I dreamt of working in video games since I was little and when I was in my mid twenties, I finally had the money to go back to school to study digital animation. I looked into all the usual suspects – AI, VFS, but was a little soured by the hefty price tags. I found that BCIT had an animation program and that it was nearly half the price of the other schools. I was a little worried that I might “get what I pay for”, but I decided to check out the school. I went to an information session and everything seemed pretty good. They had a lot of good student work, some really nice new computer labs, and solid knowledgeable teachers. I decided to apply.
I assumed the interviewer would be a program head or teacher, but looking back, I’m not sure who that guy was. I never saw him again.
The Non-Interview
To be accepted, you needed to go to an interview. I assumed the interviewer would be a program head or teacher, but looking back, I’m not sure who that guy was. I never saw him again. I had to show a portfolio, but it wasn’t much really – just a few photos and drawings. I was accepted right away and to be honest, it didn’t seem difficult to get in. While in the program, I saw that they had accepted a few applicants I felt they should not have – a few students who were too young or obviously did not possess the right skills.
The Program
The program was a year long, with three semesters. I attended from October of 2007 to October of 2008.
The first semester was a lot of work. We had to take a very time consuming traditional animation class and a portfolio class which focused mainly on drawing. I think both of these classes were extremely important, although many of my classmates didn’t. In the end, the students who took those classes the most seriously finished school with the best demo reels. We also took 3D Animation, 3D Modeling, Production, Compositing and Texturing. The first semester of Texturing was really an introduction to Photoshop. Before entering school, I was a Photoshop expert, so I found this class very tedious. 3D Animation and Modeling were both great, and everyone learned a lot. We did everything in Maya and everyone loved it. Compositing was pretty good, although were learned the program Combustion instead of After Effects, which I think was a mistake. I learned After Effects on my own and I recommend others to do the same.
I thought most of the classes were taught quite well (modeling, texturing, animation and compositing), but I had a big problem with two specific classes; Production and Portfolio. I didn’t understand the purpose of Production. One day, the class would be on unwrapping, the next on rigging. The teacher also taught a few classes in XSI and none of us knew how to use it since we had been doing everything else in Maya. The second semester of Production turned out to be a lot better as we focused on lighting and rendering concepts, all in Maya. The teacher turned out to be a very talented director and helped greatly with all of our assignments.
I had hoped it would teach us how to market ourselves, but it was seriously lacking.
For Portfolio, I had hoped it would teach us how to market ourselves, but it was seriously lacking. The final 8 weeks of Portfolio were more like ‘free time’ and everyone pretty much screwed around, especially since it was taught in a Mac lab and many of my classmates didn’t like or know how to use Macs. I wish this class would have taught us how to make a simple website, how to design our business cards or how to use networking sites like LinkedIn. We did have a career prep course in which we learned how to write our resumes and cover letters and how to do a good interview. I thought this class was extremely important and well-taught.
I thought the school facilities were pretty good. Some of the labs were newer than others, but were ok on average. They did not update the software as fast as I would have liked; they were often six months behind on new versions. Occasionally, there would be a technical issue and these seemed to take a long time to fix. We once went a whole week without the ability to render videos in Combustion. They had a brand new Mac lab, which rendered things ridiculously quick. I spent a few over-nighters there rendering my reel.
I should mention, if you don’t intend to practically live at BCIT for the year, you need to have a home computer will all the software on it. Again, the students that had home work stations had the best reels.
The Verdict
Overall, I would recommend BCIT. I have talked to people who took more expensive programs and don’t know what all that extra money paid for. My advice would be to make sure you are prepared to work very hard the entire year. Take responsibility for your own learning and if you feel you aren’t learning all you need, speak up. Don’t forget – this is your life and your money, make the most of it.
Many of my classmates were still used to the high school mentality, where they did assignments ‘for the teacher’ and not ‘for themselves’. In other words, they did the bare minimum. This turned out to be a big problem because BCIT was not high school. You had to do a lot of outside learning – watching tutorials on the web, reading through textbooks, or asking questions to be successful. BCIT did not ‘teach me everything I needed’, rather it taught me the fundamentals. I had to take responsibility for my own learning. We often had three hours between classes. Some students were in the labs working, other were outside screwing around. Who do you think had better demo reels?
If you are considering studying digital animation, I would suggest waiting until the industry revives, or be prepared for a long period of unemployment.
The game industry pretty much collapsed right when I graduated, so it has been really difficult to get a job. I have gotten a lot of companies telling me that they would have hired me in a heartbeat two years ago, but now they are laying people off. I have gotten a few freelance jobs, including one with the 2010 Olympic Organizing Committee, which was from a direct recommendation from a BCIT teacher. I have made the most of this time off by developing my art skills further.
I have not made a new 3D reel, because I think my reel is quite strong. Rather, I have focused on my drawing, design and concept skills. These days, companies want someone with a lot of traditional art skills – someone who is a true artist, not just a computer geek. Also, to get a job, you need to be a generalist. Sometimes there are jobs in rigging, sometimes in texturing. Make sure you can apply for them all. BCIT teaches all of these skills; even if you don’t think you’ll use them, make sure you learn them. If you are considering studying digital animation, I would suggest waiting until the industry revives, or be prepared for a long period of unemployment.
***Update***
Just thought I’d touch base with everybody reading my review. I’ve been working for the last two months at EA on the Need For Speed franchise. Need For Speed: Shift will be released this fall and it will be the first game I’ve worked on.
(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
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Bill Pan
Mike
Vancouverguy
Thank you for the information. I’m going to relay this to my brother, who’s interested in the field.