Choose Your School Of Animation Carefully - Some Tips To Help You
The biggest decision you will make if you want to become an animator is when you choose which school of animation you want to attend. First you need to decide what type of school you want to go to. Can you afford a full time course at a major university or do you need to still earn money while studying? Can you spare 2 or 3 days a week to attend classes or will you need to need to work online? The answers to these questions are very important, as you need to choose the type of school which will fit your budget and personal circumstances. If it all possible you should look for a good quality degree course at a well respected animation school or university.
Once you have decided on the type of school you want to attend, you should compile a short list of about five schools and research them thoroughly. If you want to work in the entertainment industry, it is worth checking the websites of the major animation studios and seeing if they recommend any of the schools. For example, Pixar lists eighteen computer graphics schools and nineteen animation schools on their website. They state that they don’t endorse any of the schools, but this is probably for legal reasons rather than any other. While not endorsing the schools, Pixar does supply tutors to several of the schools listed, and conduct lectures at some of the others. Come interview time, having a degree from a recognized school of animation will be better than having one from a school that the interviewer has never heard of.
Your next step should be to ask the schools for their course details and contact details for some former students. You may also be able to get lots of feedback about the schools from online animation forums and websites. If a school has a good record of their former students getting good jobs on graduation, they will be only too happy to tell you. If they say they can’t give you that information it should ring some alarm bells.
Once you have selected a school of animation, it is down to you to make the most of it. You should be prepared to work hard while you are there, and complete as many course modules as possible. Qualifying at the top of your class is a great way to get an interview at some of the top animation studios, especially if they have provided tutors to the school. Impress those tutors and you are half way to landing your first job!
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