Animation Mentor experience?

#21

I’m a student at iAnimate.net, which is an online training program, sort of similar to Animation Mentor but different in some key ways. I highly

i have done research on both schools and found that ianimate is smaller so you get more one on one time with the teachers. I also heard that at ianimate you can view the lectures over and over again as long as you are enrolled whereas at AM that period of time is somewhat limited. Torr, could you tell us about how you feel about ianimate? Do you feel like you will be able to create a reel that could land you a job?

#22

I don’t know if students have ever been hired at a “fantastic rate”. Inexperience costs productions time and money, there’s really no way of getting around it. AM has a number of benefits, but I know (and have worked with) a number of AM grads that have had long, winding paths into the industry, just like the rest of us.

As far as relocation expenses, it depends on the job and the company. A full-time gig with a larger studio will probably cover moving costs and maybe even temp housing, but a lot of contract gigs either require you to be local or expect that you’ll make yourself local. Junior animators have very little leverage because studios can’t expect the same level of output (in quantity or quality) as they would with more experienced animators. You have to be willing to move for work, and it isn’t a bad idea to be prepared to move even without landing work. Breaking in (and staying afloat) in this industry is not easy. Your reel matters, who you know matters, and location is important. Just try applying to all the LA contract positions on Motionographer and tell them you’re not in the area. You won’t hear back.

#23

There used to be a thread for ianimate, but I don’t know what happened to it, it may have gotten pushed back for not being posted in for a while. I really like iAnimate and I think that it is the place for me, weather or not its the place for someone else, I don’t know. I have not attended Animation Mentor, but my classmate Rastko did and he wrote a pretty extensive comparison, which can be found here if you’re interested: http://rastkos.blogspot.com/2010/12/ianimate-and-animationmentor-comparison.html

The lectures you can view repeatidly, I don’t know for how long, but definitely for the whole workshop you’re in, you can see other classes also. I have one of the links saved and it still works from the previous block. They use an adobe program for the lectures, and crits, which makes it easy to go back and watch, so long as you’re online, but not easy to download. There are some people, though, who go through and record them and put them on a private vimeo account for iAnimate students to watch/download easier. All of Jason’s weekly demos, however, are all available for download.

I feel like iAnimate has given me all the tools to make a great demo reel and succeed. Though I’m really not saying that iAnimate is better than Animation Mentor, its just different. I think all the online animation schools are ahead of traditional art colleges.

#24

Thearetical,

Married with a young kid here. Finished the program back in March. Had a full time job for 17 of the 18 months of AM.

It was hard once the kid arrived, but doable. 2-3 hours M-Th, and then a marathon session from Friday evening til whenever I get done, but still feeding/changing the baby. And I try to finish everything on Saturday so I can spend Sunday with my family. I/we pretty much had to sacrifice Friday and Saturday. Sometimes Sunday too if I have stuff to do around the house. Fortunately, my wife has been super supportive during all this, and I’m a night owl, so I work well late in the evenings after I give my son a bath and put him to bed.

Job openings come in waves. It’s hard to say how many of my classmates got jobs, because they don’t really announce that on AM. Of the handful of classmates that I became good friends with, I’d say 50% got hired within a couple of months of finishing the program. But I’m sure this will vary.

Some students got jobs before they finish the program, but the vast majority of people finish the program.

I just landed a contract job with a small studio in Texas (by choice), but I was slow to update my final reel on the AM site. I didn’t apply to the company; they got my name somehow and looked at my reel, which was not 100% complete. Once you become an alumnus, you can post your reel on the AM site where the recruiters can look through.

So for me, it’s been a challenging ride, especially classes 5-6, but one that was well worth it. And I could not have done it without my wife’s support. I realize being a mother of a young child is different from being a father, but if your husband is encouraging you to, give it a try. The first couple of classes aren’t bad at all.

#25

I will add that it is a difficult/intensive program, and you really have to be proactive to get the most out of it. No one’s going to hold your hand through it.

I probably spent 30% of my time watching other people’s work and critiquing them. This is not just so that they leave you feedbacks in return, but so that you learn from their workflow adn what their mentors (instructors) think of their work.

Best wishes!

#26

First of all I think the information posted here has been extremely helpful. I too am considering attending AM in the not to distant future. I have a couple of questions and I was hoping some of the AM alumni could help answer, or anyone else for that matter.

1.) Is Animation Mentor a good choice if my interest lies with character animation within the gaming industry?

  • Seems like the majority of individuals from AM work at or have worked at Pixar and ILM.

2.) I have no experience with Maya or any other sort of 3d Software, will this be a hinderance, or will I be able to pick up the software fairly quickly?

Thanks for your help.

#27

Not really, those are just the ones who tend to get profiled on their site :slight_smile: There’s been a ton of folks from Blue Sky, Disney, and Dreamworks as well as tons of smaller studios and a few game companies. If you have an interest in gaming you might alter the focus of what goes on your reel slightly but the education isn’t much different.

Having been in both AM and iAnimate (where I am currently), you really need to have at least a basic handle on the software before getting into the courses.

