Discussion: Cal Arts

Kit · **Joined:** Tue Apr 04, 2006 6:40 pm **Posts:** 374

Okay so, tomorro, I'm getting the tour of Cal Arts for Character animation. What should I expect. My father suggested that I should bring my portfolio, but I'm really quite shy. I also don't have much of a portfolio.... soooo what should I expect??

ankles · **Posted:** Tue Aug 22, 2006 11:36 pm

well, first off, expect a small facility. the animation dept is like one hallway, which is inside a room. really tiny. well, the whole building used to be a mental facility, so dont expect much in that department.
in terms of bringing a portfolio, i doubt that your gonna use it cause your getting a tour, but hey, since its a tour of one specific department, you never know. in terms of what they are looking for for character animation, bring tons of figure drawing. thats all they ever tell you for a requirement. figure drawing, figure drawing, figure drawing. hell, its the only department in the entire school that has a figure drawing class.

Kit · **Joined:** Tue Apr 04, 2006 6:40 pm **Posts:** 374

It's like one hallways.
:oops:

In a mental facility....

God that's a let down.
:cry:

Hmmm...so it's till so so wheter or not to bring it... I'll meditate on it.
Thanks.

Shane · **Posted:** Wed Aug 23, 2006 12:09 am

i wouldnt, if its a tour, its a tour, not a portfolio review.

Plus, most schools could care less how good your portfolio is as long as you can pay the tuition.

gassnake · **Posted:** Wed Aug 23, 2006 12:58 am

cool that your goin on to visit. please tell us about it, calarts is a school i may be applying to for animation... but i dont really know much, so inform us please!
btw, when is this tour? and is it a certain group?

Kit · **Joined:** Tue Apr 04, 2006 6:40 pm **Posts:** 374

Shane: Good point. >.>

gassnake: I will tell all. XD

It's tommoro at 7.

ankles · **Posted:** Wed Aug 23, 2006 3:36 pm

calarts is basically an all around art school. its splint into 6 departments. theatre, music, dance, visual arts, critical studies, and film/video. and within each department there are majors. such as in film/video there is film, character animation, experimental animation, and experimental film. its a four year school, where each year costs about $25000 - 30000. they have dorms, and all the other basic college stuff. out off all the departments, film/video has the highest percentage of students.
now if you want to get into character animation your portfolio basically has to be figure drawings. they dont care if you have a style, or can animate really well (which is a plus), they want to know if you can draw people, cause that is the basis of character drawing. working off of people.

Igo · **Posted:** Wed Aug 23, 2006 6:24 pm

Be prepared. Always have a backpack and have a portfolio in it wherever you go artistically. You never know if you could strike convo with an instructor or a student that can give you imperative feedback on where you are with your work, what you need to work on, and whether or not the place is for you.

Backpacks you can wear anywhere, and there's no reason not to bring it.

Better to have a condom and not need it rather then need a condom and not have it.

themonkmob · **Posted:** Wed Aug 23, 2006 8:01 pm

Shane wrote:

i wouldnt, if its a tour, its a tour, not a portfolio review.

Plus, most schools could care less how good your portfolio is as long as you can pay the tuition.

Uhh Cal Arts is a bit different. With and acceptance rate of only 30 a year, I highly doubt its like what you are saying. I'm turning my porfolio to them by like this december or so. The tuition is 27,000 STARTING. The other stuff adds up to just about 47,000 a year. Figure drawing is the best way to go, I wouldn't suggest any animation for now - all they want to see if how well you can draw - and thats it. This is why they dont teach you how to draw at Cal Arts they jump start you basically onto the course - its as easy as that.

four eyes · **Posted:** Mon Aug 28, 2006 7:34 pm

dang, 27 a year, thats a rip, id check how much animators get paid on average and then youll be suprised. also i have a friend who goes to calart, a couple, and some of them suck really really bad.

all art schools are almost the same, youll find yourself being on your own doing your own reading, the school is there to give you subjects and assistance, its 90% all you, you can actually not go to any school if one had that sort of dedication. but a 4 year school at 30k a year being 120k when your done with 9% interest. yea look at how much animators get paid. and not including room, food and materials? thats tough.

i would take liberal arts at a community college, that will save you about 20k, cause why take english in an artschool.

themonkmob · **Posted:** Mon Aug 28, 2006 7:48 pm

Quote:

and some of them suck really really bad

THERE IS HOPE!

Kit · **Joined:** Tue Apr 04, 2006 6:40 pm **Posts:** 374

Dude.
This thread is so so so so so so depressing.

ion: You take English Cal Arts (in the animation program any way) because you're an animator, and animators are story tellers. I like english and love story telling so it doens't really bother me.

themonkmob: I did bring my portfolio, but then I heard about what they are looking for and there was no need to even consider showing it to them. They wanted 80% life drawing and I had like...2%. So I basically already knew what they were going to say. I didn't have a need to bring it. xD

Igo: I'm so doing that. For now on, portfolio goes everywhere. XD.
Thanks.

The Tour was VERY helpful and totally turned me onto the school. I love every program there, and I love the community within it's doors. I'm very very excited about going (if I make it), but I'm going to look at some other places also....however, if I don't get into Cal Arts-expect a massacure. :evil:

themonkmob · **Posted:** Mon Sep 04, 2006 2:55 pm

Igo wrote:

Backpacks you can wear anywhere, and there's no reason not to bring it.

SHIT GETS STOLEN B!

