Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/863793
2 2 0 1 7 E D U C AT I O N & R E C R U I T M E N T S P E C I A L digital media. The students there work with leading-edge technology and software in state-of-the-art facilities. The faculty boasts award-winning professors with years of industry experience, from which students benefit greatly. Through the industry-connected faculty, students also have the chance to meet and collaborate with top names in the business. And through the school's Collaborative Learning Center, talented students are connected with studios and corporations around the world to solve real-world design challenges before they even graduate, Almy notes. Gnomon School of Visual Effects prepares its students to be successful animators by teaching them the skills that are highly valued by the entertainment industry. The animation curriculum takes students through many differ- ent classes, where they start by learning the principles of animation and basics of motion, continue by understanding body mechanics, and culminating in more advanced proj- ects involving emotion, intention, dialog, acting theory, and more complex creature animation, according to Mauricio Hoffman, education lead of technology. "Animation is all about creating the illusion of life: telling engaging stories and making sure characters give believable performances through emotions and thought processes, while always abiding by the rules of physics and maintaining an aesthetic appeal," Hoffman adds. WALKING BEFORE RUNNING DigiPen takes a more holistic view to education. "We do not allow our students to sit behind a computer until they have had a year of traditional foundation, and we believe firmly in a regimented process at every level," says Jazno Francoeur, program director, Bachelor of Fine Arts in Digi- tal Art and Animation at the school. "Until a student under- stands perspective, anatomy, tone, color, composition, and the 12 principles of animation, it does not make sense to Image at top of page from Gnomon's Leticia Reinaldo and Moran Tenenbaum. Images above from Academy of Art University's Chaiwon Kim.