Animation Program - Tradigital

Campus:

South Campus - Windsor (T823)

Program Length:

Three Year - Ontario College Advanced Diploma

Starts:

September

Contact:

Richard Moy
(519) 972-2727, ext. 4910
rmoy@stclaircollege.ca

ANIMATION PROGRAM: ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

OSSD with the majority of courses at the College (C), University (U), University/College (M) or Open (O) level qualify for admission to this program.

Mature students - See Admission Procedures for details.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

In addition to your OCAS application you will be required to complete and submit an Art Test.
The specifics of the art test, including the “given character”, will be included in your acknowledgement letter that you will receive after your application is processed through ontariocolleges.ca.

Please complete and return the following drawing test with your name and student number to St. Clair College as soon as you have completed it. Drawing tests must be submitted to the college no later than March 8, 2013 for equal consideration to the animation program; however tests will be accepted after that date until the program is full. Tests may be mailed to the following address:

Or emailed to: Animation_Test@stclaircollege.ca
(If emailing the test, please send images in JPEG format and no larger than 300kb per image.)

The test may be completed on the provided sheets of paper or on any 8.5 x11 paper.

Drawing Test Requirements

Two drawings of your own hand from interesting angles.
Two drawings of the same room from two different interesting angles (e.g. Your bedroom, bathroom or kitchen).
Draw a given character in four given emotional states.

Optional: You may also include up to 5 additional pieces of artwork, of your choice, that illustrate your talents. These may include pages from a sketchbook, digital painting or 3D renderings, photography, paintings, animation or whatever you like. These must be submitted as 8.5 x11 copies of the originals. Please send any examples of animation on CD or DVD and any examples of sculpture may be shown in photographs.

Drawing Test Tips
The evaluation of the Drawing Test is based on the following criteria:

Your ability to create depth in the drawings (create a 3D environment or object from a 2D drawing).
Your ability to understand the structure of what you are drawing (showing that you can construct from simple 3D shapes).
Your ability to create visual appeal.

Depth in a drawing: Depth can be created using the three simple techniques. The first is accurate perspective. Use a one point, two point or three point perspective with horizon lines and vanishing points to create the illusion of things getting smaller as they get away from the viewer. The second is line quality. Make the line work of objects closer to the viewer thicker and darker while the objects farther away have thinner and lighter line work. The last thing is proportion. Make sure that all the objects in a drawing are correct in their relative sizes. An example is in your room drawings ,if you have a doorway in the room then the audience knows roughly how big a human would be in the room and so you must be careful to keep the sizes of all other objects in that room relative to that door. To put it simply, if you are drawing a bathroom, you can't have a toilet that is twice as big as the bathtub or when drawing the character make sure that it doesn't have two different sized legs.

Showing and understanding structure of what you are drawing: Construct your room, character or hand from simple three dimensional objects first (spheres, boxes, pyramids, cones and cylinders) before you put any detail into the drawing. This will help keep your perspective and proportions accurate as well.

Creating visual appeal: This is the tricky one. A drawing can have fantastic technical merit but still not be that much fun to look at. To create visual interest you must start with composition. This is making sure that the drawing has a spot that the eye will be drawn to and making sure that there are elements in the drawing (interesting curves and lines) that will lead the eye there. Finishing the drawing with a nice line will also create more appeal. Do not use a hacked out light line and leave it because it describes the shape. Finish the drawing with a weighted (thick and thin) clean line that will add to the depth of the drawing and create more visual interest

If you do not understand any of the terms or concepts described above you should buy some drawing books, look them up online or contact rmoy@stclaircollege.ca for additional advice on what is looked for in the drawing test or to give you a critique on what you are thinking of submitting.

PROGRAM GOALS

Graduates of the animation program are able to animate and bring artwork to life in traditional and digital mediums. Students will learn how to design and animate characters and environments for traditional and 3D projects for a variety of mediums including television, film and video games. Students of the animation program will also learn to become proficient with digital image manipulation, digital video editing, compositing and file management. While in the animation program, students will work individually and in groups developing demo reels that will help build their skills and professional portfolios.

This program will appeal to students who love drawing and animated artwork. They should be very imaginative. Strong problem solving skills are also important, along with the ability to adhere to deadlines.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Latest in industry standard software
Strong emphasis on using traditional techniques to enhance production of digital art
Active student run animation club
Annual screening of graduate films in a major venue

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

There are job opportunities creating both 2D and 3D animation, models, textures and other assets for feature films, television productions, video games and the web. Skills learned in this program could also be applied to finding work in character design, storyboarding or as concept artists.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Animation Career Review - Interview with Coordinator Rich Moy (March 2013)
Animation Students in the Big Leagues - News Story (June 2011)
Program Physical Demands Analysis: T823

WHY CHOOSE ST. CLAIR COLLEGE'S ANIMATION PROGRAM?

Do you dream in 3D? Always imagining new characters for video games or cartoons? Are your doodles and drawings ready to jump off the page and spring to life? You are a budding animator. St. Clair College's animation program will give you the skills, discipline and confidence you need to become a sought-after animation artist.

If you are thinking about tradigital animation colleges in Ontario, then look no further. We blend traditional techniques with cutting-edge industry software to develop the next generation of animation artists.

The three year Advanced Diploma begins with a solid base: Life Drawing, Film Theory, Animation History & Fundamentals. Students continue laying the foundations of their skills with studies in Concept Development & Layout, Character and Background. As the fundamentals build, so doses the excitement as you move into Digital Media (Image manipulation and video editing), Computer Animation, Compositing, Experimental Animation, Modeling, Lighting & Rendering and beyond! Our supportive environment ensures that each student receives individual attention.

Emerge with a professional portfolio and demo reel that will open the door to work in 2D or 3D animation in the film and television industries, the world of gaming and the web. This program will have your characters and their worlds flourish as you animate yourself into success!

YOUR INVESTMENT

Fees are subject to adjustment each year. The standard tuition and compulsory fees for 2012 are:

Total 1st Year Tuition and Compulsory Fees

$3,919.49

For textbook prices see the Bookstore website.

For a breakdown of tuition and other compulsory fees for Canadian, U.S. and International students, see Tuition & Fees.