way to fix this frozen moment is by adding in a
moving hold. Basically, find that "extreme" pose - the really dynamic
"pointing at the sky" pose where you want your character to end the
scene. Maybe he reaches this moment just as he yells the word "CLOUD!"


What you want to do, is find that extreme pose, and
then create a second pose that pushes everything just a *little* bit
further. Maybe a second later or so, you have this "extra pushed" pose
where his pointing hand is a little bit higher, his shoulder is pushed
a littler further, his hips are just a little bit higher than your
"real" pose.


Well, what is going on during that 30 frames is
called a "moving hold." Your character is essentially in the same pose,
but everything is still alive, still moving forward, still becoming
just slightly more extreme.


There are other versions of this idea, and other ways
to keep your character alive, but that's the basic quickie "here's one
type of moving hold" for ya! Have fun!



<a name="q39"></a>
Which are the most important topics a student must learn to get to be an excellent character animator? (Sorry for my English) Victor Escardo From Montevideo, Uruguay (South America) Character Animation Teacher at AnimeCampus
? Victor Escardo



Shawn Kelly writes: At AnimationMentor.Com, we're
huge proponents of learning the basics of animation. There isn't
anything more important than the basic fundamentals, and without a
solid understanding of those tools (such as squash and stretch,
overlap, anticipation, etc) you can never create a strong acting
performance or a believable physical action.


So, I guess I would say that starting with the basics
is the most important thing. We see so many demo reels of students who
dive into dialogue performances and acting tests before they've
mastered the basics of how a person's body works, and it really hurts
the demo reel.


If you're really curious about the specific topics,
check out the course syllabus at AnimationMentor.Com (click to download
our school catalog) and just check out our classes. You'll see how
we've broken down the topics into the order that we teach in. That
doesn't mean it's the ONLY order to learn animation in, just the one we
think works best in a weekly environment. Hope that helps!



<a name="q38"></a>
Hello! I am a complete amateur who has been reading about
animation solely out of curiosity. Do you use something similar to the
physics engines in gaming? Example: when two objects collide, do you
simulate the collision on a computer to help you animate the scene in a
correct way? ? Johan Richter



Shawn Kelly writes: We use many different
techniques in animation, and physics simulations has certainly become
an invaluable one, especially in the last couple years. Depending on
the action and style of animation, different techniques such as
keyframe animation, motion capture, simulations, compositing tricks,
etc might all be used -- sometimes all in the same shot!


As for physics simulations specifically, they are
mostly used to create explosions, have falling debris, create fabric or
cloth, or have a vehicle collide with another object. Occasionally they
are used in some way on a character (in Hulk we simulated a dog flying
through the air and bouncing along the ground for one shot, for
example), but mostly it's for non-character work.



<a name="q37"></a>
I have a project in mind, I have no experience with animation
or graphic creation and I'm not sure where or how to begin. Where can I
find the animation and/or graphic creation website to assist the
beginner? ? Eric Johnson



Shawn Kelly writes: 

AnimationMentor.Com! :)


Ha ha ha - well, there are actually many sources that
you could start to explore when just starting out. Books can be an
excellent place to begin. I like Preston Blair's Cartoon Animation, The
Illusion of Life by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, and Richard
William's The Animator's Survival Kit -- any of those would be a good
place to start learning about the basics. Enrolling in some figure
drawing classes and getting a good sense of how the body works and how
to create a strong dynamic pose can be another easy (and cheap, if you
do it at a community college, for
example) way to get your feet wet. The easiest and cheapest way is to
start honing your observational skills by sketching people in public
places or studying physical motions on video/DVD. Pick up a DVD of the
Olympics and start studying frame-by-frame how the athletes move, how
their muscles work together, how the forces move through the body to
create the strongest possible movement.


However - these can be very confusing things to study
on your own -- it's finding a good teacher or mentor that will help you
most with learning the actual art of animation. It's one thing to read
about it, it's quite another to actually bring a character to life, and
it's the process of working with a mentor that will help you reach that
stage the fastest. It's extremely difficult to learn animation on your
own - you almost never hear of anyone who learns that way. This is
partly because it's such an essential part of your animation education
to get (and practice giving) feedback on in-progress animation.



<a name="q36"></a>
I was recently let go from my job as a CAD draftsman in a
kitchen and bath company. The boss told me it wasn't going to work out
because he didn't think I was into design. He said maybe I'm more into
computer animation. (Hell yeah, I am!) Is this a sign? ? Dave



Shawn Kelly writes: Dave, that's TOTALLY a sign!!
I even double-checked with my Magic 8-Ball "signs point to yes!" Ditch
the bathtubs and come have fun with us! :)



<a name="q35"></a>
Do you ever get so excited about an idea in your head or a
thought, that you just have to do it and you do? But then comes the
long slump of the actual work - and the initial inspiration wears off,
where or how do you go from there? I guess a better way to ask this: I
know animating shots can take days sometimes even weeks, so how do you
keep the energy going and stay inspired even at the worst of slumps? ?
David 


Shawn Kelly writes: 

Hi David, 
As one of our collaborators, David Weinstein, says in one of our
AnimationMentor classes, "staying inspired is a talent in and of
itself." 

