If so, consider enrolling in animation courses that not only provide foundational knowledge but also the in-demand skills used by professional animators that will allow you to start working in animation as quickly as possible. This article will explore some of the options you have available to you as you work towards becoming an Animator and how the different types of courses can benefit your animation goals.
Immersive Bootcamps
If spending two to six years and up to hundreds of thousands of dollars to earn a college degree in animation doesn’t excite you, you should take a look at immersive bootcamps. Bootcamps that focus on animation techniques, theory, and practical skills can help you gain the in-demand skills that professional animators implement daily in their work. They often cost a fraction of what degree programs cost, and they are significantly less of a time investment too, with full-time animation bootcamps spanning several weeks and part-time bootcamps spanning several months. An animation bootcamp covers animation software like After Effects and Premiere Pro, animation theory and techniques, and assists you in building a demo reel and preparing for your job search. An immersive and in-depth bootcamp is designed to help you gain the skills and knowledge you need to secure an entry-level job in animation quickly while also giving you a strong foundation for more advanced training in the future.
It’s also important to evaluate the support services potential training facilities will offer you during and after the bootcamp. With so much of your time being spent on learning, you don’t want to neglect after-care. You want to be able to find employment after you’ve completed the bootcamp, and well-rounded career services are going to be key in moving beyond the bootcamp and into the start of a fulfilling career in animation. The majority of bootcamps focus on using real-world projects and practical skills to facilitate career-focused training that helps students create and refine a demo reel. In addition to an in-depth and career-focused curriculum, you will also want to look for mentoring outside of class times, mock interviews, guest speakers, networking events, and job fairs. All of these post-bootcamp services can make a huge difference in how quickly you land your first animation job. You can also look for bootcamps that offer job guarantees, internship opportunities, and other job placement support as you research which bootcamp is best for you.
An immersive bootcamp is widely considered to be the most accessible way to prepare for and gain entry into a career in animation because of its career-focused nature. Learning how to find employment and how to be successful in their careers is a key component of a bootcamp that’s worth its salt. However, you’ll need to spend a good deal of time outside of class to learn some of the subtleties that are briefly touched upon, like history and theory, to round out your education and make you a more versatile hiring candidate. You can do this by leveraging free online resources and inexpensive on-demand courses.
Smaller Shorter Classes
The alternative to the more intense and immersive bootcamps is smaller, shorter classes that slow down the pace of learning and help students better manage their busy schedules. If you find that you don’t have the budget or time to attend a career-focused and in-depth bootcamp that is composed of several courses, you can take the courses individually at your own pace. While this can be better suited for your budget and allow you to spend more time digesting and practicing what you’re learning, it does have its drawbacks. Although individual classes pose a lesser upfront cost than an immersive bootcamp, they tend to cost more overall. That’s because when bootcamps bundle together individual courses, they often discount the cost of learning. Taking courses individually also means that it will take longer for you to enter the workforce and potentially fewer support or career services.
Advanced Animation Application Courses
If you’re serious about becoming a professional Animator, you will need further instruction with advanced techniques and applications courses. Building on a solid foundation is a key part of growing as an aspiring animation professional. Knowing your way around various software applications like Adobe Character Animator, Animate, and Autodesk Maya will allow you to create better animations that are more refined and polished to meet the needs of any project. It’s important not to take on too much at one time. Although you’ll need to be proficient in multiple software applications, start learning one at a time for better results in mastering them. Start with the most common animation software, but if your employer or dream employer uses something different you may want to start there.
Complementary Animation Applications
If you’re going to be a professional Animator, you’ll need to be proficient in more than just common animation applications like the Adobe Creative Cloud and Cinema 4D. There are adjacent skills and tools you also need to have in your professional toolkit like graphic design. Its principles and design theory can be readily applied to a wide range of animation projects to enhance and refine them, while common graphic design applications like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator give you more range as a professional. Likewise, knowledge of basic video editing applications like Premiere Pro will also provide you with more professional and creative depth. It should be noted that when you are a freelancer or working for a smaller company, you will likely wear many hats and have a greater need to learn several complementary animation applications to fulfill your job expectations. Luckily, most immersive training programs teach multiple applications to give you a more well-rounded education that is useful when you become a working professional.
