ACR Staff
Our fine staff of contributors at Animation Career Review includes:
Shawn Harrell
Deanna Thompson
Jen Lampton
Brad Prescott, Founder
Our fine staff of contributors at Animation Career Review includes:
Shawn Harrell
Deanna Thompson
Jen Lampton
Brad Prescott, Founder
Gaming is a global, multibillion dollar a year industry that attracts more than 155 million Americans alone. Most of these players are adults. In fact, according to the most recent data by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the average game player is 35 years old. A whopping 27% are 50 and over. These players are extremely loyal too, which is why they are willing to shell out big bucks for their favorite games.
Artistic talent, creativity and excellent communication skills are important qualities every aspiring animator must have. But these qualities alone won’t prepare you for the competitive world of animation. The industry is so advanced, that animators must have outstanding computer skills in order to master industry software and computer applications as well as software designed specifically for any given animation studio. While some animators consider themselves self-taught, the vast majority obtain the skills they need through an animation program. Even for the self-taught, earning a degree is a safe bet as most employer’s prefer to hire candidates that hold a bachelor’s degree or higher.
While pure animation programs are plentiful and cover all bases, so many industries rely on animation that the craft is often a component of many other degree programs. Think advertising, marketing, multimedia art, interactive media, computer graphics, graphic design, game design, game art, art, architecture, art and design, and even law and medicine. Some of these programs offer optional electives that cover major areas of animation while others may offer a focus, specialization, concentration, option, or minor in animation. In these cases, the program will often delve deeper into the art of animation. Finally, many schools also offer hybrid programs (i.e. Film & Animation, Animation & Digital Art, Film/Video/Animation, etc.) that may cover just as many bases as pure animation programs do.
Whether you call them cartoonists or animators, these amazing artists and storytellers bring some of the wackiest storylines and characters to life, some of which have lived on for generations. Mickey Mouse, Tom and Jerry, Bugs Bunny, and Scooby-Doo are just a few. Many of today’s cartoons are well on their way to iconic status as well and some have already made it. A good example is The Simpsons. What began as a series of shorts for The Tracey Ullman Show is now nearing its 30th birthday.
Animation is a global industry worth billions. This means that today’s major animation studios are looking for exceptional animators that think beyond borders. By choosing to enroll in a study abroad program, animation students will be taking the first step to becoming the valuable, globally minded asset employers look for in the extremely competitive and growing animation industry. Once in, students will quickly see why study abroad programs are so good at shaping global thinkers and leaders.
Animation is a multibillion-dollar, global industry that has a place in more major industries that you think. While most people associate animation with entertainment (i.e. television, film, gaming), it is viewed as a powerful communication tool in advertising, business, education, interior design, architecture, medicine, engineering, and technology. In fact, besides the film and video industry, the industries with the highest levels of employment for animators are computer systems design; software publishing; advertising, public relations, and related services; and other information services—in that order.
Our sixth seasonal contest received a whopping 85(!) submissions with the overall quality even better than any prior contest. Thanks to everyone who participated for making this contest a success. Below you will find our 2016 "Superhero" Short Animation Contest winners.
Officially nicknamed “The Constitution State” in 1959, Connecticut has its fair share of firsts from the very first cigars made in America to the first color TV. The state produced the nation’s first law school, the first telephone book, the world’s first nuclear powered submarine was built in Groton, the state was the first to issue permanent license plates for cars, and the first commercial U.S. telephone exchange opened in New Haven.
Connecticut is one of the few states that continues to publish more than 144 different newspapers and it runs the oldest newspaper in America—the Hartford, which began as a weekly newspaper in 1764. The state is a leader when it comes to innovation and accepting new ideas, so it’s not surprising that Connecticut is also home to an active film office that offers excellent incentives for digital animation production companies. This attracts productions from all over the U.S., which spells “opportunity” for aspiring animators.
Washington, DC is the capital of the world’s most powerful democracy, but politics isn’t the only thing happening here. The District of Columbia, known today as Washington, The District or just DC), is rich with art, culture, and history which makes it a great place for aspiring artists of all kinds. The District is home to the National Gallery of Art, which houses the Ginevra de Benci—the only Leonardo da Vinci painting in the Western Hemisphere, as well as Smithsonian American Art Museum, Renwick Gallery, National Gallery of Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, The Phillips Collection in Dupont Circle, The Kreeger Museum, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, The National Museum of Women in the Arts, The National Portrait Gallery, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and Arena Stage.
The State of Louisiana can be charming, beautiful, bizarre, and stifling all at the same time, but ask anyone who’s been there they’ll say they had the time of their life. First, the state is home to the biggest Mardi Gras celebration in the country. Next, Louisiana’s largest city—New Orleans, which also hosts Mardi Gras, is filled with street artists, art galleries big and small, production studios, design centers, and museums galore. New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA), Ogden Museum of Southern Art, The Contemporary Arts Center, and New Orleans Center for Creative Arts are just a few. University-affiliated art museums such as LSU Museum of Art of Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge and Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum of the University of Louisiana University, Lafayette are also well known.
Our fifth seasonal contest brought us over 75 submissions with the overall quality better than any prior contest. Thanks to everyone who participated for making this contest a success. Below you will find our 2016 Winter Short Animation Contest winners.
$1,000 First Prize: Special Delivery by Jeca Martinez