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ANIMATION

Animation is visual storytelling in motion. Animators are able to communicate messages, feelings, and ideas through cohesive and narrative driven animated images.

The Animation program has a national reputation and graduates have excellent job placement working within their field. Students have won many prestigious awards, such as Student Academic awards and Emmys. Internships, Study Abroad programs, and field trips are a bridge to professional practice and allow students to visit animated feature film, TV, visual effects for live action film studios, and gaming studios. Animation students at BYU work on collaborative projects with other disciplines through the Center for Animation utilizing professional software and hardware to complete their projects. Students are given opportunities to develop portfolios and demo reels as they work on personal and group projects that will help prepare them for a successful career as an artist. In this major, students study Character Animation, Previsualization, Special Effects, Technical Animation, Storyboarding, 3D Modeling, Concept Art, Materials/Shading, Lighting and Compositing, and participate in either the Film Animation Capstone project or Video Game Capstone project.

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    How Do I Get Into The Major?

    STEPS:

    1. Apply and be accepted to BYU

    2. Sign up as a PRE-Animation major online through your mymap or at the advisement center - 1090 WCCB.

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    PRE-MAJOR

    DESAN 101

    3. This is the first step towards your Animation BFA. Take: DESAN 101 during 1st term Fall or 1st term Winter. Upon performance in the class, you may be promoted to PRE-BFA status.

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    PRE-BFA

    CSANM 150

    DESAN 102

    DESAN 162

    4. The PRE-BFA is the next step towards the Animation BFA, once you are accepted, then take the three courses listed: CSANM 150, DESAN 162 & DESAN 162.

    5. Apply for the BFA in June

    (you can only apply twice).

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    BFA

    Take classes in the Animation BFA major starting Fall Semester with your fellow BFA student cohort.

    What Happens After I'm Accepted?

    Internships

    While an internship is not required for Animation BFA students, the opportunity provides crucial professional abilities, including design skill application in a real working environment, communication skills, and effective collaboration. Additionally, The Department of Design encourages all design students to enhance their academic education with an internship related to their field of study. Receiving hands-on work experience within a professional setting, helps students assess their interests, gain confidence, and develop professional skills. Students in the Animation program have interned at major studios, including Disney, Pixar, BlueSky, Dreamworks, and more.

    Capstone

    Due to the collaborative nature of Animation, students in this program work with colleagues to complete a capstone project. This project may be narrative, nonfiction, multimedia, writing, or critical studies in either a video game or a short film format. Upon completion of this collaborative capstone project, the department submits the video game or short film to prestigious national and international competitions. The Brigham Young University Animation program holds some of the highest awards given to university level animators, including awards and recognition from the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation, ACM Siggraph, Houston WorldFest, Cannes Film Festival, Annecy Film Festival, and the Nickelodeon Animation Festival.

    After Graduation

    Jobs

    Graduates from the Animation Program can find jobs with Theatrical Film and Animation companies, Special Effects Companies, Television Animation Studios, Gaming Companies, Advertising, Manufacturing companies looking to create visualizations (such as the medical and automotive manufacturing fields)

    Note: Many of these industries exist in varying locations. Not all graduates move to Hollywood.

    Alumni

    We have students who have/had positions at gaming and feature film companies including ILM, Dreamworks, Sony Animation and Imageworks, Disney, Pixar, Digital Domain, House of Moves, Blue Sky, Third Floor, Acclaim, Disney, Toon Disney, Riot Games Blizzard, Alias, Hasbro, Nickelodeon, and Viewpoint. Local game companies include: EA Salt Lake, Disney Interactive/Avalanche Software, Chair, The Void, and Ninja Bee.

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    Sam Nielson / Area Head
    Nathan Lindsay
    Kelly Loosli
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