An Academic Animation Mission

Take a hint from Chris Prynoski, creator of MTV's Downtown; animation isn't just a kid-thing anymore. Originally from Trenton, NJ, Prynoski soon found his way to the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City, where he concentrated in animation, and turned a two-week gig at MTV into a job. According to Prynoski, his idea for Downtown, an animated series about diverse characters who try to find their way in the trendy East Village, originated from a frame of a debut film he submitted as a class assignment during his student days at SVA. "I came up with a couple of ideas the night before I was about to pitch them," he recalls. "I was like, 'I've got to make this kind of diverse. Maybe MTV would like something different.'" Originally, the plan was to record actual conversations and animate them, but for practical reasons, a more scripted approach was taken. "I did a pilot in '97, and the show went into production in the fall of '98," says Prynoski. The show then premiered to solid reviews this past summer as part of MTV's "10 Spot." Prynoski now heads a massive team of people who work on Downtown. With each episode taking nearly 10 months to complete, Prynoski and his team concentrate first on the episode concept, the story outline, and then the actual script. "A lot of people work on the show -- 80 people in New York alone -- and then it goes to New Zealand and China," Prynoski explains. Even with his show becoming a hit, what Prynoski doesn't let it go to his head. "We're a bunch of silly people who like to make cartoons," he jokes. Prynoski equally downplays his success. "I went to school for animation at a lucky time," he explains. "There were [only] seven animation majors [then]. Now SVA graduates 60 or 70 [a year]. As soon as we graduated, the field blew up." With the field continuing to expand at a phenomenal rate, it was time for the educational programs producing animators to evolve. Here's a look into some cutting-edge college and university animation programs... School of Visual Arts Since Prynoski graduated, the School of Visual Arts' animation department has undergone a dramatic upheaval. Students at SVA now start with a foundation year, taking classes ranging from "The History of Animation" to "Introduction to Stop Motion." Of course, it takes some high-tech tools to properly train animators. What really makes the program excellent, says Prynoski -- aside from the state-of-the-art computer equipment and suites -- is the faculty. "One of the requirements [for teachers] is that everyone has to be a professional," Prynoski explains. "The teachers are people who have really been there and are really good at what they do." Learning at SVA is thus less academic and more hands-on. He explains, "At some schools, you'll [by rote] animate a scene where Goofy opens a door and does something funny. At SVA, it's like, 'This is how you do it. Now go do it'... It's a bit more free-form." Though much of the animation taught relies on computer technology, drawing is still a necessary skill. "Even computer animators need to draw," assert Prynoski. "You need to know how to pose a character and be versatile. Anyone who can draw is going to have an edge." The Downtown guru offers the following advice for aspiring animators: "Go to a school where you have people who've 'been there.' Develop a reel [set of your clips], but keep it short -- no longer than three minutes. Anyone who is looking can tell if you're talented. And network -- keep in touch with everyone." Along with networking, Prynoski suggests interning. "I interned at VanGuard Media, a company that was producing CD-ROMs before almost anyone. You can really [perfect] a craft when you're on-the-job." This past fall, Prynoski has taken on the role of prodigal son, returning home to his alma mater to teach an intro class in animation. Academy of Art College The animation department at Academy of Art College (San Francisco, CA), although similar to SVA, takes a unique approach in its teaching philosophy. "There are no professors here," explains Pat Johnson, co-director of the master's in computer arts program. "The Academy is taught by professionals who come in and offer high levels of expertise." What's also different about the Academy of Art, he adds, is that there are no lectures. "Our curriculum is comprised of all production classes," says Johnson. "Students work in teams and learn to behave as a team, much like in the industry." The Academy of Art College regularly brings in teaching teams from production companies like Pixar -- the Academy Award-winning behemoth behind such films as Toy Story and A Bug's Life, both of which grossed well over $100 million dollars. "There is a teacher here who was a lead animator on Toy Story as well as on its follow-up CD-ROM game," says Johnson. From a networking angle, professionals like this in the classroom make a lot of sense. "Every chance you get to work with a professional is another network contact." "[Academy of Art College] is a force to be reckoned with," says Johnson, citing the school's stellar facilities -- SGIs, PCs, cutting-edge software, plus tech support and betas. The popularity of the program and the success of Academy of Art graduates gives warrant to their hubris. In fact, graduates from Johnson's program currently work at Pixar, ILM, and countless other high-profile animation studios. With the public's insatiable desire for animation growing, the program at the Academy of Art College is expected to grow as well. "Programs in this field have been expanding by 40 percent every year since they became available," attests Johnson. With those kinds of numbers, it's important to find a program that encourages the development of a strong reel and portfolio. To accommodate this, students spend their last two years at the Academy of Art taking liberal arts classes and developing a thesis project. "The point of the project is to get a good demo reel." The ever-important reel, according to Johnson, should avoid cliches. "No bouncing balls or animated lamps. No random explosions... It should reflect a student's strengths and be short." Full Sail Real World Education "Any time a major feature film, trendy advertising campaign, or TV show contains computer-generated special effects, characters, and animated sequences people become very excited about the field in general," says Eric Noteboom, the program director for the exciting new program in computer animation at Full Sail Real World Education (Dunedin, FL)."That translates into applications for training." Full Sail Real World Education recently launched a program in computer animation as an offshoot of their digital media major. Graduates of Full Sails' digital media program currently work at such diverse locales as Image Experts in Hollywood, CA, and CNN in Atlanta, GA. For future animators, Noteboom suggests a starting point as simple as buying a sketch pad and a journal. "Whenever you have a moment, sketch something, not worrying about the quality of the sketch," he explains. "In the journal, write ideas down. These will help convey the ideas in your head onto paper -- the first step in animation."

Prospective students for Full Sails' programs are not judged on standardized tests alone. "I look for [students with] dreams, excitement, enthusiasm, and will," explains Noteboom. "The SATs, although a good indicator for certain subjects, just shows how well you can regurgitate information. Computer animation needs more creative thinking." "Animation is on the verge of becoming an accepted genre, rather than an anomaly," Prynoski says. "There is a lot out there. Producers are worried about the numbers. Everyone has [an animated show] in production. It's kind of like natural selection. People decide what they want to watch, and those shows survive." Interested? You know how to get there. In the words of Prynoski: "Now go do it."

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