Animation Mentor, anyone done it / currently doing it / going to do it?
Hey all!
So I've spoken to a couple of PC members over PM about this and got some great feedback, but just wanted to put it out there to get some more thoughts/opinions.
I've just applied to Animation Mentor. Something I've been considering for some time, and I figured I'm at a point in my life where it's possible, and probably sensible to do it now rather than later. I know there's the age old debate about 'teach yourself' etc etc, but that's what I have done. Up until this point I've been completely self taught, and I really think some face to face interaction with a scheduled workload might help me take things up a notch. I also like the idea of potentially being able to consider different career opportunities later on in film/tv/games rather than just games.
Despite the criticisms of Universities etc, I've actually seen some great success stories of people I know who've been through a couple Uni programmes and if I wasn't in full time employment and renting a house, I'd probably go back and study full time. It's just not feasible, and Animation Mentor seems like a good alternative. I also did my degree on a distance learning course so I'm used to working on assignments in my own time.
So anyone got any first hand experience with it? Planning to do it? If I get accepted then I'll be starting in June. Really excited.
One thing I'm keen to find out is if there's much I should be doing in preparation. I've been using Maya for years so that technicality isn't an issue. I've read all the usual suspects 'Drawn to Life/Illusion of Life' and I just picked up The Animators Survival Kit which is very awesome.
So I've spoken to a couple of PC members over PM about this and got some great feedback, but just wanted to put it out there to get some more thoughts/opinions.
I've just applied to Animation Mentor. Something I've been considering for some time, and I figured I'm at a point in my life where it's possible, and probably sensible to do it now rather than later. I know there's the age old debate about 'teach yourself' etc etc, but that's what I have done. Up until this point I've been completely self taught, and I really think some face to face interaction with a scheduled workload might help me take things up a notch. I also like the idea of potentially being able to consider different career opportunities later on in film/tv/games rather than just games.
Despite the criticisms of Universities etc, I've actually seen some great success stories of people I know who've been through a couple Uni programmes and if I wasn't in full time employment and renting a house, I'd probably go back and study full time. It's just not feasible, and Animation Mentor seems like a good alternative. I also did my degree on a distance learning course so I'm used to working on assignments in my own time.
So anyone got any first hand experience with it? Planning to do it? If I get accepted then I'll be starting in June. Really excited.
One thing I'm keen to find out is if there's much I should be doing in preparation. I've been using Maya for years so that technicality isn't an issue. I've read all the usual suspects 'Drawn to Life/Illusion of Life' and I just picked up The Animators Survival Kit which is very awesome.
Replies
I heard this program is better, but I'll be damned if I can find the blog post that outlined why (by a guy who started with AM but quit to do ianimate).
Yeah I found the blog post I think your were talking about. iAnimate is a lot newer right? AM seems to have a better rep overall (again could just be because IAnimate is newer.
In any case, I can only get student funding for Animation Mentor since here in the UK it's approved as an authorised education centre by the Government, whereas IAnimate isn't.
EDIT:
I'm guessing this is the post:
http://rastkos.blogspot.com/2010/12/ianimate-and-animationmentor-comparison.html
Having read it through, I'm not convinced. It sounds a lot to me like the guy either didn't really attend AM, or he failed a class or dropped out. It seems a little wild to drop an Animation Mentor program just to go study a similar class which has only just opened and has no reputation yet. Some of his comparisons are a bit odd to, he lists things as benefits when they're not really.
I'm currently an AM student right now, and let me tell you..its one of the best decisions I've ever made. I think the thing that people get confused about is the fact that since its an online school..100% of the effort is on you. If you don't do the work, and fail...thats on you. I've had many friends that started with me that I'm sad to say aren't here anymore. I have a few that started before me that have gone on to do amazing work. Its all about you as an individual. The community, the teachers and lessons are all fantastic though man...you definitely can't lose in a school like this unless you allow yourself to lose. Good luck to you in whatever you do, I'm sure it will be exactly what you needed. Take care!
-Menty
Yeah I'm ready to really get into this. As I said, I did a degree with an online school last year so I'm used to the extra effort required, as well as knowing that you get back what you put in with these type of courses.
Out of interest, do you know how long the application process takes, I've done the aptitude test, just waiting to hear from them now.