He couldn't be more right. Staying inspired cannot
only be a challenging task, but it's one of the most important aspects
of your job as an animator. An inspired animator has a chance at
creating magic, at crafting a memorable scene containing characters the
audience identifies with and cares about. An uninspired animator will,
at best, create a "passable" scene. Something just barely good enough
to make it into the theater without standing out as being "bad," but
their scene will not be memorable. It won't have that extra spark of
life, appeal, and originality that the inspired animator's scene holds.


You're right that sometimes it can take a long time
to do a shot. I've literally done a shot in two hours and a shot in two
months ? it all depends on the shot itself. (how complex the motion,
how many characters, are they interacting physically, etc) So, sure -
if you're on a month-long shot, you better find ways to keep your
inspiration up for the entire time.


Everyone is different, and everyone is inspired by
different things. For me, it's usually stories that get my fired up. I
love hearing stories. Someday, I'd love to write stories for some
medium or other. I get inspired by a great film, a good TV show, or a
good book. I love graphic novels and comic books. I love video-games.
Pretty much anything with a story will get my blood pumping again...
Sometimes, though, it's animation itself that gets me jazzed up. Seeing
a particularly amazing scene will fire me up in a completely different
way! 

So for me, if my inspiration feels like it's dipping,
and I need a quick fix and don't have time to "sit down and watch a
movie or read a book," then I'll be throwing in Tarzan to check out some Glen Keane goodness, or Aladdin
for some tasty Genie treats (***BLATANT ANIMATIONMENTOR.COM PLUG: DON'T
MISS OUR INTERVIEW WITH THE ANIMATOR OF THE GENIE, ERIC GOLDBERG,
BECAUSE IT ROCKS!***) or maybe some James Baxter Rafiki magic in The Lion King.


Guys like that, crafting characters and scenes that still blow my mind, can inspire me like almost nothing else.


Nothing else, that is, other than The Empire Strikes Back.
Seeing the AT-AT walkers attack on Hoth has this whole extra
childhood-nostalgia kick for me that launches it beyond "inspiring"
into this whole other world of... I don't know what. Fanboy glee, I
guess. :)


So, you ask what to do when the inspiration wears
off? I guess my answer is to make sure that it doesn't ever completely
go away. Find whatever it is that inspires you ? and maybe that has
nothing at all to do with animation, it might be playing with your
daughter, or hiking in the woods, or jogging, or writing, or WHATEVER ?
and make sure you keep it as a regular part of your life. If it's
surfing, try to get out there at least every other weekend. If it's
writing, block out a couple hours every other evening that's set aside
just for you to write and do nothing else.


Whatever it is - don't ignore it. You have to have a
life outside of animation - that's very important - and you might as
well choose to do things that inspire and inform your animation, right?



<a name="q34"></a>
Carlos, How hard was it to go to the US to animate. Did you
have a job already lined up there or did you go there first? What
advice would you give to animators trying to move to the US? Joe



Carlos Baena writes: When I came to the US, I
actually had no idea I was going to be doing animation or what. It sort
of fell into place as I was studying in college. So I did have a school
I was going and attending lined up, even though I wasn't really
learning animation (University of San Francisco), it helped me to
realize there was this thing called "Animation/Film". So I started
taking Academy of Art classes through USF until I graduated, at which
point I decided to stay in the US working.



<a name="q33"></a>
Is it possible to use the Maya 5 Personal Learning Edition
along with the course as I cannot afford both the full version and the
course fees. Will I be restricted in any way using the PLE version and
will you teach us the basics if we have never used the program?
whitemouse




Carlos Baena writes: Hi Whitemouse. The Maya
Personal Learning edition is designed exactly for that: to be able to
use the software (for cheap) for learning purposes. Not only will you
not be restricted to learn it, but we'll try to make it easy for the
students to go pass the software to concentrate specifically on the
animation. It's one of our goals to not let the students be distracted
by software issues, and get right into the animation and focus just on
that.


<a name="q32"></a>
I am a student and obviously I want a job immediately following
graduation. Would it be beneficial to send out a "pre-demo reel" of
tests that reveal my skills, or would I be wasting my efforts until my
final demo reel is ready? I have been told that demo reel animation
should focus on things like weight, or interaction between characters,
or show good storytelling skills. What is the strongest type of
animation that recruiters like to see, and what is the weakest type of
animation that recruiters don't like to see? - Ben 


Carlos Baena writes: 
Hi Ben. To answer your first question: YES. You can send a demo reel
anytime during your education. I have done it...and I guarantee you a
million other people have done it. You have nothing to lose, other than
a VHS. And maybe you'll get feedback on it. Now, this doesn't mean that
you'll get the job or not. A lot of things are taken into
consideration. So, to answer your second question...it always depends
on where you are applying, and what kind of animation/style they need
at the place where you are applying. Some places will want cartoon
animation...other places, will want a more realistic style on the demo
reels. Some companies will want to see game style animations with low
polygon characters. So basically, you will need to know exactly what
the company you want to apply for is looking for.


