Dilemma in choosing the right school

[mitz711]

Hey guys,

I’m kinda stuck in a little dilemma.

I’m currently living in Singapore with a diploma in business informatics, which had 1 animation module. After experiencing that, I realized it was animation that i really wanted to pursue and ultimiately become a top-class animator.

For the past year and a half, i’ve been leaning Maya on my own and other softwares for animation, and found out alot of about various schools to attend, but i’m still confused on which i should choose.

What im asking for is for a little advice on certain schools and where to apply to at least be able to produce to top quality demo reel to showcase to land that dream studio job.

I’ve been looking at Animation Mentor very strongly and after reading reviews and seeing what type of work they produce, I feel like applying there. But is it really enough? Or will a physical environment like a proper university in the USA or even Australia give me a better education?

I know that’s a broad question, but if you guys could list out a few good schools to apply to and the reasons that would be great! Thanks in advance!

[sinbad]

I’ve been through AM (many moons ago it must be said), and would say if you want to be an animator then you can’t really get any better in terms of sheer focus of animation if thats your thing. The mentors push you very hard and are fantastic practitioners, though as a caveat I would say there are drawbacks to experiencing a virtual course versus a physical education. An ideal marriage would be AM and traditional arts degree, the latter of which would serve to furnish broader skills. With AM you may sometimes feel a little alone with your laptop despite the claims of a “community” feel, fundamentally you are alone and talking to a camera, and typing into a forum. Having said that, my mentors did genuinely care and were the best, so thats what you are paying for - their precious insights and nuggets, gold in itself. Its just that sometimes looking at, and talking to a real person in the flesh feels more natural. Horses for courses perhaps. Also AM, I did feel were rather US centric with all the BBQ’s, graduations and events happening there out of reach of Europeans (and Asians) who couldn’t afford to fly over. I have no regrets and feel one hour of Sergio Pablos, Victor Navone, or Jason Schleiffer was worth my whole degree.

I cant speak for any of the physical courses in your area, so good luck with your decision.

[mitz711]

I’ve been through AM (many moons ago it must be said), and would say if you want to be an animator then you can’t really get any better in terms of sheer focus of animation if thats your thing. The mentors push you very hard and are fantastic practitioners, though as a caveat I would say there are drawbacks to experiencing a virtual course versus a physical education. An ideal marriage would be AM and traditional arts degree, the latter of which would serve to furnish broader skills. With AM you may sometimes feel a little alone with your laptop despite the claims of a “community” feel, fundamentally you are alone and talking to a camera, and typing into a forum. Having said that, my mentors did genuinely care and were the best, so thats what you are paying for - their precious insights and nuggets, gold in itself. Its just that sometimes looking at, and talking to a real person in the flesh feels more natural. Horses for courses perhaps. Also AM, I did feel were rather US centric with all the BBQ’s, graduations and events happening there out of reach of Europeans (and Asians) who couldn’t afford to fly over. I have no regrets and feel one hour of Sergio Pablos, Victor Navone, or Jason Schleiffer was worth my whole degree.

I cant speak for any of the physical courses in your area, so good luck with your decision.

Thanks for the reply sinbad!

Gave me a clearer view as to what to choose. I’ve always been a fan of AM, and I generally love how the students learn from their mentors there, but i’ve always had that doubt of whether a proper degree education was the way to go.

I could probably survive in an “alone” environment in my room staring at my comp screen and doing the work, but attending a school with a classroom full of others just makes the feel of learning so much more different and fun. I guess the real dilemma is what is the best way to study, and get the best out of yourself in the process.

P.S. if i may ask, was it easy to find a job after attending AM? or did you need to do more besides just AM to apply to top-class animation studios?

Once again thanks for your response!

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