Animation Foundation: how is the year structured?
The Animation Foundation generally takes place over an academic year.
Throughout this intensive training, students must demonstrate significant motivation and commitment in order to develop sufficient artistic skills to be accepted at the major animation school of their choice.
Michaël Bataille, animation techniques teacher, takes us through the Animation Foundation course at Atelier de Sèvres.
First part of the year: learning the basics
Once you have completed the Animation Foundation interviews, you will join Atelier de Sèvres for a full academic year. As artistic knowledge and advanced skills are not required to join this course, the first part of the year is dedicated to acquiring the theoretical and technical fundamentals in drawing and animation.
At Atelier de Sèvres, from September to mid-December, students on the Animation Foundation course have the opportunity to develop theoretical and empirical knowledge of various disciplines related to Animation.
To start with, life drawing and observational drawing classes take place to give students all the tools they need for the practice of animation. The learning of anatomy, movement and the representation of the body in space is an absolutely pivotal step for Animation Foundation students at Atelier de Sèvres.
Second part of the year: intensive practice and portfolio creation
Once Animation Foundation students have a good command of the basics of drawing and have developed their knowledge, they can begin to practice animation techniques such as storyboarding, narration and even 2-D animation techniques, for example.
In order to train for the entrance exams for the major schools, students at Atelier de Sèvres must also create a portfolio with the support of an Animation Foundation teacher.
This period, from mid-December to the end of February, is particularly intensive as students on the Animation Foundation are required to be fully involved during classes and must also develop their art practice regularly outside of the hours at Atelier de Sèvres. Going to exhibitions, visiting museums and discussing what you read are also good ways to develop your creativity and broaden your horizons.
How the Animation Foundation year is structured at Atelier de Sèvres
Third part of the year: preparing for the competitive exams and finalising portfolios
Starting in March, Animation Foundation students begin mock exams (written and oral) in exam conditions (presence of an examination panel). At Atelier de Sèvres, we believe that it is essential that our students have the opportunity to understand the reality of the competitive exams prior to the real thing.
This period also allows the foundation students to finalise their portfolios.
"The first few months are dedicated to animation techniques that do not require an advanced level of drawing. It is both enjoyable and formative. We focus on movement, rhythm and different animation techniques. In the second part, thanks to life drawing, character design and perspective classes, animation foundation students begin to have a sufficient level to start creating ‘classic’ 2-D animations that require a good grasp of volume and space. At the same time, we prepare for the competitive exams with posing tests, character placement in a set, and we prepare the portfolio." —Michaël Bataille
Throughout the year, these courses and practical workshops are complemented by workshops and conferences led by Animation professionals. Each year, Atelier de Sèvres is lucky enough to welcome great talents such as Enki Bilal, Edouard Adam and Steven Cohen.
If you are interested in studying on the Animation Foundation course at Atelier de Sèvres, come and visit us during our open days or call us directly.
