About Our MFA Program

School of Animation & Visual Effects

About Our MFA Program

The MFA in Animation and Visual Effects focuses on storytelling with an emphasis on technical acuity and emotional response. Graduate students are grounded in strong traditional skills that are then translated into the depth and dimension facilitated by technology. The program educates students in all aspects of animation and visual effects film processes from concept to post production while fostering skills mastery, creativity, problem solving, and professionalism.

During Directed Study, the production phase of Final Projects, real world skills such as process, communication, collaboration, and time management are practiced to ensure graduates meet or surpass the needs of the industry. Each graduate student’s Final Project is evaluated by a committee of professionals for consideration in film festivals and exhibition during the Spring Show.

MFA Program Learning Outcomes

School of Animation and Visual Effects

MFA graduates of the School of Animation and Visual Effects will meet the following student performance criteria:

1. MFA Thesis Project

   • Conceptualization and production of a graduate thesis project, demonstrating advanced skills in animation and visual effects. Prior to being granted an MFA degree, students are required to present to a review committee.

2. Visual Storytelling

   • Ability to create and develop visual stories. Ability to identify what is entertaining for an audience in a comedic or dramatic situation.
   • Understanding of film language and camera language as they affect storytelling, including camera angle, scale, and focal length—CG and otherwise.

3. Professional Readiness

   • Ability to present and promote demo reel to acquire a job within the industry.
   • Understanding of the animation/filmmaking/game production process and workplace etiquette. Understanding of the production pipeline.
   • Demonstrate facility and flexibility with animation technology & software.
   • Knowledge of the history of the industry, as well as current trends. Awareness of how the work of the past directly informs the work of the present and future.
   • Understanding of target market and the need to tailor content to different project types.
   • Prioritize tasks and manage time effectively in a fast-paced environment. Demonstrate accountability both individually and within a team, including meeting project-staged deadlines.
   • Ability to execute client-initiated or self-initiated projects, including research, analytical thinking, attention to detail, and revision. Demonstrate flexibility and problem solving.
   • Internalization of professional quality standards.
   • Display curiosity about new developments in the animation/visual effects industry.
   • Understanding that the animation industry requires collaborative effort at all levels among concept, design, production, and management teams.

4. Professional Communication

   • Communicate effectively in a working environment using a broad animation vocabulary.
   • Express creative thought processes, concepts and strategies in clear and professional English.
   • Ability to make artistic contributions within a team.
   • Ability to make professional presentations.

5. Drawing Skills

   • Ability to draw convincing poses, expressions, character designs, thumbnails, and storyboards.
   • Understanding of anatomy of the human body in relation to life drawing and movement. Ability to visually translate forms from 3- to 2-dimensions.
   • Understanding of composition, color and design.
   • Ability to apply observation skills and a critical eye.

6. Specialty Skills

   • In addition to the outcomes listed above, Animation and Visual Effects students may choose to acquire specialized skills.

   A. Specialty Skills: Animation

   • Understand and apply principles of animation, including: walk/run cycles, 2 legged and 4 legged, Lip Synch, staging, squash and stretch, overlapping and follow through, line of action, silhouette, sense of timing, straight ahead and pose to pose.
   • Understand acting and depiction of human emotion as they apply to animation.
   • Knowledge of the styles of animation, including cartoon, real, and games.
   • For 2D Animation, demonstrate drawing skills that incorporate direct observation and visual research, and knowledge of anatomy and perspective.
   • Understanding of weight and physics, and ability to convey motion and interaction of moving objects.

   B. Specialty Skills: Games

   • Understanding of gaming history.
   • Knowledge of game design theory basics and game animation specifics.
   • Awareness of current & future technology: consoles, engines, and platforms, including their limitations.
   • Knowledge of real time cycles, poses, and states.
   • Knowledge of texturing/UV/color.
   • Familiarity with creating models.
   • Understanding of the difference between low poly and high poly models.
   • Understanding of anatomy and architecture.
   • Knowledge of limitations, effects, particle systems, and fog.
   • Knowledge of level editors/proprietary and game scripting.

   C. Specialty Skills: Modeling

   • Ability to model with appropriate use of form, proportion, weight, anatomy, gesture, and facial expressions.
   • Knowledge of Polygons, NURBS, Subdivision surfaces.
   • Knowledge of UVing and texturing.
   • Ability to create hard surfaces and.organic models.
   • Knowledge of architecture.
   • Ability to clean up topology.
   • Ability to rig for animation.
   • Knowledge of sculpture and ecroche.
   • Ability to do detail modeling.

   D. Specialty Skills: Storyboarding / Visual Development

   • Understanding of story staging.
   • Demonstrate strong drawing skills and facility with anatomy, proportion, figure, and animals, perspective, color and design, and composition.
   • Ability to develop character.
   • Ability to create animatics.
   • Ability to edit and composite.

   E. Specialty Skills: Layout / Background Painting

   • Demonstrate strong drawing skills and facility with perspective, design, composition, color, camera, and staging.
   • Demonstrate ability to create environment or “stage” on which animated characters will “act” or perform with foreground, medium ground, and background areas as required for each scene.
   • Understand camera “fielding” as is applies to 2D feature films and TV aspect ratios.
   • Understand light source to create value studies that set the mood for each scene.
   • Demonstrate ability to create and “art direct” a scene through color and design elements consistent with the overall “look” of the “film”.
   • Make appropriate color choices to help tell the story.
   • Become familiar with a variety of different paint mediums including watercolor, pastel, acrylic, and digital.

   F. Specialty Skills: Compositing

   • Ability to finesse images to a fine degree.
   • Ability to composite, including node-based compositing and extraction.
   • Ability to rotoscope.
   • Ability to digitally paint.
   • Knowledge of photography.
   • Knowledge of color correction, color theory, resolution, output media (film, video, DVD), and lighting and camera.

   G. Specialty Skills: VFX TD

   • Understand how to recreate reality.
   • Knowledge and understanding of light.
   • Ability to light digitally.
   • Ability to render. Ability to do multi-pass rendering.
   • Knowledge of UNIX. Knowledge of scripting.
   • Ability to work with particle systems.
   • Knowledge of color theory.
   • Knowledge of texture application.
   • Knowledge of physics.
   • Ability to apply an eye for detail.

Academy of Art University Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the Academy of Art University will demonstrate the ability to:

1. Produce a body of work suitable for seeking professional opportunities in their chosen field of art and design.
2. Solve creative problems within their field of art and design, including research and synthesis of technical, aesthetic, and conceptual knowledge.
3. Communicate their ideas professionally and connect with their intended audience using visual, oral, and written presentation skills relevant to their field.
4. Execute technical, aesthetic, and conceptual decisions based on an understanding of art and design principles.
5. Evaluate work in their field, including their own work, using professional terminology.
6. Recognize the influence of major cultural and aesthetic trends, both historical and contemporary, on art and design products.
7. Learn the professional skills and behaviors necessary to compete in the global marketplace for art and design.

For application and portfolio requirements, please contact Graduate Admissions at 1-800-544-2787 or info@academyart.edu.

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