Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1011494
e d i t i o n 3 , 2 0 1 8 | c g w 6 7 E D U C A T I O N & R E C R U I T M E N T innovation (the added value that makes the work uniquely appealing or technologically groundbreaking). "It's not uncommon for new artists to underestimate the importance of the first two categories, as they are eager to jump straight into the soware. Again, any reputable school will build their curriculum with a strong foundation and process in mind," Francoeur says. Also vital is the ability to take risks. "I always push the impor- tance of a positive attitude and a fearless confidence in taking on the unknown. Most students like to stay with known quantities, but that's the opposite of inno- vation," says Mark Henne, pro- gram director of DigiPen's MFA program in Digital Arts. "Students need to learn that there is no wasted knowledge. It all adds up toward creating as whole. And the question of 'Why do I have to learn this?' is reflective of not understanding how subjects are interrelated. Having this attitude [of risk taking] is important because that's what will keep them interested and creating new things. In the working world, those with this quality are the ones who find opportunity." Bobby Beck, CEO and co- founder of the online animation school Animation Mentor, be- lieves that imagination is oen missing in most student work. "When you give an assignment like [animating] a heavy li, you tend to see the same heave li of a box over and over. What we try to teach our students is there are a million ways to show this," he says. "Show us, and the recruiters, something new, fresh, and exciting. Of course, it has to be executed well, too, but imag- ination is key, and having unique ideas will make you an incredibly sought-aer animator." Gnomon Director of Educa- tion Max Dayan stresses the importance of problem-solving and pushing one's self. "It's hard to generalize all students, but problem-solving skills are extremely crucial to student success. Individuals who can re- search solutions, formulate, and test different strategies not only see better results in their work, but also build their confidence," he says. "I think in order to stand out, you have to push your work beyond 'done.' The last 1 percent is the hardest part of any ani- mation, but it's the difference between good and amazing." Colin Giles, head of Anima- tion and VFX at Vancouver Film School, agrees on the importance of problem-solving. "The most important tool we can prepare our students with is problem-solving. No matter the rapid changes in technol- ogy or communication, the greatest value a student can offer a prospective employer is their ability to think critically in the workplace," he says. "This prepares [them] for a career as opposed to simply a job." Just as important, maintains Mauricio Hoffman, animation in- structor at Gnomon, is the need for animators to not just "do," but also to "observe." As he ex- plains, motion, visual storytelling, and thought processes are hard things to study because of their ephemeral nature, and because of that, there is a need to really study motion before attempting to interpret it through animation. "A common mistake is to think that the animation process hap- pens exclusively in the computer, with posing characters or saving keyframes," says Hoffman. To this end, Gnomon places a good deal of emphasis on the pre-planning of scenes, gather- ing and observing reference, and understanding the scene and its characters, even before a single keyframe is set. "Computers and soware will always evolve, BY TODD ALBERDA, DIGIPEN BY ALLA CHERNOVA, GNOMON BY CAMILO CASTRO, RINGLING BY MELODY WANG, SHERIDAN BY CHARBEL KAMAR, FULL SAIL