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By Sue Booth
sue.booth@animationschoolreview.com
Animation School Review Columnist

When you think of the Academy Awards, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Picture usually come to mind. Don’t forget about the animated short film category! Go to animation school and take your chance at becoming an Academy Award winner.

And the Nominees are…

Several animators vied for the Oscar limelight this year. This year’s 79th Annual Academy animation hopefuls were:

The Danish Poet—Torill Kove
This 15-minute illustrated short emphasizes how small and unrelated instances in a chain of events become important factors in the outcome. The hand-drawn cell animation took three years to complete.
Lifted-Gary Rydstrom
The latest short from Pixar Animation Studios is marked by its great sound and visuals. Rydstrom describes the five-minute film as “driver’s-ed meets alien abduction.” The plot surrounds a young apprentice alien student trying to abduct a sleeping farmer while his instructor watches over him.
The Little Matchgirl—Roger Allers & Don Hahn
Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s tale about a poor young girl trying to sell matches to bystanders while she envisions more colorful times and comfort and happiness in her life. The seven-minute animation is very detailed-oriented and includes music to emphasize the emotional tone. Animators spent three years experimenting with alternate endings before releasing the short.
Maestro—Geza M. Toth
This five-minute computer-animated short film adds a humorous twist to a somewhat suspenseful plot. The Maestro prepares for his grand performance with the assistance of a mechanical arm.
No Time for Nuts—Chris Renaud & Michael Thurmeier
Scrat, the animated squirrel who debuted in Ice Age, discovers a time machine and travels the ages. This entertaining seven-minute computer animation short features the new CG technology and took eight months to produce.

And the Winner is…

The Danish Poet came away a winner. And so can you, someday—if you develop your talent with solid animation skills. Whether you choose to specialize in new 3D animation technology, 2D animation, or the latest animation software, there’s a place for you on the big screen. Go to animation school and take home a gold statue.

Sources

Epochtimes.com
Indiewire.com

About the Author

Sue Booth is an arts and education freelance writer with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and has experience with CAD.

by Kirk Bangstad
kirk.bangstad@animationschoolreview.com
Animation School Review Columnist

Some of the best animators have backgrounds in illustration. Before enrolling in an animation college, make sure the institution will teach you how to draw.

Peter de Seve was one of the key artists who worked on the animated film, Ice Age 2: The Meltdown. De Seve didn’t go to animation college. Instead, he attended the Parsons School of Design, and focused his efforts on illustration. De Seve has worked on a lot of animated films, including The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Prince of Egypt, Mulan, A Bug’s Life, and Tarzan. Although a famous animator, de Seve has also illustrated for Time, Newsweek, and the Atlantic Monthly, among other famous publications. His versatility as both an illustrator and an animator signifies the importance of artistic skill in any animation career.

The Best Animation Colleges Focus on Drawing

In many of today’s lesser animation colleges, students are taught how to use state of the art animation software without learning basic drawing skills. They run the risk of graduating with a crude knowledge of how to put together an animated film without the artistic eye to make it smooth and interesting. Most professional animators will tell you that learning to draw is the hardest part about animation, but it will lead to the longest animation career. Learning how to use computer animation programs is much easier in the long run, but few can build an animation career off of computer skills alone.

In de Seve’s college days, there probably weren’t a lot of animation programs available. Today, there are many animation colleges, but only the best offer skills in both computer animation and basic illustration.

If you’re serious about an animation career, make sure the animation college you attend will help you hone your drawing skills in addition your computer training.

Source

Peter de Seve Biography

About the Author

Kirk Bangstad is a singer living in Chicago, IL. Having received his B.A. in Government at Harvard, Kirk previously worked as a management consultant.

by Kirk Bangstad
kirk.bangstad@animationschoolreview.com
Animation School Review Columnist

Andreas Deja wanted to be an animator ever since he saw “The Jungle Book.” After following his dreams, he’s now one of Disney’s top animators.

In a recent interview with Jan Crain Rudeen, readers found out that Andreas Deja has a pretty cool story to tell. At the age of 10, he watched his first animated movie in his native Germany which was Disney’s “The Jungle Book.” He immediately fell in love with animation and wrote a letter to Disney asking them for an animation job. Someone at Disney actually wrote him back and told him to go to animation college and learn to become an artist, encouraging him to follow his dreams. Apparently, Deja didn’t need much more encouragement than that. He eventually went to animation college and was recently in charge of the animation team that created Disney’s DVD release, “Bambi II.” His other credits include working on “The Lion King,” and “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.”

Deja Recommends Computer Animation College

When asked about the future of animation, Deja immediately talked about how computer animation has really taken over. He thinks that hand-drawn animation has been relegated to a niche market. For this reason, he would recommend that today’s future animators focus on honing their artistic skills at a computer animation college. Animation students in today’s competitive market really need to know how to animate with software tools to land a job at a top studio. Those without computer animation skills may still be able to find jobs, but they won’t necessary have as many opportunities to work on more mainstream animated movies, because most of that animation is being created on computers.

If you are thinking about enrolling in computer animation college, make sure the program you enter has a strong computer based animation curriculum within the college.

Source

A Disney artist on the future of animation

About the Author

Kirk Bangstad is a singer living in Chicago, IL. Having received his B.A. in Government at Harvard, Kirk previously worked as a management consultant.