Advice for an Aspiring Animator

[Chrono212]

I sit here, on the edge of madness, after trying all day to comprehend the infernal UCAS website trying to find courses on animation. 
Fortunately there is no end to them. Unfortunately there is no end to them.  

As this is The Escapist, I have the impression that there are at least a few creative types out there who may know a thing or two about the specifically British animation scene. 
Good universities, good courses and a like. Things to look out for in courses, both in a good a bad way. Places with good teachers, facilities, contacts etc. 

"But OP!" I hear you cry "why no love for North America?" Well there's a reason for that. 
I happen to be a very lucky individual with British and US citizenship. 
Which leads onto my second request for the same type of information, but for animation related Colleges in the US and Canada. 

Unfortunately, I'm coming from a position of not having a portfolio, which means I'm looking at places that will not require a portfolio as an entry requirement. 
Another misfortune of mine are my grades:

Spoiler: They're not great...

History A2-Level - B
Design and Technology A2-Level - B
Maths A2-Level - E

Now that you've got over the shock of that, I'm planning on retaking some history modules to bump it up to A while also taking another A2-Level (possibly English and English Literature as a combined subject) in a crammer. 
I've left school (age 19) and am also currently "between jobs" awaiting the start of a cooking training course.
I will be aiming to start further education in September 2012. 

TL;DR
Names of Universities/Colleges with prestigious animation courses and departments in the UK (or elsewhere, but more in the UK please).   

Oh, and I'd really, really like to do a post-graduate degree at CalArts one day...

Thanks in advance for any help offered!

 

[Lilani]

If you're looking to do character animation, you may want to look into animationmentor.com. It's an online animation school run by people who have/are currently working for animation studios. I actually plan on doing it as a post-graduate program, being a junior-year animation student myself

Also, as a student, you can get access to Maya, 3D Studio Max, and all of the other Autodesk programs for three whole years for free. Go to Autodesk.com and sign up for their Education Community (I'll put the link below). It's totally free, and all you have to put in is your name, your school name, where you live, and your graduating year. No financial information required. You'll then be able to download any and all of their programs (you'll have a choice of versions 2010, 2011, or 2012). When you download the program, you'll get a product key and serial number that will last you for three years. I got them recently to get practice outside of class and build my portfolio (since all we learn at my school is Lightwave...).

And yes, they are the FULL versions. It will definitely help you if you already have some experience with 3D animation programs, but there are lots of online tutorials and guides to help you figure things out.

Well, hope that helps you out! If you have any other questions or just want to chat feel free to PM me~

Oh, and here's that link to Autodesk.

http://students.autodesk.com/

 

[McMullen]

You will need a portfolio. I do mostly illustration with some animation, and for textbooks rather than high-profile studios, but it has been my experience that if you have the best portfolio, you get the job, no matter what your education is (and most times they don't even ask about the education).

I have no official credentials in graphics; I took two Photoshop classes and a 3D animation class for Bryce, which is to a real animation program what MS Paint is to Photoshop. The classes introduced me to some key concepts, basic tools, and techniques, but the real value was in going into the media lab every day and spending several hours just making stuff for my own amusement, and thus learning how to make the software do whatever I wanted in any situation. My first actual job in graphics allowed me to live off of it long enough to figure out how to illustrate at a professional level.

Experience, not education, is what counts and your portfolio will demonstrate your experience in ways that your credentials cannot. For major studios, they will probably want you to have some sort of official credentials from a prestigious school. Big companies are funny that way. Still, more important is your portfolio and the software you can use. Know how to use Photoshop, Maya, 3DS Max, Flash, Illustrator, and probably Zbrush, or whatever else is the Big Thing currently, and have a good portfolio, and that will demonstrate your ability to most employers.

Also, while in school, you need to live in the media lab, or constantly be working on your own machine at home if you have one. The media lab is better because of the opportunities for collaboration and the sharing of advice though. My friends started asking me if I actually went home at night, because I was in there before they showed up in the morning and stayed after they left at night. It takes a huge investment of time. It helped that, at the time, it was my favorite thing in the world to do. Challenge yourself to do whatever you think is impossible at the moment, make it into something good, and KEEP IT!!! Make multiple backups because you will lose some of your files, and it really sucks when the only copy of one of your favorite pieces is among them.

Try to get into unofficial, friendly competition with some of your classmates in terms of pulling off things that neither of you have ever tried before or know how to do. You'll learn some valuable tricks that will serve you well later on. When you succeed in these competitions, keep your ego in check or you may piss them off.

As time goes on you may notice that last year's best work is now what you'd only barely accept from yourself, the best work from the year before that seems unsatisfactory and amateurish, and the best from the year before that is something you no longer show anybody and pretend doesn't exist. Anything before that will make you wonder why the client ever hired you to make it, and why he/she didn't fire you the first day. No matter how good you are, or how long you've been producing art, you'll always improve dramatically as long as you keep at it.

If you ever find yourself unemployed, DO NOT STOP PRODUCING ART!!! Losing momentum is a bigger danger to your career than anything else. As long as you're making art, your portfolio and skills are improving, and you look better in the eyes of potential clients or employers.

Good luck, and happy animating!