Where did everyone go to school?

[Vincent Veidt]

When it comes to learning to animate, there are various schools each offering something individual. I've seen a lot of my peers attend VFS, SVA, and CalArts just to name a few, but I want to know how the majority trains and learns. To start off the topic, I've been teaching myself since I was fourteen using books, videos, manuals, guides, advice, and mostly just taking classic animated films and breaking them down by frame. How did YOU learn the trade?

[Rozza]

im teaching myself now, pretty cool thing to do really but i seem to lack artistic flair, as in i cant draw or paint for my life, but ive been drawn to stopmotion, perhaps neverhood, perhaps nick park, perhaps its begginer level learning curve, dunno. I hope to (perhaps) go to a uni called QANTM here insydney, but imm not sure right now

[Vincent Veidt]

I had considered moving to Sydney recently. Could you maybe shine a light on the industry strength in the area?

[PiGPEN]

As a Sydney-Sider as well id say the industry strength would be going on the dole.
Also bongs and instant noodles.

...and ultimately moving to Victoria.

[Vincent Veidt]

I'll stay in California...

[Palmer G. Pattison]

I'm studying at the Columbus College of Art & Design in Columbus, Ohio. Great school. We just hosted a Women in Animation Symposium last spring.

[PiGPEN]

SEXISM IS AWESOME! HIGH-FIVE!

[Vincent Veidt]

Actually, that was Disney's way...

[mark CAREY]

Right now I am at Syracuse University and there seems to be no future in animation here so if you find a good program please let me know! Its so popular now i would think there must be something out there for me i just dont know where to start. any info would help alot-thanks

[Vincent Veidt]

CalArts in Valencia, CA, The School of Visual Arts in New York, and Vancouver Film School have some of the best programs around. For employment, you're looking at Burbank, CA (which has a couple nice schools with ties to major studios), New York City, and Vancouver, BC. There is speculation that Portland, OR will become a hot spot soon, but right now there is only Laika... and their new outfit won't even open until 2009. San Francisco, CA is said to have a lot of work, but it's so expensive to live there that it may not be worth it. Outside of N. America, there's a big industry in Asia, but most of it is done at an extremely low cost using child and borderline slave labor. India has a couple legitimate outfits, so does Japan... most outsource their inbetweening, though. I hope this helps.

[Paul Naas]

I'm in the S.F. area, and yes, it is expensive to live here, but no more so than SoCal. And there is quite a variety of work available here. We've got animated features, effects work, games, internet, e-learning, etc. The options are pretty broad around here. Makes it easier to stay consistently employed.

[Dano]

I went to the University of Texas at Austin, but even when I was registering as a senior I couldn't get into the 2 intro animation classes that Radio-TV-Film had. They've always suffered from small labs and insufficient/inexperienced staff, focusing more on narrative and documentary filmmaking. Austin Community College is starting up several animation 'degrees' and I know some of the teachers, so that might be promising. But as for myself I got a job at an eLearning company right out of college. It was so poorly run I had tons of time to teach myself After Effects. One day I simply realized I could use the same tools to make characters move and 6 years later I'm doing it for my own company.

[Kyle Mohr]

I went to SCAD, but if you're looking for high end instruction in animation, the best you can get, it's AnimationMentor.com, CalArts, and the Art Institute in CA. Period. SCAD got me to where I wanted to be, but it took a lot of self training and help from my friends. At Animation Mentor, you get assigned a professional instructor who is currently working in the field. These students are getting out of the program and getting hired at Blue Sky, Disney, etc because they have contacts at those places. Cal Arts and the Art Institute is the same. Students still have to put the work in themselves, no one does it for them. But those contacts are built in.