Animation Programs with best foundational prep & job placement stats

gouf78
Mon, 26 Mar 2018 15:07:39 +0000

Attend National Portfolio Days (different dates, different cities) if possible. A lot of schools will be present and they’ll give feedback on portfolios as to what is good, what to focus on etc.
A portfolio for animation should be heavier on figure drawing and quick sketch showing action. (Ringling had separate lines for fine art vs animation portfolios since different skills are required).

Attend a pre-college experience. Ringling has a 4 week program where you sign up for two immersion experiences. Much of my D’s portfolio was created during that program. Pre-college is a great way to determine if this career path is really what you want. After all, it’s called computer animation not paper animation. You need to love that aspect.

Ringling’s CA program is focused on 3D animation but you learn the entire pipeline of work which adds to your employment opportunities. The admission rate for CA is very low (not far behind CalArts–it was at 10% but may be higher since they now accept a few more students to the program) but there is possibility of being offered Game Art or Motion Design. They’ve started a VR program also (wish I could sign up!).
Especially if your D is interested in 2D , I would suggest she check out those majors in addition to CA and the student work. She may find it fits her goals even better. Ringling’s career services is excellent.

Conceptart.org is a great site with many forums where you can post questions about various art schools. Many students go there to get feedback on their portfolios. Just looking around the site can help you start get a feel of the different schools.