[daz199]

I'm thinkin about goin to sheridan for 3d animation
Right now i'm in high school, but i got good drawing and 3d skills n stuff
so....is it a good school, is it worth moving from BC to Ottawa for a while
and...umm...i haven't got any visual arts degree, so should i try applying anyway??
gimme all the info you can

[Lev]

I think the sheridan 3d animation course requires you have a 2 year bachelors degree in fine arts or visual design or equivalent work experience (in the industry from what I'm told), so expect to do that before getting into the course (which you wouldn't be certain if you'll be accepted since they filter a lot of people).

[The Brat]

Yeah, you do need to have a degree or somesuch before you can take the comp. animation course there. The ideal would be if you took classical animation first (3 years) and then the comp. anim. stuff (another 1 or 2 years, depending) after that. That way you'd pretty much be guaranteed a spot in the post-grad course, as they'd know you and all... I mean, provided you don't suck or something.

Whee.

[daz199]

Is it worth taking the visual arts degree
or should i jus go to a local animation school that doesn't require it?

[daniel.rodrigues]

yeah its worth it taking the 3 year program. You can take Illustration or Classical animation and from there get into Computer animation pretty easily.. Its pretty much impossible to get into Computer Animation directly out of highschool

[jeffery]

i went to classical animation at sheridan a few years ago. unless things have changed since then, you do need the classical animation program first, then you have to create a demo reel of 3d animation, and then you have to pay $8000 for what i believe is a 1-year post-graduate program. not sure if they've expanded it since 1998. tuition for each year of classical animation is at least $5000, with another $2000 in supplies. it's one of the more expensive college courses in canada.

anyways, before you go, make sure you're doing it because you really love animation. drawing, painting, those are all different. sheridan really concentrates on the mechanics of animation, and they work you like crazy. you'll have a hell of a time getting into classical animation, let alone 3d animation afterwards. also, be prepared to work in "disney" style drawing. no manga-style artwork is accepted, and anything other than "realistic" animation is frowned upon. in essence, they're training you to be a small part of a large animation house, like disney. you aren't there to develop a unique style, you're there to learn how to mimic, and work under an art director who dictates the style of your work.

also, don't be doing it for the money. a friend of mine was one of the few people who actually graduates the program with a good mark, and his starting job only pays $30,000 a year. that's in toronto. the market for any kind of art in canada isn't very good, and the bottom has dropped out of the north american animation market a bit because of competition from asia. that's not to say you can't make an enjoyable living at it, though. and 3d is probably a bit different.

this information is more geared to the classical animation course, since thats all i took. and i was there 3 years ago, so some things may have changed.

[wigin]

Im in Sheridan Right now adn you dont needto take classical animation beforetaking 3d animation course although It would be best if you did. All you need is a 3 year visual art degree , fine arts , graphic design whatever anything that has to do with arts almost...

Classical animation is 7000$ a year tuition fee now and Computer Animation is over 10 000$ a year. Quite expensive but it is the best school or one of the best schools for computer animation and classical animation.

As for other schools for classical animation. The 4 best schools in the world are ( in no logical order ) Sheridan , Ballyfermau ( Ireland), CalArts in california AND that one school disney teaches at in paris lol...

If your willing to move to ireland tuition fees are like 2000$ canadian a year. That is for students abroad / from other countries.

If you were a paris resident to get into that school it would be FREEE but for students across the ocean its like 1000$ cnd a year....

These schools areall equivilant to Sheridan and could even be bettre....

Anyways, If i were in your shoes right now i would gofor classical then computer animation. But your going to have a HARDtime to get into classical. If your not good at lifedrawing THEN FORGET ABOUT IT. Other options, get into graphics design or Go to a local college and take alll the 3d courses you can take and go work for 2 years and apply to sheridan =)...

[wigin]

but why sheridan for 3d??? i mean i thought BC was the place tobe.. i mean i know thatpixar Name Sheridan as oneof like 20 schools to go to for Character animation or Something... But i mean isnt they a vancouver film school with AWESOME programs... i mean sheridan isnt the only place to go you know...

[The Brat]

quote:

---

Originally posted by jeffery:

no manga-style artwork is accepted, and anything other than "realistic" animation is frowned upon. in essence, they're training you to be a small part of a large animation house, like disney. you aren't there to develop a unique style, you're there to learn how to mimic, and work under an art director who dictates the style of your work.

