Dococom

A really good teacher is a rare find. Too often a really good teacher will not teach because the institution and its structure are not conducive to good quality training. There is an old adage that those who cannot do the job, end up being teachers. Actually it can be the reverse. Why should anyone put themselves into a situation where they can be the target of criticism, vulnerability to scandal and sometimes even have to justify themselves to the parents of their students? This leaves a real learning gap for students. If students cannot find a good teacher or mentor, they are forced to try to learn on their own.

On the other hand, there are some very special people out there who are not only willing to handle the stresses of academia, but fiercely value and nurture the next generation of animators and visual artists. When you are looking for an animation school, ask the previous students about their instructors and look for the following descriptive qualities of the staff:

Credentials, Portfolios and Awards: I guess if a person is going to teach at an animation college, they should have some sort of accreditation or certification. This being said, recognition can come in other forms such as portfolios or awards. In my opinion, an instructor should have a combination of two out of three of these things. I graduated from the Sheridan College International Classical Animation program so it is my belief that if a teacher has gone through an academic system, they are more likely to know how to get the students through the system. Portfolios of instructors display a body of work and can give the student an idea of what they should include in their portfolios. Awards are nice however they do not pay the rent. Festival attendance and participation should be considered as a marketing strategy and awards should be viewed as simply a byproduct or bonus. Often they are the luck of the draw, dependent on the number of other entries and what the judges were feeling that week. That being said, great work hits a chord in most people and more often than not it is rewarded.

Technical Skills: This goes back to the portfolio or having a body of work. A student should be inspired by the quality of the instructors work. The instructor should have a mastery of most of the skills required to produce animation. Sometimes an instructor will have a specialty in a few areas. The student should learn everything that they can from these specialists. It may help the student to decide what areas they themselves wish to pursue.

Experience: There are many kinds of experience. I feel that if an instructor has had experience in a number of positions within the animation business, they will be able to help guide a student toward the field of the business that feeds the passion of that student. The experience of a teacher can also help the student avoid some of the industry pitfalls and entertainment predators.

Enthusiasm: An instructor has to love animation and even more important, has to love to teach animation. It does seem a bit like a cliché but really if a teacher does not love the medium or business of animation, they should not be teaching it.

Discipline: This is something that is taught by example and is associated with passion. If an instructor is undisciplined and too laid back, the students follow the example. If an instructor is passionate about what they are teaching, the discipline and focus follows naturally. The fire and desire to create really good works means that the attitude and discipline to practice the art will be ignited in the students.

Ego: When an instructor actually believes that they are the focal point of adoration of their students and live for that narcotic so much so that they control the artistic and scholastic development of those students, they must be removed from the system as quickly as possible. The instructor must never make the artistic development of a student as a personal competition between themselves and the student. As well, the instructor (and school) must never use the student as a prize or showpiece of their academic program. The risk of pressure on the student ego and potential for future career damage cannot be measured.

A great instructor has enough confidence in themselves so that they can engage in creative discussion and exploration that pushes the student to discover their talents and develop those talents to greater levels. Such an instructor also teaches those values and the pitfalls of ego to the student so that they will be able to deal with other creative individuals in a positive and beneficial way.

A Sense of History: An instructor should be able to relate the past history to the students. Understanding the roots of the art helps students to ride the waves of feast and famine in the animation business. As many of the more seasoned animators know, the media machine is a fickle beast. There are years where most commercials and films are live action and then other times when animation, graphics, special effects are the flavor of the decade. It is important that teachers prepare their animation and graphic arts students for those peaks and valleys.

Open to New Ideas: If the instructor understands the history of the animation industry and the art form, they are more inclined to understand and support new ideas and the continuing need for innovation. Innovation is one of those things that we are all told that consumers want but consumers are actually reluctant to really embrace it until they are told that they can embrace it.

Innovation means being open to using traditional and nontraditional techniques and technologies and to be able to blend these ideas. A great teacher will help the student to develop those new ideas and push the creative boundaries without threatening the audience or decision makers, or getting locked out of the industry and possible future employment.

Conclusion: Such instructors are out there. I know I had some really great mentors and cherish the time and discussions I had with them. They impacted my world in many ways over the years. The best instructors often never admit that they are that good. Learn everything you can from them. Show them the respect they deserve. One day you will pass the torch to the next generation.

We sure hear a lot of complaints about how hard it is to break into the 3-D animation business and Hollywood. Many in the US are complaining that most of the jobs are now going to India, and whereas, it is true that the Indian animation entertainment sector and electronic arts industry is growing by leaps and bounds, we must also realize that there are many more animation films every year than there ever have been in the past.

We should also realize that Disney, Pixar, and DreamWorks are each putting out a couple of animation films a month, usually they might be able to do one, two, or maybe on a blue moon three in the same year. It should also be noted that television is using much more animation than they have in the past, and not just for kids programs and cartoons anymore. Worldwide, we are watching more animation films, and cartoons, so the reality is the entire industry is moving upward and more jobs are needed.

Of course, the computer technology and software is also getting much better and a good computer operator is able to do what 100 animators used to be able to do in a week’s time. So whereas, there are more animation films, it can be said there is a need for less people. And more folks with creative ability + excellent computer skills in manipulating and designing on 3D software.

Still, we need people, lots of them to do animation, and this is why so much work is going to where jobs are the cheapest in India. Nevertheless, there are jobs in the United States in animation related industry subsectors, such as 3-D animation for presentations of new inventions, innovations, concepts, or products. There is also a huge need for things like 3-D animation to help companies and corporations improve their distribution supply chain flows in their factories and warehouses.

Before, anyone gives up on their dream to have a job in animation, they should look at these ancillary industries as well. From there they just might be able to get the experience they need to break into the more glamorous, and “sometimes” higher-paying animation entertainment industry