Course General Description

Animation is magical – it can speak across cultural, age, gender and language barriers. Because animation uses our own imagination, its images and narratives have a unique power to move people to laughter and tears—sometimes at the same time. Animation has a long tradition in New York. Most people do not know that one of the very first animators, J. Stuart Blackton, animated drawings produced and distributed by none other than Thomas Edison. That was in 1906, years before Walt Disney began to work on Mickey Mouse. SVA has prepared young artists for the animation industry for over 40 years. Our faculty includes some of the best artists in the industry, who bring knowledge and experience in multiple disciplines straight from the studio into the classroom. Your mentors will include directors, fine artists, photographers, special-effects artists, writers, character designers, advertising specialists and power users. You will not only learn innovative drawing techniques, methods of storytelling and storyboarding, but also professional software - Photoshop, Flash, After Effects, Toon Boom, Maya (in conjunction with the Computer Arts department) and Director - in our HD digital compositing lab. You will work in our Pro Tools audio recording studio designing sound for your films, creating sound effects and mixing sound tracks. You will have access to a proprietary music library that allows you to own the music in your films. You will be immersed in hands-on experience, whether you’re studying traditional, stop-motion or computer animation.

School General Description

Welcome to New York City, SVA’s hometown, and the leader of today’s creative economy, with more than 14,000 creative businesses and nonprofits. According to the EY Global Talent in Global Cities 2015 study, New York attracts more creative talent than any other city in the world because it “enjoys a unique cultural scene, embedded in a cosmopolitan and forward-thinking urban environment.” There is no better place to study, practice and work as a creative professional. Critique is a vital and challenging part of the educational experience in a college of art and design. Participating in this practice requires students to be open and vulnerable while they present their work for discussion and questioning, and to trust the transformative powers of the process in service of the work. Through the frequent repetition of this act of openness, students and faculty share and strengthen their humanity, empathy and kinship and their work evolves.