Ever wondered if there are any best college courses for a rewarding animation career?
Before you start thinking about getting a job as an animator, you need the best courses that would prepare you for the roles available in the animation industry. With the booming digital advertising and computer games, you would be a complete sod to miss out on a highly rewarding game designing or digital advertising career!
And that probably got you wondering… What courses do you need to become an animator?
Well, animation and visual arts degree would be an Ideal place to start, and the good news is that you can actually study online for a bachelors degree in animation and visual arts.
Or, you could become an apprentice working in an animation and graphics studio. Unfortunately, apprenticeships that could lead to a career in animation are not easy to come by.
So, if you have been thinking of studying animation as a career, you don’t have to be good at drawing, designing or anything other than your will to learn a new skill in a more professional setting.
What Is Animation?
On the other hand, you possibly are a complete newbie to animation as a career, no shame there! Animation is the artistic way of manipulating images with the goal of making them appear as if they are moving. Think of animation as the magic or an illusion of imagery motion over a timeline, matched by story-telling while your image timeline is changing.
Animation techniques can as well be used to bring paper-cut characters or figures that are brought to life by making them appear as if they are moving.
How long does it take to become an animator?
In short, a computer animation degree takes 3 to 4 years for anyone to enter a competitive game designing and the digital advertising job market.
And if you think to find jobs after graduating from the best online animation and visual art grad school is hard, think again! Frankly speaking, there is no shortage of best online animation courses you can start as a beginner.
How Hard Is It To Get A Job In Animation?
Looking back at three years of studying animation, you probably might be wondering how hard is it to get a good job in animation? Well, with the growth of computer game design and digital advertising is enjoying now, there is plenty of jobs to go around for everyone even if you have no animation work experience.
Now, best colleges for digital media arts can only prepare you for so much, and to actually go further with you animation career, you are going to need a little bit of work experience and then find A master’s degree in computer animation which if you are doing online, it would take anywhere from 18 months to 48 months to complete.
Depending on your work experience credits and how many classes taken each semester, there is really nothing impossible as long as it guarantees that you enter the workforce and be as competitive as you can be on the animation and visual digital job market.
So, in a nutshell, a bachelor’s degree, or four years of study would be good enough for anyone to get a high paying job in the game design or digital advertising industry.
The 5 types of animation are 3D computer animation, 2D vector-animation, Traditional animation, motion graphics and stop motion.
Today, the two most popular types of animation are 3D computer animation and 2D vector animation. Animators use the computer and other various software to create works of animation using these two, we see these works in forms of video games, movies, cartoons, animated movie, TV shows, websites, and advertisements.
Overall, if you are interested in the field of animation as a career, the following are the set of skills and qualities you must possess:
- You must have good observational skills
- You must be creative
- Must have drawing or stretching skills
- You must have the ability to get into characters
- You must have computers and software skills
- Must have teamwork skills
- Must have communication skill in order to interact with the team effectively
- You must be a patient someone who can concentrate as well.
Animation has become a very popular career choice among many recently became animation film and cartoons are in great demand. Animation companies, film prod companies, and studios are investing a lot of money into this field because they know it’s in high demand.
Animation courses are available in three formats which are, Bachelor’s degree courses, Diploma courses, and certificates courses. Below we have listed the 10 best Animation courses available as a career:
1. BA in Animation and Graphic designing
The duration of this course is 3 years and it starts with design) animation history, theory and traditional hand skills and then deals with recent design/animation practices and technology. Here you will be creating animations, lohos, multimedia/interactive applications, packaging, posters and many more.
The course encourages innovation while also introducing strong technical and presentation skills. It also helps students to develop skills in listening, negotiating, researching, thinking creatively, idea generation, manipulating visual languages and techniques.
2. BA in Digital Filmmaking and animation
The duration of the course is 3 years, the course concerns with the field of arts and covers the special areas of digital filmmaking and animation which is the process of capturing motion pictures as digital images rather than on film used a digital camera.
Because of the modern world we live in where animated films and cartoons are in high demand, this course is one of the best a person can do.
3. BA in Animation and multimedia
The duration of the course is 3 years and it is an undergraduate multimedia, animation and gaming course. The program helps to produce full-fledged animation professionals with the skills and confidence to build a rewarding career in the field. The course will train students in the latest industry of film making, game making e.t.c
4. Bachelor of fine arts in animation, graphics and Web Design
The duration of this course is 3 years, it combines knowledge in computer animation history and theory with skills in framing, compositing, and visual effects. It also offers opportunities to combine fine arts aesthetics and skills, such as drawing, painting, and sculpting, with digital design techniques to create a portfolio of work. Most programs include training in cutting-edge animation software, allowing students to gain hands-on experience. Students may also have opportunities to collaborate with others.
