Nearing the end of high school I was looking at The Art Institute, BCIT, and Capilano for animation programs to attend. The Art institute seemed ridiculously expensive…enough said. I applied to BCIT and Cap, still unsure of which one to attend. I got a rejection letter from Cap. It makes sense now when I look back at what I applied with, but they recommended I take a few drawing courses to further my skills and then reapply. I decided to take their advice. I took that year to work on my portfolio and attended a few drawing classes at Cap, life drawing being one of them.
If you have not attended a life drawing class I recommend you do so; It’s an essential part of animation and drawing in general (not to mention the first thing they look at when you submit a portfolio). I also recommend attending an open house if you can. A few of the faculty members will be there to answer any questions you may have and best of all, you can have your portfolio reviewed by current students and teachers. It’s not mandatory to attend an open house but it helps to get some advice from people who know what they’re doing. Basically, try and get as much input on your work as possible since acceptance into the program is very competitive. Another great way to get your art out there is to use a blog. It helps organize your work (personally I’ve found it helps give me a reason to draw, so I can post it) and it also works as an online portfolio…and they’re free!
I was very intimidated when I first started the program. I wasn’t used to being surrounded by people who shared the same passion as me.
First Semester: First Day Of School
I was very intimidated when I first started the program. I wasn’t used to being surrounded by people who shared the same passion as me. In high school not many people cared about Art class, most people took it as an easy pass. So here I am amongst all these people with amazing talent… and I didn’t know any of them! Soon enough we all became friends and it was really inspiring to look at everyone’s work.
I was impressed with how much this program covers. First semester you’re introduced to animation, character design, life drawing, animation history and script writing. The work load is very manageable, and if you keep on top of it you could even retain a part time job.
Second Semester starts to get heavier. In addition to animation, character design and life drawing you’ll be learning layout, human anatomy and attending a film class. I still had a part time job during second semester but I took the last month off as homework became heavier and was more important to me at the time.
Once you’re off for the summer you’ll have all your free time back. Make sure you enjoy it cause you’ll have to give up more (or almost all of it) as the program goes on. However, I highly recommend thinking up ideas for the next semester throughout the summer. I found it helped me out so much and took the stress level way down. When I say ideas I mean any lines of dialogue or characters you want to animate. If you want to animate your own characters take the time during the summer to design them cause you won’t have much time when the assignment comes around. It’s a good idea to keep an eye on what the second years are doing so you can have an idea of what assignments you’ll be getting when the time comes. I can’t stress enough how much easier it makes things. I’m not saying you’re going to have everything planned out but if you go in with a general idea of what you want to accomplish you’re already ahead of the game.
Welcome To Second Year: Third Semester
Besides being excited to meet the new first years and bestow all of your wise knowledge upon them you’ll quickly understand why everyone warns you about the amount of work you’ll be doing. The amount of classes are about the same as before; Animation, Storyboards, Layout, Life Drawing and a Special Projects class. The Special projects class is where you be learning some helpful software and be working towards a fifteen second short of your own (this is one project where it definitely helps to think about it over the summer).
If there is any advice I’d give to someone who is thinking about this program, other than plan over the summer, it’s don’t put things off.
The thing about this semester is each class gives a pretty manageable amount of homework but when it all piles together it starts to get a little overwhelming….BUT if you keep on top of your workload it will pay off huge in the end. Whatever you do, DON’T PUT THINGS OFF! If there is any advice I’d give to someone who is thinking about this program, other than plan over the summer, it’s don’t put things off. I don’t think I need to go into much detail as to why it’s a bad idea, but eventually the stress level will effect your quality of work and it can shatter your confidence. It’s just a snowball effect and it also takes away from the fun. It’s all about balance, it’s not easy, but if you can balance all the work you’ll be in much better shape.
Although the work becomes more difficult and advanced, it also gets a lot more fun. Third semester is where you’ll begin to stretch and fully explore your creative talents and the results are so much sweeter. Learning things such as animating acting and emotions, applying composition and flow to layouts, and even storyboarding a commercial. You’re given a lot more freedom to find your strengths and weaknesses, and you’ll begin to discover where in the animation industry you’d might like to be.