Yeah the Alumni seems somewhat impressive to say the least.
What I'm really looking forward to is communicating with the mentors who apparently are currently working at the likes of Dreamworks, Pixar, ILM, BlueSky etc. Seems too good to be true to be able to get instruction/feedback/critique/support all from arguably the best in the biz.
I can´t say anything to ianimate, i´m sure it´s a fine place to learn animation too
I think they focus on totally the right things and at the core they are truly motivated to help people become better animators not just learn the tech, slap them with a piece of paper and point them at the nearest subway application.
I personally think its kind of foolish for any self taught person to pass up the opportunity to really dig in and learn, especially if its some pretty amazing stuff they're teaching. The way they teach it also is more geared toward helping the self taught mentality. Animation, Mentor they'll kick your ass and push you to do better but they aren't going to hand you a tutorial, put their feet up on a desk and stamp A+ on whatever you pass in.
I would consider myself self taught, I've taken a few classes here and there as I have time, mostly art at local schools and they've helped greatly. I've also bought DVDs and gone to seminars and workshops. Self Taught is more about structuring your own learning than just blunt force trial and error. Of course not being scared to try and fail is a natural part of learning regardless of the path, but it really does make sense to listen to people who have something great to offer.
Now if you where thinking about going to ITT tech or a local "game art schoolz" I'd tell ya to forget it, you already have all they're going to teach ya, but with a school like AM you're getting a lot more than what other schools are providing.
The industry needs more animators who can act. Period. AM will give you that.
A AM grad shopping around for a job with just the assignments is impressive but leaves some questions. So I would take the extra time to make sure those questions get answered in your reel/portfolio. As long as you think about the tech limitations and practice with game ready rigs and all their restrictions in your off time or after you finish AM, then you're probably going to be in great shape.
Often animators show up with the technical understanding and we end up having to teach them how to act and animate. Which is like hiring a env or character artist who understands the tools but can't draw worth beans... I'd rather teach the tech in a few days rather than hope their acting or artistic skill can progress over the years.
Good luck!
Man I'm so excited, all this great info/encouragement is really inspring. I must admit I've tried searching Google for 'Animation Mentor Sucks/Crap/Useless' and there just doesn't appear to be a single bad review. And this is from people going in with previous work experience, blind novices, or people like me with a bit of self-taught knowledge and a thirst for next level development.
What you said about AM teaching the genuinely useful aspects of animation is awesome too. I know exactly what you mean about courses/schools that get students far too tied up in the tech/workflows involved and leave out entirely the important stuff. And that's exactly why I've chosen AM.
Interesting point about the game specific stuff in my reel too. I'm looking forward to that bit; taking what I've learned and putting it to use in a games workflow. As I mentioned though, I'm completely open to employment in either field whether it's film/tv or games, not only because it maximises my options, but also because I love both areas. Hopefully my degree will allow me to look into US/Canadian studios too to really widen my options.
Very exciting stuff.
Thanks again for the comments/advice!
Il be enrolling myself once I have time to do it!
Flynny - Yeah it's not cheap, but I guess it's comparable to a University course in cost, but being a distance learning course it means I can work full time alongside it. Fortunately the Government recognise AM as a registered programme so you can get student financing for it. Otherwise I would most definitiely not be able to afford it!
Geezus - Ah that's good to hear. I'm always curious as to how the tuition on some of these online schools is delivered, but it sounds like it works well which is good to know.
Thanks again
AM has grown very quickly over the past few years, tuition is expensive, and the school is undoubtedly for-profit. These are not inherently bad things, but still important to keep in mind. AM relies on selling its students a dream -- that if they go through the program and put in the work, they will succeed at a high level. Obviously this is dependent on many factors, including massive effort on the part of each individual student. But the reality of the industry is that very few people graduate and work at feature studios right away, or even years after finishing school (or ever). AM's aggressive marketing would have you believe otherwise because their business is dependent on selling that dream to increasing numbers of potential students, regardless of how many drop out in Class 1 and 2.
