Do you need to study at university to learn animation?

The TAAFI Education Panel

On Monday 16 June TAAFI - the Toronto Animation Art Festival International - hosted a panel talk on the subject of  “An Animation Education”. The sub-title of the talk was “Do you need to go to university to learn animation?”. In other words, given all the opportunities now available to study online, should  students still commit to the expense and time of a full undergraduate education?

On the panel to discuss the question were Richard Arroyo – head of Games at iAnimate.net,  Mark Jones, chair, School of Creative Arts, Aubrey Mintz, Head of Animation, California State University Long Beach, Brooke Keesling, Manager, Animation Talent, and Tony Tarantini, Sheridan College Professor of Animation. The first question was this:

1. Are we living in a Golden Age of animation training? What are the challenges and opportunities for both schools and students?

Aubrey Mintz recalled that back in the 1990s there were hardly any animation schools where students could learn - and now there are hundreds. He was concerned that "we may be saturating the market". As Aubrey put it: "There are so many people studying, and very few students will make it to work in feature films". He recommended that anyone interested in discussing the subject further should join the Animation Educator’s Forum at ASIFA Hollywood. Richard Arroyo agreed, saying there are "too many students."

Brooke Keesling, who works as a recruiter at Cartoon Network as well as teaching at CalArts, said "we accept one out of ten students". As a recruiter at a studio, she targets "certain schools where the quality is high". But "some things", she said "cannot be taught". And she often recruits students who have not been to any university, just by surfing the web. Sometimes she "just looks at Tumbler to look for great artists".

Sheridan College, regarded as one of the best animation schools in the world

Tony Taranti of Sheridan College in Toronto said that for universities there are "Lots of restrictions, imposed by the Government; there is tons of stuff for educators to deal with". He said that often they spend their effort "trying to circumvent the bureaucracy". Tony felt strongly that his students ARE ready for industry. As he put it, "Animation is a team sport – if you want to play in a team, you have to be in a team". You have to "get students together in a physical space to collaborate - it's all very old school". There is pressure from the top - ie: "how much of this can we do online?".

Richard Arroyo of iAnimate said that "kids need access. iAnimate gives access to more kids" in a way that traditional universities do not because of class size restrictions. As Richard put it: "our students hang out, (just like university students do), but they do it online".

Brooke Keesling said that getting internships can be harder for online students. Many companies only accept students from organisations which are "formally accredited". Therefore, online students can’t intern at Cartoon Network. Richard said that this is sometimes true, but it depends on the company. Many companies just want talent. If online students have skills and talent, they will get hired, and they will find internships.

Aubrey Mintz said that to find work, "you must be top of your game". As he put it, "4 or 5 years [of undergraduate study] may not be enough" to get there. He sends many of his students to online schools after they graduate to polish their skills.


The second question was this: 
2: Are schools teaching Soft skills like teamwork?

Aubrey Mintz said that their university do make short films with the students, so they get a "real-life experience". And in fact increasingly the industry is working remotely - even Sony pictures "works with many remote animators". He said it was important for students to get real-life production experience at university, just like working on a real production.

Tony Tarantini asked if it is even possible to treat your students like employees. "Can you treat your students like they are working in industry?" The answer is "No...they can complain. You can’t fire them (like an employee can be fired), but they can fire you. Or, rather, they can get you fired". As Tony put it: "It’s a different environment [from industry]. Some teachers pass people just so they don’t deal with the outcome of failing students. The students paid their tuition fee; they expect to pass.  Production managers have to deal with this when they have hired people under contract who don’t produce, but at university it is a very different environment to industry".

CalArts

Brooke Keesling said that Gnomon in Los Angeles is very good at what they do, as is Lynda.com as an online learning environment. As she put it, learning online, "you get to be a specialist". A full degree is a very different beast. At, say, CalArts "you get a well-rounded education, with an emphasis on drawing. CalArts students have to make a film every single year. They get a chance to fail or succeed four times". As she put it: "making four films at CalArts gives the students vision, and offers them chances to fail. Even if three films fail, one will succeed". In other words, CalArts "trains directors".

Aubry Mintz emphasised that "we are educators, not employers. Our students will get beaten up in the industry anyway" - so they don't need to get beaten up at university as well. However, students do "need to learn how to fail". Passing students who don't make the grade does them no favours.


The third question posed to the panel was: "What do Universities need to do, to raise their game?"

Tony Tarantino made a plea for "less bureaucracy" from government, in order to set schools and universities free.

Aubry Mintz agreed. "The biggest challenge is the academic unit count. Universities want to get students out faster", ie to "teach a lot in a little time". He described how hard it is to get things done in spite of the bureaucrats, and said that educators have to learn to be people who take decisive action, and “ask for forgiveness - not for permission”. He also had some good advice for university lecturers. "Don't give your course specific names. Instead, name them simply 'Animation 1', 'Animation 2' etc. That way you can change the content later on."

Brooke Keesling talked about the importance of networking. She said this was "very important", and that students who study in places like San Francisco and Los Angeles have an advantage because of geography. As she put it: "for schools in distant towns, its is harder for them". She advised students to “go to a school in a town where there is work”.

Richard Arroyo agreed, saying that "your network will help you get work."


The fourth question to the panel was : What makes a studio hire a student?

Brooke Keesling said "It’s not about a school. It’s about the work. We look for students online, we invite them [to work] on the show [Cartoon Network]. For TV work – it’s all about story, because the actual animation is done overseas. Working for Cartoon Network is all about drawing and story telling ability. Our story artists must be writers as well as artists."

Aubry Mintz said that "animation is a big term"; it covers many disciplines. Educators need to "get students away from Google; go to the library. We have to train well-rounded artists". There needs to be "time for students to explore at university".

Tony Tarantini said that students "have to be well-informed. You have to know the industry". Students also "need to know art history. You must be a full artist". Students must not just learn to press buttons but must become "a creative force" in order to succeed.

Brooke Keesling agreed. Some of the best artists at Cartoon Network really know their art history.  JJ Ballard's excellent short film “Son of Satan” has "lots of art history references".

Worth studying?

Tony Tarantini teaches a course in Florence every year, called “Italian Art and Culture”. It is a way of helping students to get a "better background" in general art history. It's all about the "expansion of them as an artist."

Aubry Mintz agreed, saying that he "does not want to teach software in class". Instead, he "wants to teach theory and interesting stuff".

Finally, one student in the audience asked the panel "What advice would you give to a student who wants to make an independent film?"

The answer, given almost in unison was: “Make them”.

Gateway Building at Bucks

Needless to say, here at Bucks we think that a full BA at University still has a lot to offer, especially if you really want to get a proper well-rounded education in the digital arts. But in way, comparing study online with a full three or four degree course is rather unfair. My online school Animation Apprentice is a course designed for students who don't have three years of their life to commit to school.  At Bucks we expect our students to emerge with a wide variety of skills: animation, design, storyboarding, modeling, lighting, texturing, rigging. And, of course, all the soft skills, like teamwork, co-operation, and working on group projects. In the end though, it's up to our students to decide what they want to specialise in, and then it becomes our job to help them realise their goals.

---Alex

For more about what we do at Bucks, take a virtual tour of our animation studio, and also a virtual tour of our other, state-of-the-art media facilities. Best of all, if you are in the neighbourhood, drop in at an Open Day and see us. Also check out what our students think of our course, and see why we're ranked in the top 12 creative universities in the UK.  Click here to find out more about the Bucks Big Deal.