My decision to enroll in the Capilano Digital Animation Program stemmed from a desire to break into the film industry. From 2004 to 2007, I took the Capilano Motion Picture Production Program where I found my niche in directing, screenwriting and editing. Post graduation, I worked a number of warehouse jobs while allocating my film-related endeavors to my leisure time. I tolerated this lifestyle for half a year before setting a personal goal to attain a career in which I could apply my creative and technical sensibilities.
The Competition
Considering my background in art and film, I decided that CG production would be a natural fit for me. I also saw this decision as an investment in the future of filmmaking, and a way to take advantage of the local video game industry. By researching the Cap Animation website, reviewing the accomplishments of previous grads, and talking to faculty members at the program’s open house, I made a firm decision to apply to the Fall ’08 program.
Since the graduates of the two-year Commercial Animation program were given first admittance, I was not accepted right away.
Competition to get in was fierce. Since the graduates of the two-year Commercial Animation program were given first admittance, I was not accepted right away. In the meantime, I dedicated July and August to the Computer Animation and Visual Effects summer program in order to develop a foundational knowledge of CG, and to make contacts within the faculty. By doing this, I found the leverage I needed to gain admission into the fall program.
Though we were introduced to a variety of disciplines and software, I quickly realized that time constraints did not allow one to become a capable generalist.
The Program
During the next eight months, the program gave me the training and software access I needed to find my area of expertise, and create a demo reel suitable to find employment. Though we were introduced to a variety of disciplines and software, I quickly realized that time constraints did not allow one to become a capable generalist. Therefore, I chose to specialize in modeling/texturing with a thorough understanding of the related capabilities of Autodesk Maya, Pixologic Zbrush and Adobe Photoshop. Though I became fairly competent in rigging and animation in Softimage XSI, time did not permit me to develop these skills.
I discovered that the program puts very little emphasis on providing formal artistic training. There were two classes in drawing and design over the eight months, though their inclusion in the schedule seemed rather obligatory. The bulk of the class time is devoted to software training; for me, artistic development was incidental to this. Since the program is structured this way, applicants are expected to have a strong preexisting background in art. Those with a portfolio of life drawing and/or prior training in a related field will thrive in the program. Put it this way – going in, inherent talent will be your fuel; Cap will help you build the engine that will put it to use.
The only negative aspect of the program is its short run time. As mentioned, eight months will only allow one to specialize in a single discipline. The short timeframe necessitates students to take advantage of the lab as much as possible. Many students (such as myself), committed an average of eight to fourteen hours of work time on a daily basis, including most weekends. However, Capilano University was very accommodating to our needs and allowed us access to the lab nearly all the time.
One benefit of this short timeline is that the course load is not padded – no “History of Animation” classes or anything theory-related. Everyday, students attain practical training during this two-semester crash course.
The Verdict
I am currently in the midst of finding employment. The Grad Show happened at the end of the school year (April ’09), and from what I understand, it has usually been an effective event in which students make contacts with industry people and find work. This year, however, the turn out for recruiters was comparatively small. As I write this, it’s been roughly a month since Grad Show, and no one has found work yet. This can be attributed to the poor job market right now and is certainly not a reflection of the school, or the student’s work – just bad timing. Fortunately, the lab is still open to us and will remain so till next September. Many of us still come in on a regular basis to work on new content for our reels while we hunt for work. Additionally, our lab supervisor still teaches an unofficial class in Maya, pro bono.
I would recommend the program to those who have prior artistic training and are looking for a way to compete in the game/FX job market.
I would recommend the program to those who have prior artistic training and are looking for a way to compete in the game/FX job market. For someone fresh out of high school, I would recommend starting with the Commercial Animation program to build a strong artistic foundation before moving onto Digital. In either case, the program will give you the technical training and software/hardware access needed to bring your vision into the third dimension. Just be prepared to sacrifice many evenings and weekends.
(For those interested in seeing some of the work I did at Cap, you can visit my website at www.kevinlittle.ca)
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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