I took the AM Jumpstart course in Maya and that helped me a ton but if you were to do Digital Tutors for a month or two, lynda.com, or even dig into a really good Maya book you’d probably be ok. You don’t need an indepth understanding of the software but you need to be able to get around, set and manipulate keys, use the graph editor, playblast, and understand the relationship of the outliner and other windows to animation.

#28

Hello,

Im an animationmentor graduate from spring 2009, although the school is very good I would recomend people see it as more of a crash course for those who already have some experiance animating (professionaly or as a student)

the fact is for every strong creature/character reel I see coming from the school I see about 5 bad ones, just becouse someone graduates the course doesnt mean there work is able to hit the mark.

that said if your passionate about animation, not looking to or unable to move to a school like Goblins/Cal Arts, AnimationMentor.com is great, and the fact remains you get your worked critiqued by some of the best in the buisness.

but as stated, the school isnt a magic pill., there are alot of graduates with low level reels.

#29

fig and Elcristoph thank you very much for the information.

Elcristoph, I was just wondering, in your post you stated,

the fact is for every strong creature/character reel I see coming from the school I see about 5 bad ones, just becouse someone graduates the course doesnt mean there work is able to hit the mark.

What do you think sets individuals apart? Is it their work ethic, talent, or both? Basically, what I am wondering is if you put forth the effort, do you think anyone can graduate from animation mentor with an amazing demo reel? Or would some education previous to attending Animation Mentor, be required to get the full benefit from AM?

#30

Hey Pacucho!

I’m an Animation Mentor student and I have to agree with Elcristoph. Just because someone graduated from AnimationMentor doesn’t mean that He/She did become a good animated.

I think its a huge advantage when you already have some basic animation skills which you can easily obtain by going through some free online animation tutorials. And you definitely should be really comfortable with working in Maya or atleast take the Maya Spring Board Class at AnimationMentor before actually moving to class 1. I often see Students who are still struggling with Maya when they are in class 2 or 3 and they don’t do themself any favor, because of that they miss on important stuff they could learn at AM.

You really don’t need to be an Maya expert or already a great animator but as soon as you know that you have been accepted as a student at Animation Mentor you should start preparing yourself. AM does have an Admission Campus for the people who are accepted to the program, to meet up before their class starts, where you can already get help from other former students to develope some very basic skills.

AM is really hard work, but as long you are willing to work hard and give your best to get better you wont regret it. AM has a really great Community and awesome Mentors and Staff, who will all help you to become a great animator … you just need the passion for animation and a lot of coffee :smiley:

Cheers!
Steff

#31

Stefanie, thank you very much for your reply. I appreciate the feedback and this really helps as I try and decide what I am going to do. I have heard a lot of really great things about AM and the more I hear the more impressed I become. Thanks again for your reply! :thumbsup:

#32

you are welcome, feel free to send me a PM if you have any other questions … and definitly shoot me an AM mail if you are joining the school ^^

#33 
 I'm definitely not trying to knock AM because it really IS a fantastic program on character animation. Saying that, we've had around 6 of our students attend AM post graduation and only 1 works in the industry (another has taught part time animation at an Art Institute) currently (and it seems to be contract movie jobs and still not concrete). Several just couldn't finish and the others simply can't get hired for some reason or another. Honestly, finding work in character animation seems to be the hardest of all the components in CG art in my opinion. There are a lot of people that want to be the ones that bring the story to life and only so many jobs available. I'm definitely not trying to discourage anyone, because frankly 1 in 6 is still better percentages than most any other school by quite a bit. I just think it would be remiss to think you will go to AM and be guaranteed a full time position from doing so.
#34

You are asking two basic questions…

Is AM a good school? I think the majority would say yes. I believe the quality of their instruction and environment is superb. The same goes for iAnimate and AnimSchool. I say that with the caveat that while the quality of the instruction is great, when it comes to school you only get out what you put in.

Will I be able to get a job when I graduate? Short answer, sure. With the right connections, the willingness to move geography maybe several times, the willingness to take short term contract work, the willingness to take lower entry level pay and the assumption that you are not only top of your class, but that you take the time to put in extra post-grad work to greatly refine your demo reel.

It just a matter of supply and demand.

There are few jobs out there, there are even fewer in highly specialized industries like Animation and VFX. We all know the economy sucks. But now with the ability for anyone to now obtain the education due to the internet means more students out of a global pool, who will eventually be looking for work. Many who have no background in the field going in. Can a good school take a copier repair man and make him a production ready Pixar quality animator in 18 months. Not likely. If that repair man has untapped natural talent combined with the education and hard work, he might get an entry level job. And that’s all any AM graduate wants, a chance to prove themselves. The rest comes with practice.

My point being that the market is saturated with graduates from schools like AM, which I believe will mean as their alumni base builds their placement rate will drop. There are just not enough jobs right now.

I’m not trying to be negative, just realistic. AM is a great school. And if you’re passionate and willing to work hard you can land a gig. Don’t give up.

With that said the best thing you can do is be an artist. Draw, paint, sculpt, write. Go out and take photos, learn how a camera operates. Learn everything you can about cinema and story telling. The rest is just button pushing. Being an artist is what will truly separate you from the pack.

#35

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