FOUR-WEEK
3D ANIMATION

FOUR-WEEK 3D ANIMATION PROGRAM

In response to the rise in popularity of the medium and the incredible expansion of venues for showcasing the art, the New York Film Academy has designed a hands-on intensive Four-Week 3-D Computer Animation Workshop. This workshop is designed for individuals who want to learn the basics of a high-end 3-D computer program without having to enroll as a full-time year-round student.
Students in the 3-D Computer Animation workshops will write, animate, direct and edit their own computer animated short films. Our animation programs do not require drawing ability. Animation students at the Academy will be able to create 3-D characters and environments along the lines of “Shrek.”

STUDENTS

Held two times a year in New York City and two times during the summer at our Harvard University location, the Animation program will attract creative students from various backgrounds who have imagination and the fortitude to immerse themselves in an intensive animation experience for four weeks. A love of animation and the ability to work very hard are better predictors for success than technical skills alone. A studio arts background is not necessary for successfully creating 3-D computer animated films. Please try to arrive with some story or film ideas clearly formulated in your mind or set down on storyboards.

PREPARATION

The workshop is designed for students with little or no experience in animation. By the end of the workshop each student will have designed, animated, and completed her or his own personal 3-D computer animated short film.

FORMAT

This is a labor and time intensive medium, so students should be prepared to work long hours. How far students take this opportunity depends on the strength of their animation ideas and their willingness to put in the necessary hours to fully realize their goals.
Our previous Animation Workshops have been among our most successful programs. The quality of student work has consistently been praised, and students themselves applaud the level of intensity and enjoyment involved in learning.
Students have gone on to win prizes at festivals for animated films created at the New York Film Academy.
In the Film Academy 3-D Computer Animation Workshops, classes are held every day during the week. Students will also learn concepts of story writing, directing, cinematography, and editing as they apply to animation. The bulk of students’ time outside of class is spent in supervised labs, where they put into practice what they have learned during lectures. Lab time will be used to complete and to expand upon assignments, as well as to work on their final animated films. The students final films will be output digitally and projected at celebratory screening.
This course will teach students the principles of animation (movement, timing, weight, character development, etc.) using Maya—the industry standard high-end 3-D computer program. Students will progress through basic modeling, motion and rendering exercises en route to the completion of a short 3-D computer animated film (with sound) of their own design by the end of the course.

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