Animation Mentor Fall Showcase
Our Good friends at Animation Mentor have posted the works of their fall show. Carlos gave me a look, and man is it good. Amazing job to all the students and teachers. Animation Mentor really is committed to animation education. They really care about the students which is not the case with a lot of animation schools out there. I expect it will only get better and better. I'd love to hear any comments from students about the program.
http://www.animationmentor.com/index.cfm
posted by Dr. Gordon at 3:08 PM
23 Comments:
I'm an AM student, and it's really fantastic. I haven't met any students who don't love the program. It's great focusing completely on character animation. Only thing is, they no longer encourage 2D or stop motion work except on your own, so that might be a problem for some.
6:55 PM
It's a wonderful animation program, but very expensive. I managed to save up enough for class 1 and enjoyed every minute and learned a ton, but $15,000 is a lot of money considering every single AM student watches the same lectures. Still, it's the best thing out there for learning character animation so I guess they can charge whatever they want.
7:51 PM
I'm a part of the AM community and over halfway done with the program I only have good things to say about it. The program itself is tuned extremely well into helping us gain the skills necessary to be an animator and the interaction we get with studios throughout our classes is amazing. I know people say it's expensive but when you take a minute to compare it, it really isn't. Take a look at tuition at most art institutions. AM is an incredible price for everything they give each of their students. Sure, I may be a bit biased as I'm a part of AM, but I can tell ya right now that I talked to plenty of people at Siggraph who aren't part of AM that thought the same things. We're learning from pros...that's a pretty cool way to go about it. :)
8:50 PM
"Only thing is, they no longer encourage 2D "
That's really too bad .
I had hoped to sign up for AM and do the program in 2D . If it's true that "the basic animation principles apply whether 2D or 3D", like we're always hearing , then what difference should it make ?
9:50 PM
Hey Andrew,
I was in the first batch of AM graduates and the school looks like it's really improving all the time.
The program to me is simply the best animation school I heard of. It's really focused on animation and not on 3D stuff.
Thanks to AM i found a job as a character animator on the tv show " the magic roundabout" and learned a tons of things working in production.
The AM team is the most enthusiastic peoples I ever met, everybodu is doing a terrific job and really cares about each student.
I'm telling you guys...
SIGN up !!! :)
2:20 AM
Anonymous: it makes a tremendous difference. All the principles and ideas are the same, but the workflow is very different, and then there's drawing too, while it's nearly impossible to really critique on that through the available tools. There aren't many mentors that have 2d experience either, let alone stopmo. I've done the whole course in 2D (still have to finish my short, but am on a break to focus on drawing), and it's been really difficult, both for me and my mentors. Even Sergio Pablos couldn't help me the way we both wished he could (though I did learn a lot under him). Though I'm glad I got to do the course in 2D, I think they made the right decision with going all CG.
3:18 AM
Mmmh... my post above might sound a bit negative, which wasn't what I intended. The school IS great, and I've learned more and faster than I can imagine I could somewhere else, and have no regrets about the course at all. The post above was just to clarify/justify that particular decision.
3:21 AM
This comment has been removed by the author.
4:31 AM
The new student showcase is fantastic and set the bar very high, very humbling. It's a must see for every animator, aspiring and/or pro.
11:19 AM
Whats up Andrew! I was apart of the Summer Arts Program in Fresno back in 2005. I was that kid from Canada...Saskatchewan to be exact. =) Worked on that "S-Car-Go!" short with you.
Anyways...I am now in class 3 at Animation Mentor...and LOVING EVERY MOMENT OF IT!!!
Every week the school impresses me even more by way it is run. The school is so rich with talent in both mentors and students. I am learning every single day, and believe you get out of it what you are willing to put into it. I am thankful to be able to call it "my job". I am working at it 50-70 hours a week...and I still wish the days were longer.
I deleted my earlier post up above because I wanted clarify that AM does not require 50-70 per week. I am doing that strictly because I want too. I just didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea and scare them off...ha ha. There are many students that continue to work their regular job and do AM.
If being a character animator is your dream job whether its feature, tv, or video games...then Animation Mentor is definitely a school you should look into.
