Master of Arts [M.A] [Animation and Visual Effects] From Academy of Art University

Graduate students will meet the following student performance criteria:

2D Animation & Stop Motion - Traditional Animation

• Demonstrate strong drawing skills and facility with anatomy, proportion, figure, animals, perspective, color and design, and composition
• Develop visual stories that support comedic or dramatic situations
• Stage stories through effective camera placement choices
• Draw convincing characters, layouts, storyboards, and animatics
• Apply the principles of animation to create animated movement and performances
• Technical Skills - Demonstrate facility with animation technology and software
• Presentation Skills - Clearly discuss work and workflow process with a review committee, using industry terminology
• Presentation Skills - Create visually compelling, professional quality presentation materials
• Professional Readiness - Produce a cohesive portfolio or demo reel tailored to reflect career goals

3D Animation

• Apply the major principles of animation
• Create pieces that showcase expression and emotion
• Stage stories through effective camera placement choices
• Technical Skills - Demonstrate facility with animation technology and software
• Presentation Skills - Create visually compelling, professional quality presentation materials
• Preproduction Skills (Project Development) - Execute projects that demonstrate attention to: research, analytical thinking, detail, flexibility in problem solving, and revision
• Professional Readiness - Produce a cohesive portfolio or demo reel tailored to reflect career goals
• Professional Readiness - Document project workflow

3D Modeling - Modeling

• Convincingly model forms in 3-dimensions that demonstrate a thorough understanding of anatomy and sculptural form
• Display a range of modeling skill sets including hard surfaces and organic
• Create textures that will be applied to the surface of models
• Produce industry-standard turnarounds and wireframes
• Technical Skills - Demonstrate facility with animation technology and software
• Professional Readiness - Produce a cohesive portfolio/demo reel reflecting career goals

Visual Effects

• Design digital effects that meet the needs of the imagery
• Create believable images by combining elements from different sources
• Compose shots for narrative power
• Technical Skills - Demonstrate facility with animation technology and software
• Presentation Skills - Clearly discuss work and workflow process, using industry terminology
• Preproduction Skills (Project Development) - Execute projects that demonstrate attention to: research, analytical thinking, detail, flexibility in problem solving, and revision
• Collaboration - Collaborate effectively to produce creative projects
• Professional Readiness - Produce a cohesive portfolio or demo reel tailored to reflect career goals
• Professional Readiness - Demonstrate accountability for planning complex projects, prioritizing tasks and meeting project milestones
• Professional Readiness - Document project workflow