Fourth Semester: Graduation Already?
Some people say this semester is less work than third semester, arguably so, since there are less classes and more time to work on things BUT the pressure of Gradshow should not be overlooked. It’s the final semester and only a short time before it’s all over. Don’t get too excited yet cause there is a lot to be done. You’ll still have classes; Animation, Colour Theory/Digital Painting, Life Drawing, Final Projects. However, this Semester is really all about producing and cleaning up your best work for the Gradshow. The homework requirements will be less than the previous semester. Less homework to work on other work, Hurray!
At the beginning of the semester you’re given a chart which allows you to map out and plan your progress for the next four months. It’s up to you if you want to follow this. I found it helped me a whole lot in planning out my final film. I set deadlines for myself to meet and that made sure I was on track. That doesn’t necessarily work for everyone but it did for me. At around the mid-point of the semester you’ll have a ‘mid-term’ meeting and you’ll have to show what you’ve been doing the last month and half. For some people this shows them they really need to kick it into gear and others not so much. Other than those two guides, it’s up to you when and how you get things done. There’s not much more I can say about this semester that I haven’t said about the others… did I mention don’t put things off?
After you’ve spent countless hours at school and endured the wrath of cranky classmates you’re subject to one last hurdle…Gradshow.
Gradshow
After you’ve spent countless hours at school and endured the wrath of cranky classmates you’re subject to one last hurdle…Gradshow. It’s not so much a hurdle as just the icing on a two year cake. The actual event is quite pleasant, at least I found so. It’s the planning that get’s a little hectic. Anyway, you and your classmates will post your best and brightest work up on display for all potential employers to see and spend a few hours shmoozing with people you don’t know but perhaps hope to dazzle so they’ll remember you and your array of talents.
An Afterthought about Gradshow.
I felt after Gradshow we were left on our own (to find work). I was under the impression that we were going to have some assistance in finding a job. However, in retrospect I think it was a good thing. I don’t think it would be right for fresh, new students to have an advantage against experienced, working artists. I believe they should have to learn how to hunt and apply for jobs the same as everyone else. BUT I do think that after all that hard work we came out a little under-prepared as to how to go about finding work. So I guess my one ‘complaint’ about this program is that a little more attention should be paid to teach the students how and where to look for work. That being said it’s not difficult to ask, but all the stress from the fast-approaching Gradshow makes it hard to focus on anything other than deadlines.
The Faculty
First I must say that Don Perro (Program Director) is so passionate and dedicated to the program. He’s always re-modeling the program to keep up with industry standards and has a very good understanding of animation and principles behind it. The rest of the teachers I encountered during my two years were also fantastic. They were all very friendly, passionate and knowledgeable about their subject. I also found they were very dedicated to pushing our abilities, sometimes whether we liked it or not, to allow us to grow that much more as artists.
The Verdict
I recommend this program to anyone who is passionate about what they do, even if they’re not sure about animation. I’ve known a few people who have gone through this program and found that animation is not for them, but through the process they have learned some skills that could be applied to many other areas of art.
As my summer is rapping up I plan to head back to Cap for a third year of 3D animation (optional). I was hoping to find work and start my career in the animation industry but it seems work is slow right now (I did receive a few bites about work but nothing panned out). So, to me, now would be the most ideal time to get any other schooling out of the way. The 3D program might not be for everyone but I think it’s a smart idea to have it on the resume and it should open up a lot more opportunities for work.
I’m very confident this program has given me enough knowledge and skills to start a career in the animation industry.
I had a fantastic experience with the program and everyone involved. I really feel this program has taught me a lot of principles that are very important but sometimes overlooked and I’m very confident this program has given me enough knowledge and skills to start a career in the animation industry. That being said I must leave you with one more piece of advise. Have fun! I don’t think anyone could survive in this industry if they did not enjoy what they do. So have fun and don’t forget… you get to draw for a living!
You’re welcome to check out my current portfolio at http://somethinglyle.com, or my sketch blog http://bloglyle.blogspot.com. And be sure to check out http://gradshow.com for more info on the Commercial Animation program and how to apply.
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