<a name="q31"></a>
in a lipsync...How often should a characters eyebrows move ?or
change, like what's a safe (readable)frame count, so that the eyebrows
don't just appear to be bouncing all over. Where should I start
researching which animation program to attend? Is there a consensus
number one or maybe a top ten list of schools? Chad Bailey


Carlos Baena write: Hi Chad. From what I
understand, the term "Lipsinc" generally refers to the mouth, cheek,
jaw area. About eyebrows and how much to move then, it depends on many
things: The character, the personality, the situation, the attitude of
the character. All those things are going to tell you how much to move
the character overall or not. Someone very relaxed, or someone very
sleepy is not going to move the eyebrows as much as someone who has so
much energy, or maybe someone who has just won the lottery. So, I think
it's important to start studying these kinds of things both in real
life and in animation. Maybe record people's faces when they are
talking, and start studying those things. Real life is going to be one
of the most invaluable teaching tools you'll ever find for animation.



<a name="q30"></a>
In the art of animation, what is the most common mistake new
animators make? Or what mistakes did you make when you first started
out? What are the first basic things us new students should pay
attention to? What should we make sure NOT to do?


Shawn Kelly writes: 
Hi Benjamin!


The most common mistake new animators make, by far,
is in not spending enough time studying the basic principles of
animation. Animators are actors (any good animator has to be a good
actor), and as such, we're all fired up to get to the "acting" stuff
right away. We all want to dive right into dialogue tests and emotional
performances, etc. However, an acting shot that doesn't demonstrate a
mastery of the basics of animation is completely worthless on a
demo-reel. In fact, nothing will sink your job-chances faster than
including acting shots built upon poor use of the principles of
animation.


I can't tell you how many demo reels we've seen where
the animator obviously hasn't spent nearly long enough studying body
mechanics, physics of movement, and the principles of animation. We see
hundreds of "dialogue tests" and "acting shots" in which the characters
have no weight, badly chosen arcs, weak posing, mushy timing, no
knowledge of the fundamentals, and characters that have physics that
are just plain impossible. Instead of showing off his or her knowledge
of these fundamentals, the animator has spent all of his time creating
complicated lip-sync (an art in and of itself, and something we rarely
see done properly on a student reel), and unfortunately the end result
is a demo-reel that shows that they are nowhere near ready for studio
work.


One of our mentors at AnimationMentor.Com, Mike
Gasaway, says that you can't hang a painting unless you have a wall
first. Without that wall built from the basics of animation, you have
nothing to hang your acting performance on. This is exactly why we are
starting our students out with our Basics class. Our end-goal for every
student is for them to leave our program ready to get a job animating,
and with that goal in mind, there is literally nothing more important
than mastering the basic principles of animation and body-mechanics. 

Our students will learn how different parts of the
body relate to one another, how different motions create subsequent
motions that cannot be ignored when animating. They'll be learning how
to show proper weight in their animation, something that can be
extremely frustrating to try to learn on your own. We'll be talking to
them about how to create nice arcs in their work, dynamic poses, how to
use the silhouette of the character and the staging of the scene to
their advantage, not to mention teaching more advanced ways to think
about age-old time-tested principles such as squash & stretch,
anticipation, exaggeration, and force.


As I said, everyone wants to do acting shots right
out of the gate. We all want to animate a "Pixar-like" scene right off
the bat, (it's a completely natural urge considering how excited we all
are to start creating characters!), but that is honestly the single
biggest mistake you can make in your animation education. Without a
solid grasp of these fundamentals, all the lip-sync in the world isn't
going to get you that dream-job you're hoping for. You're so much
better off spending the first chunk of your education focusing on
exploring these princples through physical tests such as a guy lifting
up a heavy object, someone throwing something heavy, jumping from one
place to another, etc. These tests will do far more for you demo reel
than a mediocre acting test with a poor sense of weight.


Remember - an acting test with poor body mechanics is a reel-killer. 
Nail those mechanics first if you want your reel to stand out!


A great place to start reading up on these
fundamentals would be chapter 3 of the Illusion of Life by Frank Thomas
and Ollie Johnston. This chapter certainly doesn't cover every
important aspect of animation, but it's a terrific starting place for
learning about the basic foundation that our art is built upon.


Good luck, and have fun!


<a name="q29"></a>
Will you be offering a degree in animation or some form of certificate upon completing all the classes? - Andy Johnson


Bobby Beck Writes:


Yes we will. We're excited to announce here first at
CGW that one of the big things we've been working on has been getting
acknowledgment our school in the eyes of public institutions. Our
potential students have asked for it and we see the importance of such
a need. For that reason we are in the final stages of being approved by
the Bureau for Private, Postsecondary and Vocational Education. Once
approved (before we launch the site) we will be offering a Certified
Diploma in "Advanced studies in Character Animation."


<a name="q28"></a>
I know this is a hard question, but how do I find a healthy balance
between school, personal life, exercise (in my case basketball) and
learning animation? School is something I have to do, obviously,
personal life is something one cannot forget, and for basketball, I
would hate to let my team down. Unfortunately, this always seems to
push away my opportunities to learn animation, or even to go to life
drawing class! ! How would you address such a problem? - Benjamin De
Schrijver


Bobby Beck Writes:


Hey, Benjamin. That's a tough one. Through the years
I have found some things that work well for me. I usually get into
something and go "FULL STEAM AHEAD" on it and tend to neglect the
things around me. For that reason and because I have the most amazing
wife on the planet I realized that I have to find some kind of balance
between all the amazing things life has to offer. What I've found is
that I have to give 100% of myself to what I'm doing at that particular
time. So when I'm doing animation I'm fully dedicated to animation.
When I go home I'm fully dedicated to enjoying my time with my
wife/friends/family. When I go snowboarding or hiking I'm fully
dedicated to those moments. It's a subtle difference in the way I
approach things. To me, no ONE thing is more important than the other
and I personally feel we need to find balance with everything we do.
For instance Animation is in everything we do, see and imagine.
However, as you grow as an artist that just becomes a part of how you
see the world and how you take in each moment. That not only adds to
your animation but adds to the quality of your LIFE in a HUGE way.