---

Things must've really changed since you attended, because I've seen a wide range of unique styles during my time here (which has only been one and 1/4 school years so far, but still..) -- and although the application process is pretty restricted as far as material goes, there've been more than a few storyboarding projects in particular, each with a very noticeable manga/anime influence, that were included in the display cabinet as examples of fine work.

(Edit That having been said, I've never seen anyone try to actually animate things in anime style, as the projects don't really call for much other than "take this object/character and do stuff with it". But there probably isn't any harm if you sneak a little in once in a while, I'd imagine, as long as the instructor doesn't mind.

They've been encouraging students not to mash their own style into a predetermined mold (including Disney, WB, whatever else), but to adapt so the work can be easily animated... all that means is simplification. No assimilation this time around, at least that I've seen (possibly because Brian Lemay isn't working there anymore, and some of the teachers I remember from 1st year seem to have vanished... but you didn't hear it from me ).

[ October 08, 2001: Message edited by: The Brat ]

[wigin]

HAHA good old Brian Lemay hehe.. Hes a Fundies teacher now..I think umm Imaging System class... Man .. he used to be a Animation Coordinator HAHAH. i mean hes been demoted to a fundies teacher. I wouldof totally quitmy job if that would have happen to me.. ahh well... Letsjust hope i can in Animation Next Year...

Im Just Lucky i Got 2 Animation students as roommates

[Lev]

The Brat - how has the course been so far? I want to know what makes the school so good before even thinking of going

[daz199]

quote:

---

Originally posted by wigin:
but why sheridan for 3d??? i mean i thought BC was the place tobe.. i mean i know thatpixar Name Sheridan as oneof like 20 schools to go to for Character animation or Something... But i mean isnt they a vancouver film school with AWESOME programs... i mean sheridan isnt the only place to go you know...

---

yeah ...theres a bunch of schools here for 3d
i just thought Sheridan was supposed to be awesome...
i'm not even sure if i should go into 3danimation for like video games or what

aaaaaaaaaahhhhh!! too much to decide!

[jeffery]

nice to hear about the opening of possibilities of sheridan. especially with brian lemay gone as co-ordinator! that guy is a dick, and he's the #1 reason i left there before completing. i was the only student to drop out that year who had straight a's, and i wrote a nasty letter to the administration about him.

crazy about the tuition tho.. my #2 reason was that i couldn't afford it. looks like nothing's changed there. :P

i've also heard a lot about progresses in computerization in the classical animation program, which is good. it was stupid the way they made us film head rotations on ancient equipment when a quickcam would've done just as well.

[daz199]

thanks for tha advice
at a local animation school
they have first year, life drawing/character design/classical animation and second year all 3d

SO you recommend taking 2d animation first?
becuase i was planning to take maybe a 1 or 2 year visual arts course, get a really good portfolio, then just take 3d animation for 2 years at Sheridan..
i dont know what to do

[The Brat]

Lev -- It's been fun so far. There's a lot of work, but as long as you don't leave everything until the last second (the last day is fine.. we all procrastinate here, heh heh) it's not too much to handle. My only complaint right now is that we have to do a lot of layout compared to animation (which is worth twice as many credits as everything else) but it's not incredibly complicated stuff... just annoying. ..Well, for me, anyway, since I don't like layout. Heh.
They've got new life drawing and animation instructors -- for us 2nd years, anyhow -- and both are really cool to work with. (We just had Qadesh the tiger in today for a drawing session, too; she rubbed up against me and drooled on my shirt. )

The atmosphere is also incredibly relaxed, which is the main reason why I like it (besides not having to do math or science anymore.. whee!). It's way more fulfilling than high school ever was for me. ...And the people are all nuts there, which is always good. Most folks make a habit of pulling all-nighters, but I haven't done that once so far, and my grades are better than I've ever had before. (Yay.)

But yeah, the tuition is rather steep. I won't say where I'm getting my help from, but I'm going to be paying it back for the rest of my life...

jeff -- I'm glad for the technology shift, too. We pretty much film everything on the lunchboxes at this point. Last year I used Premiere to animate a storyboard, but usually we just stick things onto VHS. Hooray for extreme simplicity...

[ October 09, 2001: Message edited by: The Brat ]

[Svanur]

But isn't Sheridan a lot cheaper than it's American counterparts?

[wigin]

definetly cheaper and just as good or even better than those Us Art/private colleges... its like what 10 000$ American for one semestre in the US..