Applicants to these programs need a high school degree or equivalent and, in some cases, SAT or ACT scores. Many programs also request a portfolio of work.
5. A BA in Animation and VFX
The BA in Animation and VFX is also known as Animation and Visual arts and is an undergraduate level Bachelor of Arts Degree program.
The course is 3 years long and consists of 3 academic years. Each academic year is divided into two semesters, with each semester lasting for a period of 6 months.
The academic program consists of classroom lectures and practical training. Studio and practical training are given much importance, thanks to the nature of the course.
The course focuses on theoretical and practical areas of multimedia. It covers topics such as multimedia, animation, and VFX.
Evaluation is done at the end of each semester. Evaluation is done through written examination as well as a practical test.
6. Bachelor of Visual Arts
BVA or Bachelor of Visual Arts is a four-year duration undergraduate Fine Arts program in which students major in any one of the disciplines of their interest.
Some of the popular BVA specializations in which candidates can choose to major are creative writing, painting, film-making, technical arts, applied arts, sculpture, television production, photography, stage management, animation, and film production.
A BVA course can be chosen by any candidate who has a creative instinct and wishes to build his/ her career in the field of art. A course in Visual Arts appeals to the aesthetic sense of students and makes their imaginative senses grow.
Also, the course offers students all the theoretical as well as practical knowledge needed to build a successful career in the field.
And now let’s look at everything you need to know about the Bachelor of Visual Arts course in terms of its eligibility criteria, course curriculum, job prospects and more.
7. B.S.c in Animation and Gaming
The duration of this course is 3 years, the course focuses on creative, innovative filmmaking and professional practice, aiming to raise one’s creativity up to the industrial park. When you’ve completed this course, you will be able to create games and animations on the PC as well as on mobile technology phones and other related devices. Students learn the concepts and mechanics of game development and the syllabus for the course is divided into six semesters.
8. The BA in 2D animation
Associate’s degree programs in animation teach fundamental drawing techniques and include introductory storyboard and animation coursework. In addition to completing capstone courses, students must put together portfolios as they progress through an associate’s degree program. Applicants may find it helpful to have an art background.
Students of bachelor’s degree programs have opportunities to explore more advanced animation, design, and video post-production principles. They may create their own animated films. A portfolio could be required for admission to a bachelor’s program.
Master’s degree programs allow students to explore sound effects and create advanced 3D models. Computer programming and video game animation are some areas of emphasis. Master’s programs of this kind involve research, as well as film production. Similar to bachelor’s programs, master’s program applicants must submit a portfolio.
A high school diploma or equivalent is required for both associate’s and bachelor’s degree programs, while a bachelor’s degree is required for a master’s program.
9. Diploma in Animation, video editing, and post-production works
This course is targeted at students who want to build a career in video editing for television programs, films, documentaries and work in leading video editing companies across the country.
The main objective of this video editing course is to produce internationally standard video editors that would be able to work anywhere in the world as video editors and compositors either as a freelance video editor or with a video editing studio.
This course uses the most popular software in teaching both video and audio editing to increase the student’s employability with a flexible schedule laced with team projects, seminars, assignments and portfolio development. The Advanced Certification course in Audio/Video Editing and compositing is a 100% practical course.
10. Diploma in 3D animation
The duration of this course is 18 months and it is a diploma level multimedia, animation, and gaming course. 3D animation is animating computer-generated objects that appear in three-dimensional space. They can be rotated and moved like real objects.
Once you are done with your course and have obtained your degree or diploma there are many animation jobs available for you thereafter including the following:
- Animator:
To get this job position you need a degree in computer graphics, art or a related field in order to have an impressive portfolio of work and to also have the required skills.
Other animators prefer to work by drawing and painting by hand and then translating the resulting images into computer programs.
- Graphic designer:
To get this job position you’ll need a degree in graphic designing or related field.
Graphics designers are individuals who combine art and technology to communicate ideas through images and the layout of websites and printed pages, they create visual concepts using computer software and also develop the overall layout and production design for different applications such as magazines, corporate reports e.t.c
- Modeler
Most employers in need of a 3D modeler require that you have a bachelor’s degree in computer graphics, art, or a related field to develop both an impressive portfolio of work and the strong technical skills that many employers prefer.