Lessons from Mickey - Animation Schools

by Kirk Bangstad

Alright you wannabe animators - you've just stumbled onto a great new resource called "Lessons from Mickey." This weekly column is designed to help you figure out how to find opportunities in the wild field of animation.

As you probably already know, animation fits into the "must be better than a thousand applicants to get a job" type of career, meaning a career animator is much like a successful actor or professional athlete. A lot of people want to animate for a living, and the number decent paying animation jobs out there are slim. Although "making it" as an animator is tough, there are definitely ways to improve your chances. This week, I'm going to discuss animation schools.

Animation Schools - Get What You Pay For

Unfortunately for you, there are a ton of fly-by-night animation schools just waiting to take your money and give you second-rate animation training. A second-rate school will generally help students learn how to work with professional animation software, but will fail to teach them the creative elements behind the software that are needed to create artistic animated films. Quality animation schools will teach you the theatrical elements of film - such as cinematography, framing, story-line, lighting, etc. Generally, this training takes a few years, and the best schools tend to be pretty expensive. Proper animation training can be a major investment.

Top Animation Schools Help Professional Network

Like many other art forms, there is no defined path a person must take to become a good animator. Some people just have a natural creative talent and merely need to be introduced to the right tools, such as animation software, to hone their mostly-developed skills. These people could become successful at the most mediocre animation schools, because their raw talent is so pronounced. Unfortunately, this raw talent doesn't exist in many people and could remain hidden unless discovered by someone in the industry. Another important reason to attend a well-known animation school is to network with established industry professionals. At top schools, there are often master classes taught by professionals from Pixar and Disney, two of the top animation companies. Without access to these people, those with talent can sometimes fall through the cracks.

In short, if you're serious about becoming a professional animator, you will probably have to invest some time and money in a top-notch animation school.