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What is a good starting point for someone who wants to be an animator?
I am a high school senior who is interested in animation. #animation
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Benjamin’s Answer
Hi Isa! I would say a good starting point is to research the 12 principles of animation. These were developed by the 9 old men at Walt Disney Studios and they are considered the foundation of how all animation is executed. Another thing you will want to consider is what medium of animation you want to do? 3D animation involves 3D software this is like Pixar or Dreamworks style animation, 2D animation involves using a series of drawings which are nowadays done mostly on the computer but is still heavily reliant on having good drawing skills, And stop-motion where you move actual physical figures you build yourself and take photos of them to produce the animation. That's my advice for starting out take care and good luck!
Research materials:
So you wanna be an animator: https://youtu.be/YQGaoj7jnBg
https://agora.community/library
Book:
Richard Williams Animator's Survivial Kit
Research materials:
So you wanna be an animator: https://youtu.be/YQGaoj7jnBg
https://agora.community/library
Book:
Richard Williams Animator's Survivial Kit
Your advice was so helpful!
Isa
Updated
Jake’s Answer
What interests you about Animation? As Benjamin noted, there are several different paths for animation. I went to school for digital animation for two years for video games. We used Maya and Blender quite a bit (this was 10 years ago). There are free trails of both available online you can play around in and learn.
Do you like creating your own story? Being able to create a good "story board" is great practice. You can make them about anything!
Do you like creating your own story? Being able to create a good "story board" is great practice. You can make them about anything!
Updated
Gates’s Answer
Hi Isa,
It is important to first consider if you want to pursue a career as a professional animator, or if you are looking to be an independent/ experimental film maker. Not that those are mutually exclusive; you could be both.
Learning the principles of animation is a great idea, especially if you want to work for a major studio in either TV or feature film production. Creating a body of work that is similar to studios you want to work at is a great way to get your portfolio noticed by those studios.
If you wish to do this, consider pursuing an animation degree at one of the following schools: California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts), Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), School of Visual Art (SVA). These schools have reputable animation programs that will give you a solid connection the animation sphere. However, you can still create a body of work in an art program at a more generalized school if you are prepared to do some self teaching.
If you are more interesting in pursuing an experimental/ independent animation career, I would highly recommend RISD as a first choice. Then possibly SVA. Massachusetts Collage of Art is another option. These programs involve more focus on the artist's voice as an individual. After you complete your bachelors, you could then dive deeper into academia with a masters program, or pursue grants/ residencies/ fellowships/ etc. Animation can be as broad as you make it. The "rules" of animation are based on realism and narrative story telling. I believe it is helpful to learn the rules in order to break them, but self taught artists show that rules aren't always necessary to learn before creating. Even if you do want to become a professional animator at a major studio, developing a voice as an artist and individual is important. As Jake suggested, starting with your interests is a great idea!
Good luck with your pursuit!
It is important to first consider if you want to pursue a career as a professional animator, or if you are looking to be an independent/ experimental film maker. Not that those are mutually exclusive; you could be both.
Learning the principles of animation is a great idea, especially if you want to work for a major studio in either TV or feature film production. Creating a body of work that is similar to studios you want to work at is a great way to get your portfolio noticed by those studios.
If you wish to do this, consider pursuing an animation degree at one of the following schools: California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts), Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), School of Visual Art (SVA). These schools have reputable animation programs that will give you a solid connection the animation sphere. However, you can still create a body of work in an art program at a more generalized school if you are prepared to do some self teaching.
If you are more interesting in pursuing an experimental/ independent animation career, I would highly recommend RISD as a first choice. Then possibly SVA. Massachusetts Collage of Art is another option. These programs involve more focus on the artist's voice as an individual. After you complete your bachelors, you could then dive deeper into academia with a masters program, or pursue grants/ residencies/ fellowships/ etc. Animation can be as broad as you make it. The "rules" of animation are based on realism and narrative story telling. I believe it is helpful to learn the rules in order to break them, but self taught artists show that rules aren't always necessary to learn before creating. Even if you do want to become a professional animator at a major studio, developing a voice as an artist and individual is important. As Jake suggested, starting with your interests is a great idea!
Good luck with your pursuit!
This was super helpful, thank you!
Isa