I could go on forever here...but I won't put anyone through that. Plus I have to get back to my assignment. =)
-Sheldon Kruger
12:18 PM
I'm beginning my second term of Animation Mentor and I'm loving every second of it. I came into the program with no previous animation experience (except for reading books on animation and special features and little stuff like that), anyways, I'm just amazed at how I've been able to keep up. It's a ton of work, don't get me wrong... but the curriculum is just great! It really makes sense! I was worried about using Maya(I'm not very technical)... but they do such a good job helping you to use it as a tool and not worry about all the other technical features, I just love it! The atmosphere is so positive everyday you truly feel like you know all of the other students. Plus being taught by industry professionals is incredibly incredibly cool(lots of golden nugget information passes through that site daily)! I've learned so much since I started the program... it's just amazing. I'm trying to be as absorbent as a sponge and take in as much as possible! I have a huge post in my blog about my college search, and AM is by far the most affordable! That is not the reason I chose it however.... I was actually worried about going to school online (I took a math class online last year and absolutely hated it, but AM is so much different than any other online school out there)! I thought I would just go to visit AM to see what they had to offer since I wanted to compare all of the schools. After visiting AM headquarters though I was hooked. I knew that Animation Mentor was the place for me. Everybody there was so incredibly passionate about animation! I just don't know what else to say, but I couldn't be happier! :O)
Oh, one more thing ;)
Seeing your peers create excellent work everyday(like the pieces in the showcase)keeps you so inspired day to day. The showcase is really amazing, but all Animation Mentor students have great work, and of course it all can't be included in the showcase:) but it's just amazing to watch everyones progress. I just love it!
3:34 AM
If AM had any gigantic drawbacks I'd write about them, but the fact is they are playing their cards really well by staying in touch with the student base. It's all very active and very alive and I'm sure that it wouldn't be that way if they just got things rolling and walked away trying to let that sustain itself.
It's downright cheap for what it is. You get what you put in. Even if you don't put in what you expect to, you will still be treated with the same care as the hotshots. And just for information purposes, a lot of the more experienced mentors have 2D and/or stop-mo experience, primarily because they've been around long enough to need to have animated somehow when 3D wasn't a big deal.
The nice thing is you really do learn animation independent of medium, even if your assignments are exclusively 3D, if you can draw, try 2D animation before and after and see the difference.
10:00 AM
I'm a student at Calarts character animation program. I guess Calarts is best for person who want to be 2D animator but if someone wants to be CG animator, you should reconsider it because the education quality is really awful.(I mean CG). School's name value is nothing. Teacher is really matter. Eventhough, we spent $15,000 per semester, we can get a teacher who is now currently working on Feauter animation company and knowing what to teach in class not about Maya or how to move the C.G character in Maya. And the problem in department is most full time faculties don't know anything about CG. I guess they hate CG and don't konw how to set up the curriculum. To sum up, if you want to be CG animator, you should go to AAU, Ringling and A.M not Calarts. This is my personal opinion and No offese to Calarts.
12:28 AM
Anonymous said...
I'm a student at Calarts character animation program. I guess Calarts is best for person who wants to be 2D animator but if someone wants to be CG animator, you should reconsider it because the education quality is really awful.(I mean CG). School's name value is nothing. Teacher is really matter. Eventhough, we spent $15,000 per semester, we can't get a teacher who is now currently working on Feauter animation company and knowing what to teach in class not about Maya or how to move the C.G character in Maya. And the problem in department is most full time faculties don't know anything about CG. I guess they hate CG and don't konw how to set up the curriculum. To sum up, if you want to be CG animator, you should go to AAU, Ringling and A.M not Calarts. This is my personal opinion and No offese to Calarts.
12:31 AM
Im currently in Class 4 of AM and its real blast. Everyone is easy to talk to, the mentors are great and the videos lectures are just amazing. I know the course isn't cheap but i have never seen a course care so much for its students and really try to get the best out of every single one.
If your really keen on getting into animation and can afford it, i would really recommend it.
1:40 PM
I am the student of the short film where the 2 guys are playing at the computer.