I can't thank the art of animation more for how much
it's given to the quality of my life. I think this is a very personal
question and ultimately you will have to look inside yourself to find
this kind of balance but maybe this will serve as some kind of Helpful
hint? Good luck!


<a name="q27"></a>
I work for a graphics company but both my co-worker and I get the
AnimatorMentor email and both would like to take courses. Does
AnimatorMentor give discounts for companies? We would like to approach
our Directors with that possibility. - Wendelyn Felix


Shawn Kelly writes:


Hey, Wendelyn. We always wanted to make
AnimationMentor.com accessible and affordable as we possibly could and
we truly feel we have achieved that. We were urged by many to charge
trade school prices, and we felt we'd be missing one of the huge
reasons why we created this project in the first place. We want
AnimationMentor.com to be our way of giving back to the WORLD in a way
that we always wish could be done and make it as affordable and amazing
as we possibly can. So, as far as discounts go, everyone is getting the
discount price of AnimationMentor.com. We hope you enjoy.


<a name="q26"></a>
How has computer animation helped with crowd scenes? Do you think
that Steven Spielbergs new "ET" was helped by computer generations?
Would a good comparison of a crowd scene be war and peace as opposed to
"Troy"? In a computer animation is it often true that it takes less
time to create a film than not using any at all. As the years pass and
we see that computer generation has been used often, do you think it
takes a toll in just about every movie now? If it doesn't seem to be in
every movie as the years go on do you think people will use computer
generations more frequently? - Ashyln


Shawn Kelly writes:


Hi Ashyln. 
The computer, like any other film-related tool, is just that ? a tool.
In some instances, computer graphics can be incredibly helpful in terms
of being able to best replicate the vision of the director while at the
same time staying within a realistic budget. 

As for ET, I was one of the animators on the 20th
Anniversary version of that show, so my opinion might be biased, but I
strongly believe that if you look at the older ET scenes side-by-side
with the newer ones, the newer ET is much more alive, in my opinion.
Don't get me wrong - I think the guys who created the original ET did
an absolutely amazing job, and in some ways it's an unfair comparison.
Back then, they had many people controlling ET at the same time, One
dude controlling his eyes, another controlling his head, another
controlling the mouth, and so on. These days, we can create that entire
character with a single animator per shot who has the luxury of being
able to do subtle finite tweaks to the performance until it looks just
right.


At first a lot of us thought, "Redo ET? He's
perfect!" but our goal ended up being to try to add just a tiny bit
more life to him, maybe bring his eyes to life a bit more, help his
face work together more cohesively and just overall try to take
something that was already amazing and add just that tiny little bit to
it in the hopes of creating that extra spark of life that the director
was looking for. I do think that side-by-side you can really see that
even our subtle changes did, for the most part, help bring him to life,
so I would say that yes, CG did help the new version of ET. But that
said, I think the "old" version of ET was pretty darn amazing already.


As for things like creating crowds and so forth, the
computer saves filmmakers the enormous expense of amassing giant armies
of extras and filming giant live-action battle scenes. To create the
huge establishing shots of the battles in the Lord of the Rings films,
for example, using actual people instead of computer effects, would
have been a budget-killer. When done right, CG crowd shots can look
terrific (Return of the King battle, Forrest Gump in Washington, etc),
so once again, it's a great tool when used properly. Sometimes it
doesn't quite work, and to me, if it looks CG, then it's a failure...


<a name="q25"></a>
As an engineer by day, animation has always been a hobby of mine.
I've done some crude work in 2D and since the movie "Toy Story" I am
convinced this is where the action is. My question is for someone
operating on a budget ..which software package would you recommend for
doing 3D work? I am a bit confused by the many choices out there ..and
even surprised that every time I go on line after 10 minutes I will
discover even more ..all claiming to be the best. - Arnold Peters


Shawn Kelly writes:


Maya is definitely the most common animation tool
found in studios right now, and with the educational edition being a
free download (I believe?), I would suggest playing around with that as
your animation tool. Remember, if you want to be a character animator,
you probably only really need to learn about 5% of Maya! It's extremely
powerful and complex, but if you're learning animation, you'll never
use most of what the program has to offer. If you can get a hold of a
character to practice with, then you don't even need to bother with
modelling or chaining and can recreate your 2D hoppy in the computer.


Remember, Maya (or whatever program you choose) is
simply your animation tool. It's your new pencil. Think of it that way,
and it isn't so daunting. And you also won't feel so pressured to keep
up with the latest and greatest software package. Who cares about the
300 new features something else offers? Chances are, 298 of them won't
apply to you anyway. You're best off just choosing one package and
mastering the animation features of that one package while you are
learning animation, because you want to spend as *little* time as
possible futzing around with learning a "computer program" so you can
focus on learning the *art* of animation.