Animation Principles
Animation is both a creative art and a technical art, so developing your animation style and aesthetic is just as important as developing your technical mastery. The more you learn technically, the more capable you are in developing your niche style. You’ll need to learn the 12 principles of animation to know when to follow the rules and how to break them effectively. Implementing things like timing, exaggeration, and solid drawing are going to be key components of creating your animations. Animation principles are helpful whether you’re interested in 3D, traditional, vector, or stop motion animation or motion graphics. While some courses focus solely on animation principles, you’ll also find them embedded in more practical animation courses. If you are interested in centering animation principles, your best option is likely going to be an on-demand course.
Demo Reel Development and Professional Training
Lastly, you must have a refined and polished demo reel to showcase your skill and creativity. It’s just as important to have some coaching when it comes to the job search, application, and interview process as it is with your demo reel. It may be advantageous to enroll in a course that is centered around developing an outstanding demo reel that will get you noticed and better prepare you for entering the workforce. Another key part of your professional training should include learning how to work in a collaborative environment. Animation is often a collaboration that includes animators, artists, video editors, producers, and writers. Knowing how to navigate the workflow with so many collaborators is an invaluable skill.
Learn Animation Skills with Noble Desktop
If you’re interested in establishing a career in animation, consider this Motion Graphics Certificate program. This animation class helps students learn video editing, animating motion graphics, and creating visual and special effects while simultaneously helping students develop a professional demo reel using Cinema 4D, After Effects, and Premiere Pro. It’s a beginner-friendly, 96-hour, project-based course with no prerequisites. If you’re comfortable using a computer, Noble Desktop can help you enter the animation workforce in as little as two months. You’ll also have 1-on-1 mentoring and the option to retake the course for free.
In this Video Editing & Motion Graphics Certificate course, you’ll learn video editing principles, how to work with animations, and advanced After Effects and Premiere Pro techniques in several weeks. This 126-hour certificate program covers animation and motion graphics concepts, best practices and workflows, how to animate text using After Effects, and how to create 3D models and animations with Cinema 4D Lite. You will also receive a bonus lesson in either AI for Video & Motion Graphics or Adobe Photoshop Bootcamp when you enroll in this program. Noble Desktop recommends that you have experience with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, but experience is not required to enroll. This is an in-person or live online beginner-friendly course that allows students one free retake and 1-on-1 mentoring sessions outside of class to give you the best chances of success as you pursue animation professionally.
If you would prefer a less intense class that covers the basics, some intermediate, and a few advanced concepts, consider After Effects Bootcamp. You’ll learn how to create animated motion graphics using professional techniques in just a few days. You’ll start with the basics like animating position and move into animating Illustrator files, motion tracking, and green screen removal. This beginner-friendly, 18-hour, live, project-based bootcamp will teach you how to create dynamic transitions, add audio to animations, and incorporate video footage. Students can take advantage of a free class retake, class recordings, and a 1-on-1 mentoring session. If you only need to learn After Effects basics quickly, After Effects in a Day may be a better fit for you.
Have you mastered Adobe After Effects and want to improve your animations with Cinema 4D? Cinema 4D in After Effects Bootcamp will help you enhance your animation skills and expand your creative vision. In just days, you’ll learn how to integrate Cinema 4D Lite with After Effects to animate 3D models and motion graphics. After completing this 18-hour, live, project-based bootcamp, you’ll have learned the skills to create and work with 3D models, assign textures, create animations, and use the Cineware effect for a beautiful integration. Students can view recorded class sessions to reinforce their understanding and can retake the course once within a year if needed.