The Animation Mentor program is amazing, I don't think is expensive at all. You just have to do a little research on Animation Schools to realize that the AM tuition is pretty good.
Once you get in you will taste the information delivered to you by the best of the best animators (including Dr. Gordon) through lectures, assignments and critiques.
Animation Mentor cares about your success, the student community is influenced by this scheme and the Student Showcase reflects it. This education experience is one of my best ones, too bad its only 18 months!
Thanks for the post Dr. Gordon.
4:23 PM
is Animation Mentor expensive?
Well that s an interesting question that deserves to be answered.
I would be tempted to say yes but looking around, how many cheaper options do you get if you are not french, already ultra talented and selected by Les Gobelins animation school?
What else do you get for those $15,000 and ultimately, how long would it take you to pay back that money if you got this animation dream job?
Personally that money was my savings to pay the deposit for a mortgage but since I was working while doing AM I could have quickly recovered the cost of AM with my new animation job. Now I live in UK, I have no clue if this applies to other countries, the dollar is at it lowest level since 1982 I am told.
After 18 month at AM and without any animation experience previously, me and the classmates who reached the upper classes, applied for jobs where we were in competition with people who had been through 4 to 5 years of university!
Foundation course: 1 year
BA: 3 years
Some guys who applied for the same job I was applying for even had Masters or Post graduate diplomas!
Does one realise how much it cost to spend 4 years at university? Let alone the fact that people like me couldn't move city and had to do AM on top of our full time job.
Now don't get over excited ;-) This doesn't mean that you just need to pay your $15000 for AM to get a job. Your mentors won't animate your shots for you and you will still have to work realllllly hard to polish this Showreel that will get you where you always wanted to be!
Animation is hard, no matter how much you paid or what school you went to but AM gives you access to a crazy community of people who love and live for animation and if you make the most of it, you will definitely reap the rewards of it.
Olive
4:51 AM
I'm a Class 1 student at AM, and I am absolutely loving it! I came from another online animation school, and there is NO comparison. It's cheaper, I'm learning more, and I'll graduate sooner! It's AWESOME to be mentored by animators, and get real feedback. I can't tell you how good it feels to get good criticism from other students either, or how exciting it is when someone takes your advice, and it helps their shot improve. :)
The cost is NOTHING compared to what you get in return. Take this from someone who spent far more than the whole cost of AM on a year at another animation program, and I never got to animate anything! What's amazing is how much the founders: Bobby, Carlos, and Shawn want you to succeed. They're not just trying to take your money, they're REALLY trying to make you the best animator possible.
10:16 AM
Hi,
I'm also studying at animation mentor (class 6) and wouldn't know of a single better program about animation out there. It's all about animation, the mentor's are as excited as the students and the things being taught are extremely well chosen and put to order. I've studied 4 1/2 years before at a normal university and did not learn 10% of what I learned at AM. I highly recommend it to everyone. It is an amazing community where you meet people that love animation just as much as you do.
Merry Christmas,
Lx
8:23 AM
I am Dwarakanath Jnaneswar (DJ), from India, and I just finished my class 6 a few days ago.
I can sincerely say that AM has been the best educational experiences of my life. I put up my shot for critiques and get critiqued by top of the line animators!! And the amazing lectures that were simply minutes of gold! And the mentors I had were simply amazing and I am sure others are like that too.
I would not only get the critique from my mentor, but if I upload stuff early to get early comments, I would get critiques from some other mentors in the middle of the week!!
And dont even get me started on the community. The forums, the info, the discussions, the people.. just amazing. The whole environment makes you feel like working hard.
It was just a week without AM and I am missing the whole community so much already! For a guy like me from India, who cannot afford to come to US and study and pay for my stay for four years, this is pretty much the best choice as far as character animation goes. Besides, for the stuff that those guys are teaching, the value of the course is many times that.
However, as others have said.. be prepared to work hard and learn a lot.. and AM will give you every minute's worth of your time there.
Merry Christmas everyone! And hope AM continues to do the awesome job they are doing.
DJ
8:10 AM
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3:13 PM
It looks really great, supposing the students made it. It seems they teach their students properly.
1:43 AM
Thank you for the article, very useful piece of writing.
7:26 AM
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