Chances are, when you start that job in a bigger
studio, much of the software you'll use will be proprietary to that
company, and they'll have to train you how to use it anyway. And once
you learn one 3D animation tool, you can pick up any of them fairly
quickly. It's mostly the same functionality and same ideas, just
different buttons to learn.


That said, at AM:Online, we firmly believe that it's
the *art* that matters, not whatever tool you choose to use to create
that art, so the more you can focus on the actual principles of
animation and learning how to truly bring a character to life instead
of worrying about how to create a particle emitter, the better. :)


<a name="q24"></a>
Hi Animation Mentors, I am a professional animator/3D artist
interested in the courses you are offering. I have a few questions
regarding the courses etc. 1. Do you look at our current work to decide
where it is we will be placed (novice, intermediate, advanced,
professional)? 2. Are enrollees required to take all the courses or
would you recommend we take certain courses depending upon where we are
on the continuum and what our interests are? 3. Why does it cost more
for pace two? 4. How many mentors will be looking at and critiquing our
exercises? 5. Can we take breaks between courses? 6. How many hours
would each exercise take? The reason I am asking is that I might be
working a contract while I am taking the courses you are offering. I
want to make sure I could do justice to them. - Brian Brotherston


Shawn Kelly writes:


Hi Brian! I'll try to hit all your points:

<ol>
 <li>For now, all students will begin in our Basic
Foundations class. We strongly believe that it will be a huge benefit
to all but the most talented professionals, and while some of it may be
review for someone like you, I'd be amazed if you didn't find it to be
an enjoyable, exciting, and educational experience. Personally, I was
truly surprised to find myself learning so much about topics that I
thought I had down cold, just by helping to create the classes over the
last three years. Stuff like "anticipation," I really thought I knew
like the back of my hand, but hearing about these topics from the
perspectives of so many different animation ninjas really did help me
to see even such basic ideas as squash and stretch in a whole new way ?
and while I'd never pretend that I'm the best animator around, my work
has definitely improved lately, and I know it's because of helping with
AM:Online! That said, we are planning to roll out our
portfolio-review system as early as late 2005 (mabye 2006), at which
point professionals will be able to submit a resume and/or demo reel to
apply to skip the first class or two. </li>
<li>Students
who want to graduate with an official certificate will be required to
take the whole program, at least until the portfolio review process is
begun. </li>
<li>The extra cost of pace 2 is to cover the
extra 3 months of overhead on our end, plus the necessary extra
mentors, the added bandwidth charges, etc. Ever since the beginning,
creating this school has been solely out of a love for the art we are
so passionate about, and the hope of somehow helping to push our art
further. It's never been about making a bunch of dough and selling the
company as fast as we can or something. We've gone very far out of our
way to ensure it is as fair and affordable as humanly possible while
still being able to attract top mentors to our school. If you've seen
the lineup of mentors in our newsletter, hopefully you can see how
successful this tactic has been, as the stable of mentors is even
better than I had dared hope it would be! I know you guys might
not know the reputations of the mentors in the newsletter and can only
really judge them based on their mini-resumes and silly caricatures,
but they're truly an amazing group of animators ? all at the top of
their game, but too humble to say so. They all have stellar animation
reputations, and love their art and are chomping at the bit to pass on
that love to their first group of students! </li>
<li>You
will have one dedicated mentor per quarter. This mentor will stick with
you through all 12 classes. We felt it was important for you to have a
chance to actually get to know your mentor, and for the mentor to be
able to accurately track your progress through the course. More than
likely, you will have a different mentor each quarter, though it is
possible that you may have the same person more than once! </li>
<li>Yes, you will be able to take breaks between courses. More will be revealed about this in the coming weeks. </li>
<li>I
always say that you'll get out of AnimationMentor whatever you put into
it, and I think that's very true. The more time you can dedicate to it,
the better, obviously. However, we recognize that people are busy, and
that many of our students are working professionals, and this is
exactly why we went out of our way to create the "Pace 2" program. It's
set up for someone in exactly your situation, and is flexible enough to
allow AM:Online to not interfere with your work deadlines.
</li>
</ol>


Because everyone animates at different speeds and is
coming to us from different backgrounds, it's impossible to say how
many hours any given assignment will take. In general, there is nothing
that can't be done in a few nights, but again, the more time you can
put into it, the better it will probably turn out.


<a name="q23"></a>
Why are the characters in "The Polar Express" so creepy looking? How would you avoid this problem? - Barrett Nuzum


Carlos Baena writes:


Tough answer for a tough question. I think different
studios and directors have their own ways of putting their vision on
the screen. I'm personally not going to comment on the character design
of any movie as I haven't seen the film yet. Character design is a very
delicate area...You try to find a style...design...personality that
appeals to the most number of people, and that's always extremely hard
to do. Regardless of the product, there is always going to be different
opinions based on different things. Now, talking specifically on
Character Design. I'm not as familiar as many of the people I get to
work with but I'll talk about the little I know. Some things I learned
on character design classes or in reading some books/notes on it, is
for example, simplicity on the design. It's going to make your life a
lot easier. Stay away from complex designs. Complex expressions tend to
confuse the audience. Also, the proportions within the character should
be connected. Connectivity is a huge part of the process of character
design. The elements and the different parts throughout the body should
all work together. This applies to style, proportions, many things. An
easy example would be, designing a cartoon-y hand with a realistic
face. Things are designed in certain ways for a reason, so when you
design your character or do anything in the story you wanna tell,
always ask yourself why. 

