AnimationMentor
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| Established | 2005 |
|---|---|
| Type | Private |
| President | Bobby Beck |
| Location | Berkeley, California, United States |
| Website | http://www.animationmentor.com |
AnimationMentor.com is a character animation trade school with classes being conducted exclusively online. The teachers and most of the faculty are professionals working in feature film, commercial, and video game studios.
Contents |
[edit] History
AnimationMentor.com opened its "doors" in early 2005 after a long period of anticipation by the online animation community. The school is the brainchild of three feature film animators: Bobby Beck (Pixar), Carlos Baena (Pixar), and Shawn Kelly (ILM). These three animators saw a general lack of quality in the reels that were submitted to their respective studios and felt that this lack of quality could be attributed to shortcomings in the education, not the talent, of those individuals making the submissions.
The initial format for the school was to be a collection of pre-recorded classes that would accompany various written materials and a few meetings with teachers. This idea eventually evolved into the current format of classes which use a proprietary form of web based video conferencing to allow one-on-one interaction between teachers and students.
The inaugural class began courses in February of 2005.
[edit] Academics
AnimationMentor.com offers a certification in advanced character animation. This certificate is awarded after the successful completion of six separate 12-week terms. Upon graduation, the successful student will also have a completed short film, various short format exercises, and a strong understanding of the working life of a studio professional.
[edit] Programs
AnimationMentor focuses only on Character animation as it pertains to the entertainment industry. Only the Certification in Advanced Character Animation is offered.
[edit] Notable alumni, faculty, and visiting artists
The faculty of AnimationMentor is arguably one of its strongest features. The teaching staff consists of professional animators from successful film studios.
Studios with participating animators include: PIXAR, Industrial Light and Magic, Lucas Arts Interactive, PDI/Dreamworks, DNA, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Blue Sky, and Will Vinton Studios.
The school also hosts notable guest speakers from all over the animation industry.