There are plenty of positive things associated with AM -- the quality of teaching, the experienced mentors, the eager community -- and everything else that goes along with it, such as hiring advantages (access to recruiters plus the natural familiarity that helps tip hiring decisions toward people we know personally). But it is also an institution and with that comes a certain level of rigidity. Reel after reel after reel with the same characters, the same exercises, the same choices, and the same type of motion. AM mostly abandoned their short film classes a while back, but a quick look around shows why: the vast majority of the films were gag-based and lacked good stories and characters. It is a school for animation, not creativity, with all the pluses and minuses that come with it. Students have to work extra hard to rise above and create work that sells them to studios as an individual animator, not merely as someone who attended AM.
I see your points, and I'm trying to keep that thought present in the back of my mind that ultimately, they are a business, and that I need to actually make the most of what they are giving me rather than expecting the 'dream handed on a plate' so to speak.
I think I'm at a point in my life though and experienced enough to really know how great this could be providing I put the effort in. I spent most of the last couple years applying for jobs at game studios with little success. And the simple reason for that lack of success is that I just hadn't worked hard enough, or put enough effort in. So I'm hoping that a huge amount of effort on my part, along with AM's teaching should be a big step in the right direction.
I also agree about the AM reels looking a little 'similar'. I'm not sure whether it's a good thing or a bad thing, I mean, I'm not an employer so I wouldn't know how they see it, but part of me thinks it wears a bit thin seeing the same rigs/characters over and over, but part of me thinks it gives a chance for the animation to really shine when it's done well. Either way, I've fortunately got enough modeling/texturing/non-animation experience to know how to knock up some alternative sets/characters should I ever need to to 'personalise' my reel.
Just got a call from them this evening to say I've been accepted onto the Summer program. Was kinda concerned since a lot of people seem to hear back in a day or two, and it's been a week or so since I applied.
I know it's not like a major application procedure but whatever, I'm excited!
(and see ya around :poly108: )
I've been toying the the possibility of joining a class myself. There always seem to be a lot more animation jobs up for grabs than anything in modelling and texturing these days. It'd mean switching to working part time I guess, and it's not cheap. Perhaps not worth it for just a "maybe it'll get me more work".
Ah really? That's good to hear, being a UK resident I was wondering whether there were any UK 'success stories'. I'm still open to a move to the US but knowing there's stuff in the UK is obviously good too.
Yeah there are a lot of animation positions out there, but I guess there's a lot of animators out there too! I saw Despicable Me last night and noticed on the credits, the modeling team was made up of 4 credited people, whereas there must've been 30 or so Animators.
That's the film industry obviously but I think that's where I'd really like to be.
Hey creationtwentytwo, I am that guy. I opened my blog for comments and questions because I wanted to allow people to challenge my arguments publicly, and to avoid any speculation, like the one here, whether I failed at AM etc. I attended AM for two semesters and I passed both of them with As. Here's a link to my progress reel at the time I left AM [ame]
Although my switch was a bit of a leap of faith as ianimate just started at the time, it was not a wild thing to do at all. The school it self didn't have any reputation but the person behind it had an immense one. Jason Ryan is very well regarded in the animation industry, both as a supervisor at DW and as a teacher. I knew a lot about him before and as soon as I heard he started ianimate I jumped on the opportunity. This is just to clear any questions about my mental soundness at the time, lol.
AM and IA are very similar in many ways but there are also some very profound differences that you can only be aware of once you've spend a little bit of time at each place. After spending another three months at IA, it is even more clear to me that the main difference is in the more personal approach and that I am exactly where I should be.
Like many have already pointed out here, if you go in with the right attitude and you are prepared to work hard, AM will do wonders for you, as would IA of course. So try to clear your mind from as many distractions as you can. All studying animators are struggling with self doubt most of the time because it is such a challenging field. We either think we're not good enough or that we are not progressing as fast as we should etc. This is a trap we all fall into. I can say try to avoid it, but it's hard not to be too judgmental about yourself, so instead just be aware of it and the fact that everyone feels like that. Most importantly be patient, it takes time, don't rush yourself. Good luck!
You have nailed it on the head!
I recently spoke with my instructor at IA and he said that he once calculated that there is probably only around 300-400 top level animators in the world. He works at DW so he obviously considers feature animation as the only pinnacle of the animation industry, which is open for a debate of course. In any case there are tens of thousands of us competing for these few spots. I wonder how many people are really aware of how much has to be put into it beyond the school alone.