<a name="q22"></a>
Dear Animation Mentors, I love your site, it's awesome. I am 20
years old and in college, and my friend Chris and I work together as a
animation team. Chris has formal illustration training (as he has taken
art for many years), while my abilities lie in writing. We are working
on our freshman animation effort called "The Plastic Fantastic" using
legos. The problem is, is that when applying to internships, we want to
stay together as a team, but wouldn't an animation group prefer someone
like Chris over someone like me? (he draws, I write, so our abilities
compliment each other, with our signature ability being our ace comedic
timing. I am lead writer and director of "The Plastic Fantastic" while
Chris is lead animator and co-director). How should we make it clear
that we have individual abilities, and yet if we work together, our
talents combined would be in everyone's advantage. Also, I just bought
the animator's survival kit and one of my animation professors is
working with me on the side helping me master basic concepts, while
Chris is starting to work on his writing abilities. How can we make
this team thing work? - Jordan


Carlos Baena writes:


Unfortunately, Studios usually hire people or get
internships based on their needs. I don't know which Studios you guys
have applied for internships at, but maybe you guys can start by
figuring out which places may need both of you guy's abilities
combined. Maybe start in small places where they may need people that
do a little bit of everything, and in there, you guys may be able to
use the different skills you mentioned. Working on a project together
will definitely help you guys that way, especially if you guys want to
apply for jobs/internships together later on. 

<a name="q21"></a>
I am a Senior in High School and actually want to get into the field
of Game Art & Design, but mostly the animation portion. What advice
could you give me on maybe what college to go to or anything basically
in order to start my career? - Cory Cerone


Carlos Baena writes:


Well, if you want to combine the field of Gaming with
the art of animation, maybe something to consider is to work on your
animation skills. Even though the medium will be Games, eventually the
skills you'll be using are those of an animator...so I highly recommend
you learn as much about animation as you can. Chances are, you'll work
on a Games company, and they'll show you where/how to use your
animation skills within their videogame...but what matters are your
animation skills, and how to make them convincing enough on the actual
videogame. 

So for animation, there are several colleges I would
recommend. In January, AnimationMentor will open their doors, so stay
tuned for that. We are trying to make it some that, it doesn't matter
the medium you choose to learn, what matter are the actual animation
skills...so we are trying hard to focus on that aspect of the learning
without focusing so much on the software part of it. This way you'll
learn animation and will be able to apply to any software in any
company. Also, a good traditional education in animation (2D) will help
you tremendously. A couple of schools with classical animation programs
that are really good, are CalArts and Sheridan in Valencia, CA and
Vancouver respectively. 

But if you can't go to any schools for now, that's
still fine. Do some research on the internet about animation...get some
cheap softw

Vvek_animate

25-05-2005, 02:13 PM

hi , my name is Vvek , im a 16 year old , but  i ve been into animation since the past 3 years, i want to get into ilm as a pre-visualisation animator , i plan to do fine arts (animation & vfx) in academy of art , can u pls guide me further , or whereever i am wrong

