Animation Foundation: what are the options available?
If you want to study on an animation foundation course, it is probably because you are interested in a future career in the animation industry.
But do you really know all the possible options available? Whether you have made a decision when you enter the foundation class or not, it is important to look at the different options that will be available during and after the Animation Foundation. Catherine Totems, narrative teacher and coordinator of the intermedia animation foundation and the animation degree course, explains in more detail.
Overview of Animation professions
The professions that you will be able to aim for after the Animation Foundation and the school of your choice are numerous. At Atelier de Sèvres, we encourage you to experiment in various disciplines before deciding which direction to take. But this requires you to be aware of the different options available:
▶ 3-D Animator: their role is to put characters in motion using different animation techniques (2-D, 3-D, volume: modeling clay, etc.);
▶ Project Manager;
▶ Artistic Director;
▶ Game Designer: their role is to define the concept, the mechanics and management of a video game;
▶ Layout Artist: their role is to deliver the storyboard when a project with high creative potential begins;
▶ Director;
▶ Storyboarder: they visualise a story through a sequence of images that correspond to frame-by-frame cuts. This job requires in-depth knowledge of all aspects of animation professions.
This list is non-exhaustive and you should always find out more about the Animation Foundation you want to join, about the options it offers and equally about the school in which you will undertake your training.
At Atelier de Sèvres, the options offered on the Animation Foundation are numerous and thorough, offering you the opportunity to evolve in the discipline of your choice. The creation of your portfolio, produced with the help of a teacher, will allow you to become more familiar with a specialism.
The different classes on the Animation Foundation at Atelier de Sèvres
The teaching programme for the Animation Foundation at Atelier de Sèvres has been proven for many years with a remarkable success rate. The reason our students have a great chance of passing the entrance exams for the top Animation Schools is thanks to the breadth of our teaching and the different options offered to our students.
During the Animation Foundation at Atelier de Sèvres, "learning is based on classes that are, on one hand, in drawing (life drawing, observational drawing and perspective) and, on the other hand, related to animation (storyboard-character animation-design-technique), history and animation classes, as well as computer graphics and storytelling classes." —Catherine Totems
Animation Foundation students also have the opportunity to meet Animation professionals throughout the year at Atelier de Sèvres in the context of conferences and workshops.
"The teachers and speakers on the Animation Foundation are all industry professionals who work in the biggest studios and know the stakes of the job. Due to Atelier de Sèvres’ history and reputation, there are former students who studied on the foundation year who are now working on magnificent projects in France and abroad." —Joël, Atelier de Sèvres Animation Foundation alumnus
Take time to choose the Animation school you would like to join
Finally, the most important stage of your academic career will probably be your choice of animation school. Be aware that not all schools offer the same courses or, therefore, the same specialisms.
Most schools even offer several courses, such as Gobelins, which offers the coveted Animated Designer and Director course, but also a one-year course in 3-D character animation, as well as a vocational degree. So make sure you do your research!
Atelier de Sèvres offers an Animation Foundation, which lives up to the standard of the major schools in which you will be able to flourish and decide your future options in the world of Animation.
