Ever since when I was young, I’ve always loved to draw and watch cartoons. I was inspired by the animation and I have always wanted to know how it was created. Upon entering high school I went on to taking a lot of different art classes. After graduating, I did some research on possible schools in which I could attend. I wasn’t sure on where I should start because aside from drawing and painting. I didn’t really have any skills or knowledge on animation and my portfolio coming out of high school wasn’t that strong. I remember signing up for an open house at the Art Institute and receiving a phone call the next day from one of the advisors inviting me to drop by the school for an interview. I took the tour and I was really amazed at some of the quality work I was seeing. I then decided to apply at Ai in the Animation Art & Design program.
The Experience
The first quarter was more about learning the basics like drawing in perspective, life drawing, color theory and an introduction to Photoshop and Maya. It was a pretty easy start for me since I had prior experience in learning some of the stuff in high school. Aside from Photoshop and Maya, the other programs that I’ve learned were Digicel Flipbook for 2D animation, Flash, After Effects, Premiere, Encore, Dreamweaver and Final Cut Pro.
The second quarter is where you start to learn about 2D animation, while at the same time, continuing to expand on the skills that you achieved from the courses prior such as life drawing and 3D modeling. As you go deeper into the program you’ll then start having courses pertaining to 3D animation, Flash animation, Acting, Rigging, Textures, Lighting, Concept Design, Editing and Storyboarding.
You’ll be taken through the steps and processes similar to what you can expect in the industry.
In the last quarters, you’ll then have a Production class, in which you’ll work with the whole class including animators, modelers and concept designers in creating an animated film. You’ll be taken through the steps and processes similar to what you can expect in the industry. There are also courses solely intended for you to work on your demo reel, which take place in the last two quarters as well. By the end of the program I was able to create a pretty solid portfolio. Though I probably would have liked for at least another Flash animation class mainly because compared to the other animation formats taught, you only got one quarter learning Flash, while in 2D, you got two and 3D had three.
The schedules were usually nicely placed within the week. I was taking the courses full time, so it was five four hours classes a week going from either 8:30am-12:30pm; 1:00pm-5:00pm; 6:00pm-10:00pm. The work load starts out pretty light for the most part, but it can get a little heavy at times. For the most part classes usually open up with a lecture, followed by a brief break. After the break, the rest of the class is usually left for working on the assignments. The due dates can go from 1 to 3 weeks, from when they are initially assigned, depending on the size of the assignment.
The instructors were kind and really helpful. There is also additional workshop classes offered from some of the instructors, which I thought were pretty neat. The school is opened 24/7 so you have a lot of time to come in and work on projects and assignments.
Career Preparation
I thought they did a nice job in preparing the students in finding a job. As they teach you how to build a proper resume and other important steps in applying for a job. There’s also the portfolio show at the end of the program where you are given the opportunity to sell yourself to employers. Also after graduation, the career advisors will also continue to work with you, presenting to you with many job leads quite often. At the moment I am currently not working in the industry. In the mean time, I am still animating, updating my reel, and improving on my skills while keeping a look out for any possible job leads in the future.
The Art Institute of Vancouver is a great place to start, for those who are new to the software and lack the experience and knowledge.
The Verdict
The Art Institute of Vancouver is a great place to start, for those who are new to the software and lack the experience and knowledge and wish to learn about the many different aspects of the industry. I probably wouldn’t recommend it to those who are just looking to just learn about animation as there are quite a few courses in the program that seem out of place and unnecessary.
Personally I loved taking part in all of the courses in program because I thought it was worth learning about all the different aspects of the 3D development process. It feels rewarding to be able to not just animate a story but to be able to also model, UV, texture, etc…
You can view my portfolio at www.freewebs.com/janimatorw.
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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