krishki

25-05-2005, 02:24 PM

Hi vvek
Internship is the answer for you. check this out :
 Lucas Digital Ltd. is an award-winning company dedicated to the digital needs of the entertainment and commercial production industries for visual effects, sound design, audio post-production and editing for feature films, attractions and television commercials. Comprised of Industrial Light & Magic? (ILM) and Skywalker Sound?, both divisions offer student internship opportunities for highly motivated students who wish to pursue technical and business careers in visual effects and sound design for feature films and commercials. The Princeton Review listed Lucas Digital Ltd.'s student internship program as one of America's top 10 student internships, and one of the top 10 student internship programs in the San Francisco Bay Area. An internship at ILM or Skywalker Sound is an opportunity to work with talented teams of artists and other professionals who do incredibly creative work in an atmosphere that is both dynamic and highly collaborative. Lucas Digital Ltd. was listed recently in Fortune Magazine as one of the top 100 companies to work for in the United States. 
As a student intern, you'll gain practical hands-on experience as you observe key creatives in the industry create the spectacular sights and sounds of the screen. You'll also hear the inside story from our award-winning artists and executives through scheduled presentations and informal get-togethers. Some of our most successful employees began as student interns. Lucas Digital Ltd.'s Student Internship Program is an important part of our recruiting strategy and an internship could be the starting point for employment in a regular position with the company. While some student interns have been hired as regular employees following their internships, being hired as a student intern at Lucas Digital Ltd. is not a contract of employment and does not guarantee other employment with the company. Students hired as interns receive $9.00 per hour. Student interns are not eligible to receive regular employee benefits such as vacation, sick days, bonus or retirement plans, etc.
Founded in 1975 by George Lucas, today ILM leads the industry as the largest and most advanced digital effects system and facility in the world. With its numerous technical and creative innovations, ILM has led the evolution of visual effects since the 1980s. Beginning with a mastery of the traditional arts of blue screen photography, matte painting and model construction, ILM pioneered the development of motion control cameras, optical compositing and other advances in effects technology. ILM's ability to merge photo-realistic digital images with live-action footage is unmatched in the film industry. ILM has played a key role in 8 of the top 10 top box office hits of all time, winning 14 Academy Awards? for Best Visual Effects and 16 Technical Achievement Awards. ILM has produced visual effects for over 100 feature films, from the creation of wholly computer-generated characters in The Abyss, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Jurassic Park film series and Star Wars: Episode I; to life-like distortions of the human body in Death Becomes Her, The Mask and Forrest Gump; to startling 3-D computer graphics in Twister, The Perfect Storm and Pearl Harbor . ILM is constantly expanding the possibilities of digital imagery. ILM currently employs a core group of over 1,200 individuals, including producers, art directors, model makers, stage technicians, computer graphics artists, computer engineers, editors, and camera operators, and is located in San Rafael, California, just north of San Francisco.
Located at Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, Skywalker Sound is Lucas Digital's audio post-production facility, renowned for its sound design and advanced editing equipment. Skywalker Sound offers a full range of sound recording, editing and mixing services for film, video, music and theme park attractions.
Skywalker Sound has a world-class scoring stage, six mix studios, ADR and Foley stages, 34 editing suites, and a 300 seat screening room. Skywalker Sound has won 15 Academy Awards? for movies including Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Lucas Digital Ltd.'s Student Internship Program is designed to provide an exciting educational supplement to a student's college career and to enhance the company's relationships with educational institutions who teach the skills and talents required for success in our industry. Applicants interested in applying for an internship with Lucas Digital Ltd. must:
<UL>
<LI>be currently enrolled as a junior or senior student at an accredited college or university and scheduled to return to an accredited college or university following the internship.
<LI>have an overall GPA of at least 3.0 and a GPA of at least 3.5 in the major.
<LI>show proof of eligibility to work in the United States.
<LI>submit transcripts upon request.
<LI>be available to work the number of hours designated for the program session for which they are selected.
<LI>provide their own housing and transportation while participating in the program.</LI></UL>
Applicants who have already completed a student internship with Lucas Digital Ltd. or any of the other Lucas companies are not eligible for a second student internship at another Lucas Company.
Program Sessions... <IMG height=1 alt="" src="http://www.ilm.com/images/ilm-blueviolet.gif" width=640 border="0">
Due to our Production schedules, we will not be having a 2005 Summer Internship Program. Please continue to check our website for information on the 2006 Summer Internship Program. Please see <A href="http://www.lucasfilm.com/" target="_blank">www.lucasfilm.com</A> for Internship information in other Lucasfilm Companies. Thank you for your interest in Industrial Light & Magic.
Further questions? Visit our internship <A href="http://www.ilm.com/intern_faq.html" target="_blank">FAQ's</A>

3d_devil

22-10-2005, 12:41 PM

I want to specilize in character modellin...
GNOMON n VFS r my fav choice...
but i need u to tell me wht all should i study in order to be Character modeller
i'm askin about the traditional art, things like figure drawing, anatomy, sculpting etc etc...
i don't have any art background. but i've learned from my experience
that " if u got the intrest, u can master it... no matter what "
pls also tell if can i learn these from the above mentioned schools
and do let me know if there is any other place which u think can
provide the right stuff for me...
<edited><editID>3d_devil</editID><editDate>38650.2091782407</editDate></edited>

