Digital Animation at Art Center?

College Majors Visual Arts and Film Majors
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<p>RainingAgain notes,"Talent may be important in some majors, but for applied art programs, GPA may actually be a more appropriate means to predict their success." RA also notes that "RIT didn't require a portfolio for photography, and RIT still maintained a reputation as the finest photo school in the nation."</p>

<p>Response: I was always curious why University of Cincinnati, which has a very highly ranked program in design and architecture, doesn't require portfolios for admission. Your reasoning may be the reason that University of Cincinnati school of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning is very GPA and SAT oriented.</p>

<p>As for RIT, they still don't require a portfolio for photograpy and film, but they do require portfolios for most other art and design areas.Also, although I believe that RIT photo program is certainly top notch, they were rated third in graduate photo programs by US News and World Reports after SAIC and RISD, both of which do require portfolios.</p>

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<p>//they were rated third in graduate photo programs by US News and World Reports after SAIC and RISD, both of which do require portfolios.//</p>

<p>What was the criteria? Ya know...ranking the top 5 programs is probably splitting hairs. I would guess RIT prepares students for professional studio careers than RISD, and RISD might have a better fine art slant. This is what RIT has always been known for.</p>

<p>Also, and again, you disseminate skewed or erroneous information. RIT's graduate program in photography does require a portfolio. So your inference that perhaps the other two programs are "better" because they require portfolios is once again, baloney.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.rit.edu/%7E625www/programs_imaging_art_photo.html#require%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.rit.edu/~625www/programs_imaging_art_photo.html#require&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>RainingAgain, I do know what I am talking about. I don't usually make statements that I can't back up. Just get the latest issue of US News and World Report. RIT is NOT rated by THEM as number one. I believe they rated RIT as number 3 in the nation, which certainly isn't shabby.</p>

<p>True, I don 't know what their rating methodology is. It could well be in error. All I said is that US News and World Report doesn't rate RIT as number one in graduate photography programs. It is not I who is making the ratings,but U S News and World Report. Check out their ratings if you believe that I am wrong. If you don't agree with the ratings, take it up with them. Stop implying that I am giving out wrong information.</p>

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<p>//Stop implying that I am giving out wrong information.//TG</p>

<p>WoW! You just don't get it do you?</p>

<p>TG, " ...for RIT, they still don't require a portfolio for photograpy and film, but they do require portfolios for most other art and design areas.Also, although I believe that RIT photo program is certainly top notch, they were rated third in graduate photo programs by US News and World Reports after SAIC and RISD, both of which do require portfolios."</p>

<p>Me: "...So your inference that perhaps the other two programs are "better" because they require portfolios is once again, baloney."</p>

<p>Do I need to explain this? You're kidding me? RITs graduate program DOES require a portfolio! So you can't infer that it is because they do not require portfolios that they are ranked third. Doing!</p>

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<p>I've said this a few times in other posts, but I'm gonna put it here again anyway...</p>

<p>Sonic2, what is it that you are looking for in an animation school? Are you graduating from high school or are you finishing/did you finish your bachelor's degree? And, the most important question of all: what kind of animation do you want to learn/create, and what part of the animation process most interests you?</p>

<p>"Animation" is taught at a lot more schools now than it used to be. However, just because a school has a few animation classes doesn NOT mean they have an "animation program" or indeed offer a degree in it. Believe me, I got shafted out of a grad school I applied to for making this mistake (btw, that was SFSU's Cinema department...my own fault for not checking my facts :( ) You can even get an Associates in Computer Animation from a technical college...though, depending on what you want to DO with your degree, I wouldn't reccomend it.</p>

<p>If you want to be a CG animator and JUST do CG, there are lots of options. However, I STRONGLY urge you to go to a school that ALSO teaches the old-school 2D (and maybe even stop-motion) stuff. Just because there's been a boom in the animation business doesn't mean the stuff coming out of it is necessarily any better...I mean, I've seen some abhorent work within the last few years... <shudder></shudder></p>

<p>However, if you want to go into animation as an ART, I strongly reccomend going to CalArts in Valencia, CA. The program is extremely competitive, but it is the best animation school in the country, especially for Character Animation (you'll learn both hand-drawn 2D as well as 3D, so don't panic!). NYU Tisch also has an animation program that's extremely competitive, though Idk about their stance on the computer stuff. You may have to go to School of Continuing Studies for that. And Tisch doesn't have an MFA program for animation...I asked John Canemaker :(</p>

<p>UCLA's undergrad and grad school (especially the latter) have excellent reputations. I've heard REALLY good things about Carnagie Mellon and Ringling, but they don't concentrate so much on the 2D hand-drawn stuff. Having said that, I know for a fact that Ringling does make their first-year students do hand-drawn animation first. THIS IS A MUST FOR ANY ANIMATION STUDENT, so if you can't draw, FOR GOD'S SAKE LEARN!!! It will make your life easier, TRUST ME!!</p>

<p>I apologize for all the caps, but I don't have access to bold or italics on here ;)</p>

<p>If you want to work in special effects, there's a whole other range of schools that specialize in that. I reccomend going to <a href="http://www.awn.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.awn.com&lt;/a> and looking at both their database of schools and their forum. You'll get a MUCH better idea of what's out there than what's on here.</p>

<p>Look at reels. Lots and lots of reels. From students AND faculty of the school (the latter if you can get them...but really, who cares what the faculty can do if they can't teach their students how to do it?). Talk to students from those schools, if you can. MAKE SURE THE SCHOOL HAS WHAT YOU WANT. Be prepared to do a lot of digging...some schools that have animation will also have admissions people who don't even know they have it. You try to figure out THAT one. :p But you also want a school that has good connections, that will help you get into the industry as soon as you graduate (or pretty close after). Not that they'll hold your hand, you don't want that; any school that "guarentees" a job for you right after graduation should send up big ol' red flags. But ones that have portfolio days, and ones that often have industry reps visiting their schools are a big plus. UCLA is like that. So is CalArts...yet they also are very fierce about protecting student property, which is also a huge security sigh.</p>

<p>As for SCAD, I got accepted as an undergrad but didn't go b/c of the price tag. It was my #2 for a while, tho (after Tisch, but I got waitlisted from there and didn't end up going). The SCAD reel is impressive, but what turned me off was the scanty academics.</p>

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<p>Also, RainAgain, do you mind not ripping everyone else's heads off? I respect your opinion, but I don't appreciate your tone. I find it disrespectful. There are much more polite ways of expressing your opinion.</p>

<p>And speaking of opinions, I have just been accepted to RIT's Film/TV/Animaiton program for Graduate students (specifically for Animation). What do you know about the program's reputation, and do you know of anyone who has graduated from there? What kind of training have they received? Are they happy with their education? Also, how did you like RIT? When did you attend? How much do you think the school has changed?</p>

<p>Thanks :) And no hard feelings, really. I just hate to see grown people bicker and fight on a site made for their children ;) Or anywhere, really.</p>

<p>Oh yeah, Sonic2, I forgot to mention RIT's animation program :p</p>

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<p>I apologize, your name is "RainingAgain". It's hard to see anything in this silly little box :p lol</p>