Thats why I dont bring all my stuff..

Kit · **Joined:** Tue Apr 04, 2006 6:40 pm **Posts:** 374

I don't know about you, but if someone steals my stuff, they get shanked.

ankles · **Posted:** Mon Sep 04, 2006 6:22 pm

i told you to bring tons of life drawing. i told you.

Igo · **Posted:** Mon Sep 04, 2006 8:32 pm

You wear the backpack you fool monk. You dont have to take it off, leave it in a room full of strangers with a sign "please steal this backpack NOW" on it.

themonkmob · **Posted:** Mon Sep 04, 2006 9:29 pm

I dont know about you, but im a bit more neurotic with my stuff. I tend to lose or misplace stuff all the time. WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR LIFE DRAWINGS WHEN YOU GET INTO A CRASH?! HUH PUNK!?

lightbombmike · **Posted:** Wed Sep 27, 2006 9:45 am

47 a year in school fees?!

That is starting wage for an animator. After a bout a year, you should be trying to hit 70. From there, if you want more, you have to be AMAZING, or stay at a place long enough to become a lead or senior animator.

I have about 30 in school debt after 4 years, and figure that to take at least a couple of years to pay off now that I am doing it fulltime. I can only imagine how long 100k or more would take.

But, Cal Arts definetly teaches you mad skills, and can be that stepping stone to the big leagues.

Also, think about Animation Mentor. That runs about 10-15k a year I believe, but they have just about the best character animation program I have ever seen. The people who come out of that program are landing all the top notch jobs right out of the gate, at just about any big studio... probably because most of the people that teach it are in charge of reviewing reels at all the major studios...

zoemoss · **Posted:** Sat Nov 11, 2006 12:17 pm

aw man! I wish I'd seen this post earlier. I've been going to the summer school program for three years and I currently attend the school for Experimental Animation. I hope your trip was fun though

themonkmob · **Posted:** Sat Nov 11, 2006 9:13 pm

Do you know Jeff Liu?

Violent Pink · **Joined:** Wed Oct 19, 2005 2:19 am **Posts:** 227

You get out of art school what you put into it.
Mostly, it's a great way to make connections that you normally wouldn't be able to. So be social and work your ass off. If you like working artistically, you can have a lot of fun.

four eyes · **Posted:** Mon Nov 13, 2006 5:30 pm

well by what you put into it is the networking connections you make, its half what you know and its half who you know. but there are exceptions to every rule. just ask yourself why there are so many sucky people in the industry...

Kit · **Joined:** Tue Apr 04, 2006 6:40 pm **Posts:** 374

Ugh.
Networking. I've been tryin' to get some in several places, but I'm still 16, so I doubt it counts.

I WAS (kinda sorta) offered internship (or something) at Rythm and Hues. Basicly said that I should look there if I needed one.

Then I wonder if there's going to be TIME for internship. As I understand the Animators have no.life.at.all.

Oh depression.

themonkmob · **Posted:** Fri Dec 01, 2006 11:12 pm

I'd rather have no life at all then. I'd love to animate all day.

ankles · **Posted:** Fri Dec 01, 2006 11:33 pm

no life and no sleep.

sent in me app today!

themonkmob · **Posted:** Sat Dec 02, 2006 12:02 am

For Cal? Nice :cool:

What'd you put in it?

ankles · **Posted:** Sat Dec 02, 2006 12:13 am

you shall never know

something like, 16 fig drawings, 4 digital prints, 2 character designs, and 4 animations.

Kit · **Joined:** Tue Apr 04, 2006 6:40 pm **Posts:** 374

Yeah seriously. I would too.

But I would like to um...ya know...eat and MAYBE rent a movie once a year and watch it. XD

Clawedchickeneye: Don't they say that 80% of your app should be figure drawings from life?

Tell me if you make it in!!

Oh-and isn't um... the application thing like...in January. It's earlier than most schools, right?

themonkmob · **Posted:** Sat Dec 02, 2006 1:59 am

Yeah that's what I was gonna say Kit.

About the animations, they were in VHS format right? (or disk?)

Kit · **Joined:** Tue Apr 04, 2006 6:40 pm **Posts:** 374

Monk: I've read that you can send in a CD, but I'm not sure at all. XD

For people intrested in Cal Arts, a member set up a site for those that want to apply for character animation. www.animatedbuzz.com

themonkmob · **Posted:** Sun Dec 17, 2006 2:38 am

hah been on there for like 6 months. I'm applying next friday. :D

Kit · **Joined:** Tue Apr 04, 2006 6:40 pm **Posts:** 374

A member told me about it.

And I've been looking for something like that for a while. It's JUST what I needed.

WOW.
Tell us how it goes!

ankles · **Posted:** Fri Mar 30, 2007 12:29 am

oh, cause monkmob reminded me, but i got in. starting sept. character animation

Igo · **Posted:** Fri Mar 30, 2007 1:24 am

THANKS FOR TELLING USSSSSSSsssss....

Congrats bro! Huge deal, I know you coulda made it in regardless, but it's still awesome to hear you got it man.

gassnake · **Posted:** Fri Mar 30, 2007 1:28 am

yeah, congrants man!

and i dont mean to be an ass, but you should post some of the pieces you had in your portfolio, it would be awesome to see.

ankles · **Posted:** Fri Mar 30, 2007 2:13 am

yeah, sure. as soon as i get it back tho. they havent told me to pick it up yet

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