harshdesign

26-11-2005, 05:44 AM

@ 3d_devil and everyone...
i didn't replied to your PM but here...cus i think it mite be useful for others to read this...
to be a character modeler, as you already mentioned ya nedd to do a lot of traditional studies like figure drawings, anatomical drawings and studies, bone structure first then out to muscle deformations, sculpting can be a big help too as if you can really feel the form, understand and mould it by your hands,...it wont be hard to do that digitally. So yeah sculpting came to me as a big help and turned into a passion.  apart from all this, u also need to be a good story teller. as in to describe the characterstics of the model ur making, what he does, where he lives, what's his expressions when hes angry, blah blah blah....so that u can express all that on character's face, body and clothes. maybe you are not a good concept artist, but atleast try to make rough sketches of what's on ur head for that character...so that u dont forget those things easily and can mix n match those doodles. great eye for detail and visualisation power n a lil bit of humour is what u need...
Books, books and books. I have many books on life drawing, anatomy and CG. They always helped me a lot. Specially anatomy books ,cus while modeling i always refer to those. I'm naming few books by great artists that i admire, and which can come in handy for u guys aswell.  
1. Dynamic Anatomy : Burne Hogarth
2. Albinus on Anatomy
3. Human Anatomy and figure drawing : Jack Kramer
4. Modeling and Sculpting the human figure : Edouard Lanteri
5. Anatomy : Walter T.Foster
6. Artbook on making of Doom3 Game  ;)
7. Artbook of HALO game
8. Walking with Dianosaurs  and more...
Referencing to real life objects, thats a must. Before starting my any project, i collect hell lotsa refrences, like human facial expressions that i wanna achieve for my char. Skin refrences of diff. animals and humans. Various object's surface details ,like leather, colth, etc. If i wanna have a gun for my char. i wud collect all types of real life gun examples. So i make a library of all these things which comes in handy while making concepts for my char. or while modeling it. Yhis helps not only in modeling, but further in texturing or surface detailing. And yes, if you are a good modeler, you must be a good lighter aswell. Cus if you can't lit you model properly, you are not able to show its details which makes no use of ur model. So i wud suggest to experiment a lot with lighting. Then comes modeling acc. to loops so that its easily riggable or animatable. That's byfar the most imp. thing for a modeler to keep in mind specially in production. So yeah lotsa things.
Its sometimes good but not necessary to have art bg, as from it you get to know all that i mentioned above. And specially you get to interact with your peers, teachers and most importantly your fellow classmates. You can do same just sitting back at home, buying those DVD's and practising on your own, but only thing you will miss out is again inspiring classmates.
About CG schools, to be very frank, school only teaches you to an extent, after that its only you who have to achieve your goals. They can give you resources and proper environment, but not the dedication, which is most imp. for you to be better. But its definately better than self studying without any schooling i mean. Though it turns out to be self-study at these schools too. And it wont be good for me if i comment on particular schools cus they are almost the same.
Gnomon is an awesome school, but i feel its not a school rather than a short term course provider. SO if u wanna pursue a char modeling career, you need to spend some time in it. Gnomon is awesome at giving short classes in digital or analog art, but it wont help you in developing/evolving yourself to be a real artist as u wont get much time for it. But its definately suggested school as most of their teachers are industry profs and really know what they r teaching.
About VFS, it would be good as they have really good students already having art bg in some form, so them being your fellow classmate would inspire u in a big way. But their fee is rediculusoly high nowadays. Latest i've heard is something like 50K US$ or something for one year.
About vanarts, i've studied from there, and all i can say is that its been a good experience for me, though most of the year i've been doing my own studies and working on my personal projects. But school helped me in life drawing classes they had with awesome teacher Stephen. He also encouraged us to take sculpting class, which was benificial to me aswell. There were sometimes when i had lot of problems in softwares and concepts, and whn i asked few fulltime teachers they didnt had answers to them. Maybe cus i always had ques out of the box and was the most curious in the class. Now its got some really good part-time teachers from Electroni Arts and i have had good time with them.  But the biggest assest i achieved from that school was my fellow classmates. They were the only one to inspire and comptete with me. So i wud say that's the best part in schooling. Our sleepless nights, hard work, and passion to make competitive reels in the end, paid us back. 
And then its just not schooling or self study, experience also matters. I've been in CG for about 5-6 years and particularly in 3d for 3-4 yrs, and NOW i'm felling i've just started to achieve few little things =) It doesnt mean it wud take everyone that much time, but yeah keep working on it. So in the end, all i wud say and suggest is , either you take a course or do it on you own, start from traditional art, keep practising, either its analog modeling or digital, you need to practise a LOT and do a crazily hard work. Always respect your peers and ask them lotsa questions. Any most importantly be true to yourself, other ppl and to your work. And yeah you will find your way...all the best to everyone.
Cheers <IMG src="smileys/smiley1.gif" border="0">
Harsh.<edited><editID>harshdesign</editID><editDate>38682.0449305556</editDate></edited>

3d_devil

26-11-2005, 11:52 AM

thank you harsh.... 
 
finally i got a satisfyin answer for my question.... 
 
thank you once again 

<edited><editID>3d_devil</editID><editDate>38682.0162615741</editDate></edited>

jose123

24-12-2005, 06:07 PM

Try Dimension-Z Studios http://www.dimension-z.net
 
 Check out the internship program

bisu_mails

21-03-2006, 05:53 PM

Great work done bro !!

ajaytantra

17-05-2006, 05:31 PM

harsh... thanks a hell lot for those words n suggestions. u made a lot of things clear 4 me. 
 hells angel.. good job man.. this thread is really helpful.

sanimator

26-08-2006, 09:46 AM

Great  peice ...  Infact  Great  LOT  of  information.<img src="smileys/smiley32.gif" border="0">  Thanks  to  everyone  who  contributed. Sanimator.

warriorash

18-11-2006, 12:00 AM

Thanks Harsdeep for that great info... <img src="smileys/smiley1.gif" border="0">

prachi84

24-03-2007, 10:41 AM

hi there... i m prachi... m currently learning maya from maya academy of advanced cinematics (maac)... i m on the verge of completing my maya and i'll start with my showreel to apply for jobs at the various production houses in mumbai. wat i wanted to know is that if it is possible to animate the free rigs available online for my showreel...
waiting for ur reply

andy_maxman

24-03-2007, 02:36 PM

wat i wanted to know is that if it is possible to animate the free rigs available online for my showreel...

well, thats why they are free...so just feel free to use free rigs for your reel.. ;)

it won't hurt to credit the owner of the rig in your reel and will also talk about you being considerate

goodluck with the reel and if it's possible, post them online on the forums here...would love to see it..

:)

mukks

24-03-2007, 02:50 PM

hi there... i m prachi... m currently learning maya from maya academy of advanced cinematics (maac)... i m on the verge of completing my maya and i'll start with my showreel to apply for jobs at the various production houses in mumbai. wat i wanted to know is that if it is possible to animate the free rigs available online for my showreel...
waiting for ur reply

u can , dont forget to give credit to him.... u can add his name at the end of ur reel saying special thanks to.........

hi2maya

24-03-2007, 05:27 PM

hi jose123,
would want to know about internship program at DimensionZ...thr is nothing mentioned on thr Site...plz help

shweta

prachi84

25-03-2007, 11:50 PM

hey thanx a lot guys... will surely try to upload my work 1ce its done... would love to receive sum feedback from u...

A-Myth

13-06-2007, 06:01 PM

Thanks Guys !!!!!! Amazing Site....