School of Animation & Visual Effects

Gain the skills you need for an exciting career in this vibrant and growing industry from our School of Animation & Visual Effects (VFX). Aspiring visual effects artists, 2D and 3D animators, and storyboard artist come to the Academy to learn from industry professionals in the heart of the animation industry.

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What We Teach

We are the only Animation & VFX school that teaches in a studio production environment: Studio X—our highly-collaborative, in-house, student powered production studio that works on real projects with real clients. A quick search on IMDB.com, shows Studio X students are credited for their work on movies like Fruitvale Station, Beasts of the Southern Wild, and many other hit films.

3D Animation / Learn 3D animation skills to become a character animator.

3D Modeling / Gain 3D modeling skills to do modeling.

Stop Motion / Stop motion animation creates the illusion of movement.

Visual Effects / Master visual effects from concept to post-production.

2D Animation & Stop Motion / 2D animation and stop motion for games, TV, film and web.

Storyboarding / Storyboarding outlines the flow of a film or video game.

Learn Online

Our revolutionary online courses provide the same rigorous education that we offer on campus with greater flexibility. Study on your own time, at your own pace. Combine online and on-site classes.

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Animation & Visual Effects: Tools for the Working World

At Academy of Art University’s School of Animation & Visual Effects (VFX), you can gain the job-ready skills that give you a competitive edge to stand out in an industry that thrives on creativity and collaboration. In this video, students and faculty discuss all the amazing opportunities they enjoy as students in the program.

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Your dream is within reach. Follow your heart and get started on the career of your dreams.

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Student Academy Awards Winner

Alyce Tzue’s 3D animated short film Soar amassed awards as it flew through the festival circuit. Tzue, a 2014 MFA graduate of the Academy’s School of Animation & Visual Effects, developed the film as her thesis project. Soar‘s accolades so far include first place, Student Animation, Palm Springs International ShortFest; BAFTA Award finalist; first place in Animation, Short Films, at the USA Film Festival…and the 2015 Gold Medal Student Academy Award, presented to Tzue by Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter, who won the same award in 1979 and 1980.

What Sets Us Apart

The Academy Difference

Film making is a social art form. The work students do in Studio X forces them to collaborate with people from all over the world. They learn that collaborative work is a responsibility; that each person is important to the process. It pushes them to go out of their comfort zone, and they really blossom. It takes a massive group of people—and people power—to make a film. Studio X improves people skills by requiring students to collaborate. And the outcomes—award winning films and games—speak for themselves.

Faculty

Our faculty makes the difference. They are animation and visual effects industry veterans who help bridge the needs of the industry with the curriculum and experience our students get.

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Dennis Blakey

David Nethery

Dennis Blakey

Derek Flood

Tom Bertino

Student Work

George Ambartsoumian: 3D Animation

Eunsol Park: 3D Animation

Hovelyn Penas: VFX Compositing Animation

Ji Hye Kim: VFX Compositing

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Jenny Wan

Animation & Visual Effects

Ruchirek Somrit

Animation & Visual Effects

Ocean Tian Qiu

Animation & Visual Effects

Solhee Ryu

Animation & Visual Effects

Alumni Success

Alyce Tzue

Jenny Wan

Kevin Yuille

Jan Philip Cramer

Jan Philip Cramer: The Rise of a Legendary Career

The professional career of Jan Philip Cramer is the stuff of legend. Since he earned his BFA from the School of Animation & VFX at Academy of Art University in 2004, he’s contributed to an impressive list of credits which include some of the highest-profile—and highest-grossing—feature films ever made. More importantly, beyond the money and fame, Cramer has created some of the greatest animation work in history. See for yourself in this video.

Featured Alumni

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Jan Philip Cramer

The only work I had was my portfolio from the Academy. That was the only reason I got a job. I am super thankful for that.

JAN PHILIP CRAMER'S STORY

Kevin Yuille

MFA Animation & Visual Effects

Compositing Supervisor,

FuseFX

I grew up making films on a camcorder, and I still remember how, shortly after arriving at the Academy for film editing, I met another student who was working on a project. I saw the effects he had in it and thought, ‘That suits me better!’

Alyce Tzue

MFA Animation & Visual Effects

Director

Those courses taught me to trust the process. Constant questioning and experimenting—especially at the very beginning—is not a bad thing.

ALYCE TZUE'S STORY

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Partnership

Grad Stories at Cosa VFX

Cosa VFX and our Animation & Visual Effects grads seem to go together like coffee and cream! Learn more about the projects our grads have worked on at this leading animation agency.

Careers in Animation & Visual Effects

As one of the top art and design schools in the country, Academy of Art University’s animation school graduates have a range of opportunities to choose from. Our facilities, faculty, and hands-on learning approach are designed to provide you with the tools you need to succeed as a professional in the animation and visual effects industry.

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Your career starts here.

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Or call 415-274-2222 to request more information about this program.

2D Animator

A 2D animator is concerned with creating 2D images by either hand drawing each frame or digitally manipulating flat media for games, television, the web, or feature films.

3D Animator

A 3D animator is concerned with the movement in computer graphic imagery including characters, inanimate objects such as robots or cars, or cameras for television, feature films, or games.

Character Animator

A character animator in traditional, 3D, or stop motion is concerned with the performance on screen. An understanding of timing, movement, of humans and animals, and acting is essential to bringing characters to life.

Modeler

Modelers digitally build objects in a 3D environment, including cartoon and realistic characters, animals, plants, buildings, and cars. Models are built so that they can be moved, painted, and lit properly.