Graphic Design vs. Digital Arts

gladiatorbird
Sat, 10 Nov 2012 15:31:41 +0000

Hi Chibi,
Here is some info on the Digital Arts major at Dodge, where my son is a freshman. Let me just say this: he LOVES it. DS is 10 weeks into his first semester at Dodge. He’s also in the Chapman Honors College. He is completely engaged and loves his professors and the small classes. He couldn’t be happier with the Digital Arts/Animation program. DS can hardly believe that in his first semester, he’s already met and spent time with Andrew Stanton (Pixar director of Wall-E, A Bug’s Life, and Finding Nemo) as well as Rob Minkoff (director of Lion King). Dodge’s Digital Arts major is headed by Bill Kroyer (of Tron and Fern Gully fame). He’s great with the students, very involved, and with only 20 (or 25) students in DS’s freshman class, there is a lot of one-on-one guidance and attention. DS is doing intensive coursework and has a year-long foundational course in life drawing taught by a wonderful professor (Sheldon Borenstein). The freshman animation kids visited Disney’s Imagineering facility in LA two weeks ago, which blew my son’s socks off.

Dodge’s digital arts program is much better connected to the industry than we’d guessed. They have regular visits from industry big wigs (as noted above) and a very engaged faculty. Leigh Rens, who did the Dubai Tower sequence for Brad Bird in Mission Impossible 4, teaches Intermediate Character Animation at Dodge, for example. There are wonderful opportunities at the school. Dodge is extremely forward-looking and DS is having a blast, while being challenged in Chapman’s Honors College (where heavy critical essay writing and debate form the basis for small seminar courses).

Animation majors have the opportunity to collaborate with film students on as many projects as they desire–this offers a very ‘real-world’ experience that is good preparation for future industry work. (Digital arts kids are called the ‘rock stars’ of Dodge because their collaboration is so sought after by the rest of the film school’s UG and graduate students.)

When he was exploring schools last year, DS found it was hard to find detailed information about four-year, BA-based animation programs. I’m posting here in hopes that it might be helpful to you and others in the future.

Chapman-Dodge is a hopping place…worth looking into if you are looking for a BA-based animation program, with lots of opportunities and energy, that is embedded in a solid university with a strong upward trajectory and GREAT merit scholarships. We are 100% happy and our son is pretty much over-the-moon about his experience at Dodge and Chapman. This is an up and coming program.

I’ll post a couple of links with additional information about Dodge’s Digital Arts major. Best wishes!